Introduction to
BARLEY GERMPLASM CENTER
Research Institute for Bioresources
Okayama
University
Japanese
homepage
- History
- Barley
- Germplasm
- Objectives
- Evaluation and Preservation
- Contents of the Germplasm
- Person in charge
- Publications
- Sample request
Research Institute for Bioresources, Okayama University
2-20-1, Chuo, Kurashiki, 710-0046, JAPAN
Tel. 086-424-1661 (International +81-86-424-1661)
Fax. 086-434-1249 (International +81-86-434-1249)
e-mail kazsato@rib.okayama-u.ac.jp (curator)
@@@Early in 1940's Dr. Ryuhei Takahashi, Emeritus Professor
of Okayama University, started the collection of barley varieties from all over
the world. By the support of his successors the collection increased year by
year. In 1979 the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture
established the Barley Germplasm Center at the Institute for Agricultural and
Biological Sciences (renamed as Research Institute for Bioresources in 1989),
Okayama University located at Kurashiki. In 2003 four staff members, ten
full-time and part-time assistants, two PhD and one graduate students are
involved in the germplasm project. Several cooperative research works are
conducted with the scientists in and out of the Institute.
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@@@Barley is the fourth major cereal crop in the world.
About 8,000 years ago it was domesticated from a wild ancestor in the Fertile
Crescent and now it is grown throughout the world excepting the tropics because
of its wide adaptability to the salt, drought, low temperature etc. The barley
varieties show a large variation in morphological, ecological and agricultural
traits such as plant type, ear type, growth habit, maturity, plant height,
grain size, disease resistance etc. About 2,000 years ago barley was introduced
to Japan from the continent, and it used to be an important food crop. Barley
was cooked with rice when the rice production was limited, and sometimes we eat
barley in this way still now. At present barley is used mainly as feed of
livestocks, malts for beer and whisky, miso, soy-source and Mugicha-tea.
Recently the consumers attend to Mochi-mugi or waxy barley because of its
special function as a diet.
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@@@During the long process of evolution, the genetic
diversity of organisms has been expanded very much. The genetic diversity is
the essential base of the biosphere where the human beings are living, and it
is also the principal factor for improving the genetic ability of the organism
through the breeding for the human welfare. Therefore we have to maintain and
expand the germplasm for the future.
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@@@The objectives of the Center is (1) to collect and
preserve the barley germplasm, (2) to evaluate and analyze the genetic feature
of the materials, (3) to constract database and seed stocks for worldwide
distribution. At the beginning of the Center the number of collection was about
5,000 and it has grown up to 10,000. During the recent five years (1998-2002)
the Center introduced ca. 1,600 samples and distributed ca. 7,300 samples.
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Sampling
in Tibetan landrace field 
UNIX
workstation for database Evaluation and preservation of the materials
@@@At Kurashiki where the winter is so mild, barley is usually
sown in the late autumn. After germination many plant characters such as plant
type, hairiness of leaf sheath, heading time, ear type, awn length, hull type
etc. are carefully checked by experienced staffs. The barley varieties head in
April and mature in late May. Then barley spikes are harvested, dried and
threshed very carefully to prevent the contamination. After fumigated with
chemical insecticide the seeds are stored in storage room at 15 (short and middle
term) or -30 (long term) under dry condition. The preserved materials will be
distributed with the request of scientific purpose.
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@ @ @ @ @ Barley genotypes tolerant (left) and susceptible (right) to excessive moisture |
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@@@About 5,200 cultivars originated from various regions of
the world, 274 wild barley lines, 421 mutants, 172 linkage testers, 13
trisomics and 377 isogenic lines are registered. In addition more than 2,000
cultivars and thousands of mutagen treated lines are under evaluation.
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Seed
multiplication of wild species 
Chlorophyll
mutants 
Ears
of addition lines (1-7) of wheat (W) to which each chromosome of barley (B)
is introduced Kazuyoshi Takeda (Professor, Head) takeda@rib.okayama-u.ac.jp
Kazuhiro Sato (Associate Professor, Curator) kazsato@rib.okayama-u.ac.jp
Daisuke Saisho (Assistant Professor, Genome analysis) saisho@rib.okayama-u.ac.jp
Makoto Ishii (Technician) makishii@rib.okayama-u.ac.jp
BARLEY GERMPLASM DATABASE
on line search system for seed samples and ESTs
Publications
from Barley Germplasm Center
Catalogue of Baley Germplasm Preserved in Okayama
University 1983
Special report of the Barley Germplasm Center (in Japanese with English Summary)
No.1 Studies on the breeding and evaluation of germplasm for the resistance to net blotch in barley
No.2 Studies on the breeding and evaluation for salt tolerance in barley (out of print)
No.3 Inheritance and gepgraphical distribtion of phenol reaction-less varieties of barley
No.4 Studies on the Fusarium head blight resistance in barley (out of print)
No.5 Studies on expressivity of hull-cracked grain in malting barley
No.6 Studies on the breeding and evaluation of germplasm
for deep-seeding tolerance in barley
All above publications are available upon request. Please ask us by e-mail.
Sample
request for seeds and DNA clones
Limited amount (20 kernels each for cultivated barley, 10 kernels each for wild barley and experimental line) of seed samples and DNA clones (cDNA and BAC) for research purpose are available upon request. Users must follow the MTAs below. Please contact the curator Kazuhiro Sato (kazsato@rib.okayama-u.ac.jp) to receive Order and Assurance form.
Barley
MATERIAL TRANSFER AGREEMENT
(MTA)
This Material Transfer
Agreement sets forth the terms and conditions under which Barley Germplasm
Center, Okayama University (hereinafter referred to as the fBARLEY GERMPLASM
CENTERf) will provide with the RECIPIENT, and the RECIPIENT will receive, the
biological material specified as described in the assurance form and/or its
derivatives (hereinafter referred to as the fMATERIALf) in response to the RECIPIENTfs
request, and with which the RECIPIENT staff and organization agree before the
RECIPIENT receives the MATERIAL:
The RECIPIENT shall inform the
The RECIPIENT agrees to
expressly describe the acknowledgement of the
The RECIPIENT shall bear the
cost of shipping, handling, part of production and other expenses necessary for
preparation or distribution of the MATERIAL (except small number@of seed samples or DNA clones) for the RECIPIENT.
The
The RECIPIENT shall not
distribute, resell or otherwise dispose of the MATERIAL and ITS DERIVATIVES to
any third party. The disposition hereunder shall include any acts to transfer
all or any part of the intellectual property or grant a license thereunder with
respect to the MATERIAL.
Nothing in this AGREEMENT shall
be interpreted that the
The RECIPIENT assumes all
liability for claims against the RECIPIENT and the BARLEY GERMPLASM CENTER by
third parties relating to alleged infringement of any patent, copyright,
trademark or other intellectual property rights, which may arise from the use,
storage or disposal by the RECIPIENT of the MATERIAL, except for the case that
the claim is caused by the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the BARLEY
GERMPLASM CENTER.
The RECIPIENT acknowledges that
the MATERIAL delivered pursuant to this AGREEMENT may have defective, hazardous
or faulty properties and may not necessarily fit for a particular purpose and
that the RECIPIENT assumes all liability for any consequences resulting from
the use by the RECIPIENT of the MATERIAL.
The RECIPIENT agrees that any
handling or other activities undertaken in their laboratory with the MATERIAL
and ITS DERIVATIVES shall be conducted in compliance with all applicable laws,
regulations and guidelines. The RECIPIENT shall, if necessary, take any steps
or procedures to comply with legal requirements for handling of the MATERIAL.
Both parties shall discuss to
enable amicable resolution of any accidents during shipment of the MATERIAL.
Where the RECIPIENT is in
breach of this AGREEMENT, the
Both parties shall discuss in
good faith to enable the amicable resolution of matters, arising in connection
with the interpretation or performance hereof as well as the matters which are
not expressly set forth in this AGREEMENT.
Any matter or dispute, which
cannot be settled through said amicable discussion, shall be subject to the
exclusive jurisdiction of Tokyo District Court,