“We are delighted that our findings can provide real benefits in terms of understanding how gene editing can help improve the quality of barley crops and gain insight into the different roles these genes may have in grain composition”

International Barley Hub scientists at the James Hutton Institute, working with colleagues in the UK and Australia, have gained further insight into key genes responsible for grain composition, a process facilitated by using CRISPR gene editing as a research tool.

Barley grain is comparatively rich in (1,3;1,4)-β-D-Glucan, a source of fermentable dietary fibre that protects against various human health conditions. However, crops with a low content of this compound are preferred for brewing and distilling.

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This article was originally posted by The James Hutton Institute