Discovering Barley’s Evolution Through a Century-Old Experiment

In a landmark study leveraging the barley composite cross II (CCII) experiment that began in 1929, researchers have uncovered how barley has rapidly adapted to diverse environments over nearly a century. This long-term study highlights significant evolutionary insights, particularly how natural selection has shaped barley’s adaptation, notably in reproductive timing. Despite the successful local adaptation observed, which resulted in a dominant clonal lineage well-suited to Mediterranean-like climates, this evolutionary breeding approach did not yield higher crop outputs compared to traditional pedigree-based methods. The findings underscore the importance of understanding the genetic mechanisms behind adaptive success and the need for further research to enhance crop yields. The study, conducted by Jacob Landis and colleagues, emphasizes the value of long-term experiments in revealing the dynamics of adaptive evolution in crops.