The potential of wild barley (Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum C. Koch.) to improve early shoot and root traits of cultivated barley

Early shoot and root development are critical for plant performance and yield, particularly in dry areas. This study investigated the potential of wild (Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum C. Koch.) and cultivated barley crosses to generate variation in early growth traits in barley breeding programs. Two F₂ populations and their parents were grown in sand media under greenhouse conditions. Shoot and root characteristics of barleys were measured at four-weeks-old seedlings. Data were subjected to variance analysis to determine statistically significant differences between the F₂ populations and their parents. Transgressive index values and transgressive segregation rates were calculated to identify individuals with traits exceeding the parental range. Broad sense heritability estimates were also calculated for the traits studied. The means of most shoot and root traits in the F₂ populations were statistically different from those of the parents in both cross combinations. Root length, number of tillers, and root/shoot dry weight ratio had the highest transgressive index and transgressive segregation rates in both F₂ populations. The highest broad sense heritability estimates were found for root length, number of tillers, shoot length, root fresh and dry weight. These results highlight the valuable genetic diversity introduced by wild barley and its potential to develop barley cultivars with improved early vigour and root structure.