Coordinator's report: Ear morphology genes
Udda Lundqvist
Svalöf Weibull AB, S-268 81 Svalöv, Sweden.

No real genetical research on ear morphological marker genes has been reported during the last year. As already mentioned in the latest coordinator's report (BGN 24:165) many of the ear morphology marker genes have been transferred into a common genetic background by J.D. Franckowiak at North Dakota State University, in Fargo, USA. In connection with this transfer some linkage drag in the Bowman backcross derived lines could be observed and studied (Franckowiak 1995). Also some allelism between ear morphology characters of other Genetic Stocks and Swedish mutants could be established. A list of these settlements will be published in later issues of BGN, when the revisions of the descriptions are finished and published. See below.

Regarding the Swedish collection no new research has been performed, and the listing of the different ear characters in BGN 23:175-176 is still valid and up-to-date. The barley community is encouraged to submit matters of interest to the coordinator as well. The material of the Swedish collections, which is kept at the Nordic Gene Bank, Sweden, is available to every research worker, and seed requests can be done at any time. The Swedish morphological ear characters are entered into Swedish databases, which now have been transferred to the dBase programme for Windows, and will soon be available as electronic version on Internet.

The descriptions on the global ear morphology genes are being revised and will be published in a special issue of BGN. The descriptions of the genes have also been started to enter into the database "GrainGenes". Every ear morphology gene will be illustrated with an image in the database.

References:

Franckowiak, J.D. 1995. Notes on linkage drag in Bowman backcross derived lines of spring barley. BGN 24:63-70.

Lundqvist, U. 1994. Coordinator's report: Ear morphology genes. BGN 23:175-176.

Lundqvist, U. 1995. Coordinator's report: Ear morphology genes. BGN 24:165.