Deciphering salt stress responses in Solanum pimpinellifolium through high-throughput phenotyping.

Soil salinity is a major environmental stressor affecting agricultural productivity worldwide. Understanding plant responses to salt stress is crucial for developing resilient crop varieties. Wild relatives of cultivated crops, such as wild tomato, Solanum pimpinellifolium, can serve as a useful resource to further expand the resilience potential of the cultivated germplasm, S. lycopersicum. In this study, we employed high-throughput phenotyping in the greenhouse and field conditions to explore salt stress responses of a S. pimpinellifolium diversity panel. Our study revealed extensive phenotypic variations in response to salt stress, with traits such as transpiration rate, shoot mass, and ion accumulation showing significant correlations with plant performance. We found that while transpiration was a key determinant of plant performance in the greenhouse, shoot mass strongly correlated with yield under field conditions. Conversely, ion accumulation was the least influential factor under greenhouse conditions. Through a Genome Wide Association Study, we identified candidate genes not previously associated with salt stress, highlighting the power of high-throughput phenotyping in uncovering novel aspects of plant stress responses. This study contributes to our understanding of salt stress tolerance in S. pimpinellifolium and lays the groundwork for further investigations into the genetic basis of these traits, ultimately informing breeding efforts for salinity tolerance in tomato and other crops.

Diaphragm electrical activity during weaning of nasal high-flow therapy in preterm infants.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether electrical activity of the diaphragm (Edi) changes with weaning nasal high-flow (HF) therapy in preterm infants according to a standardised protocol. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study. SETTING: Neonatal intensive care unit. PATIENTS: Preterm infants born at <32 weeks gestation, receiving nasal HF as part of routine clinical care. INTERVENTIONS: Infants recruited to the study had their HF weaned according to set clinical criteria. Edi was measured using a modified gastric feeding tube serially from baseline (pre-wean) to 24-hours post-wean. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in Edi from baseline was measured at four time points up to 24 hours after weaning. Minimum Edi during expiration, maximum Edi during inspiration and amplitude of the Edi signal (Edidelta) were measured. Clinical parameters (heart rate, respiratory rate and fraction of inspired oxygen) were also recorded. RESULTS: Forty preterm infants were recruited at a mean corrected gestational age of 31.6 (±2.7) weeks. Data from 156 weaning steps were analysed, 91% of which were successful. Edi did not change significantly from baseline during flow reduction steps, but a significant increase in diaphragm activity was observed when discontinuing HF (median increase in Edidelta immediately post-discontinuation 1.7 µV (95% CI: 0.6 to 3.0)) and at 24 hours 1.9 µV (95% CI: 0.7 to 3.8)). No significant difference in diaphragm activity was observed between successful and unsuccessful weaning steps. CONCLUSIONS: A protocolised approach to weaning has a high probability of success. Edi does not change with reducing HF rate, but significantly increases with discontinuation of HF from 2 L/min.

The use of mentoring for knowledge translation by allied health: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: To describe how allied health professionals have used mentoring as a knowledge translation strategy to inform practice. INTRODUCTION: Mentoring has been reported to be used by nursing and medicine as a knowledge translation strategy. It is not known if allied health professionals have also used mentoring to improve their use of research in practice, or what the key mentoring characteristics are that guide its application in allied health settings. Improved understanding of the barriers and facilitators to mentoring in allied health settings may be used to guide the design of future mentoring programs to assist knowledge translation. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Eligible studies must have included allied health professionals, and used the concept of mentoring to support knowledge translation in the context of healthcare. Primary empirical and synthesized studies were eligible. METHODS: An a-priori protocol was followed to complete a search of six databases (MEDLINE [OVID], EMBASE [OVID], CINAHL [EBSCO], PsycInfo [OVID], PDQ-Evidence ( www.pdq-evidence.org ), and Cochrane on the 9 March 2021. Screening for eligibility was conducted by two authors at the title and abstract stage and the full text stage. Selection criteria and the data extraction tool were established prior to the search. Findings are presented in narrative and tabular formats. RESULTS: A total of 2053 studies met the inclusion criteria for screening and nine were determined to be eligible for inclusion. Mentoring has been used by allied health professionals to improve the translation of interventional research evidence by clinicians, and to establish clinician skills and knowledge relating to knowledge translation processes. Mentoring was predominantly used as part of a multifaceted knowledge translation strategy alongside educational strategies. Mentoring characteristics such as structure, context, goals, resourcing and dosage varied depending on the context of translation. The specific barriers reported to using mentoring were varied, whereas the facilitators to mentoring were primarily related to the mentor's approach and expertise. The impact of mentoring was primarily measured through the mentee's experience of mentoring. CONCLUSIONS: Allied health professionals have used mentoring as a knowledge translation strategy to enhance the use of research evidence in their practice and to learn the process of knowledge translation. Mentoring is mostly used in conjunction with other strategies in practice, such as education. The limited number of identified barriers and facilitators to using mentoring as a knowledge translation strategy supports the need for future research to deepen our understanding about the mentoring process.

Improved Salinity Tolerance-Associated Variables Observed in EMS Mutagenized Wheat Lines.

Salinity tolerance-associated phenotypes of 35 EMS mutagenized wheat lines originating from BARI Gom-25 were compared. Vegetative growth was measured using non-destructive image-based phenotyping. Five different NaCl concentrations (0 to 160 mM) were applied to plants 19 days after planting (DAP 19), and plants were imaged daily until DAP 38. Plant growth, water use, leaf Na+, K+ and Cl- content, and thousand kernel weight (TKW) were measured, and six lines were selected for further analysis. In saline conditions, leaf Na+, K+, and Cl- content variation on a dry weight basis within these six lines were ~9.3, 1.4, and 2.4-fold, respectively. Relative to BARI Gom-25, two (OA6, OA62) lines had greater K+ accumulation, three (OA6, OA10, OA62) had 50-75% lower Na+:K+ ratios, and OA62 had ~30% greater water-use index (WUI). OA23 had ~2.2-fold greater leaf Na+ and maintained TKW relative to BARI Gom-25. Two lines (OA25, OA52) had greater TKW than BARI Gom-25 when grown in 120 mM NaCl but similar Na+:K+, WUI, and biomass accumulation. OA6 had relatively high TKW, high leaf K+, and WUI, and low leaf Na+ and Cl-. Phenotypic variation revealed differing associations between the parameters measured in the lines. Future identification of the genetic basis of these differences, and crossing of lines with phenotypes of interest, is expected to enable the assessment of which combinations of parameters deliver the greatest improvement in salinity tolerance.

Tissue culture tools for selenium hyperaccumulator Neptunia amplexicaulis for development in phytoextraction.

Neptunia amplexicaulis is an herbaceous legume endemic to the Richmond area in central Queensland, Australia and is one of the strongest known Selenium hyperaccumulators on earth, showing significant potential to be utilised in Se phytoextraction applications. Here a protocol was established for in vitro micropropagation of Se hyperaccumulator N. amplexicaulis using nodal segments from in vitro-germinated seedlings. Shoot multiplication was achieved on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal media supplemented with various concentrations of 6-Benzylaminopurine (BA) (1.0, 2.0, 3.0 mg L-1) alone or in combination with low levels of Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 mg L-1), with 2.0 mg L-1 BA + 0.2 mg L-1 NAA found to be most effective. Elongated shoots were rooted in vitro using NAA, with highest root induction rate of 30% observed at 0.2 mg L-1 NAA. About 95% of the in vitro rooted shoots survived acclimatization. Clonally propagated plantlets were dosed with selenate/selenite solution and assessed for Se tissue concentrations using Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and found to retain their ability to hyperaccumulate. The protocol developed for this study has potential to be optimised for generating clonal plants of N. amplexicaulis for use in research and phytoextraction industry applications.

Corrigendum to: Identification of salt tolerance QTL in a wheat RIL mapping population using destructive and non-destructive phenotyping.

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important food crops, however it is only moderately tolerant to salinity stress. To improve wheat yield under saline conditions, breeding for improved salinity tolerance of wheat is needed. We have identified nine quantitative trail loci (QTL) for different salt tolerance sub-traits in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population, derived from the bi-parental cross of Excalibur × Kukri. This population was screened for salinity tolerance subtraits using a combination of both destructive and non-destructive phenotyping. Genotyping by sequencing (GBS) was used to construct a high-density genetic linkage map, consisting of 3236 markers, and utilised for mapping QTL. Of the nine mapped QTL, six were detected under salt stress, including QTL for maintenance of shoot growth under salinity (QG ( 1-5 ) .asl -5A , QG ( 1-5 ) .asl -7B ) sodium accumulation (QNa.asl -2A ), chloride accumulation (QCl.asl -2A , QCl.asl -3A ) and potassium : sodium ratio (QK :Na.asl -2DS2 ). Potential candidate genes within these QTL intervals were shortlisted using bioinformatics tools. These findings are expected to facilitate the breeding of new salt tolerant wheat cultivars. Soil salinity causes major yield losses in bread wheat, which is moderately tolerant to salinity stress. Using high throughput genotyping and phenotyping techniques, we identified quantitative trail loci (QTL) for different salt tolerance sub-traits in bread wheat and shortlisted potential candidate genes. These QTL and candidate genes may prove useful in breeding for salt tolerant wheat cultivars.

A diencephalic circuit in rats for opioid analgesia but not positive reinforcement.

Mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonists are potent analgesics, but also cause sedation, respiratory depression, and addiction risk. The epithalamic lateral habenula (LHb) signals aversive states including pain, and here we found that it is a potent site for MOR-agonist analgesia-like responses in rats. Importantly, LHb MOR activation is not reinforcing in the absence of noxious input. The LHb receives excitatory inputs from multiple sites including the ventral tegmental area, lateral hypothalamus, entopeduncular nucleus, and the lateral preoptic area of the hypothalamus (LPO). Here we report that LHb-projecting glutamatergic LPO neurons are excited by noxious stimulation and are preferentially inhibited by MOR selective agonists. Critically, optogenetic stimulation of LHb-projecting LPO neurons produces an aversive state that is relieved by LHb MOR activation, and optogenetic inhibition of LHb-projecting LPO neurons relieves the aversiveness of ongoing pain.

Stress reveals a specific behavioral phenotype for opioid abuse susceptibility.

Susceptibility to stress has long been considered important for the development of substance use disorders. Nonetheless, behavioral and physiological responses to stress are highly variable, making it difficult to identify the individuals who are most likely to abuse drugs. In the present study, we employed a comprehensive battery of tests for negative valence behaviors and nociception to identify individuals predisposed to opioid seeking following oral opioid self-administration. Furthermore, we examined how this profile was affected by a history of stress. We observed that mice receiving foot shock stress failed to exhibit a preference for sucrose, showed increased immobility in the forced swim task, and exhibited mechanical hypersensitivity when compared to controls. When considering these behaviors in light of future fentanyl-seeking responses, we observed that heightened mechanical sensitivity corresponded to higher opioid preference in mice with a history of stress, but not controls. Moreover, we were surprised to discover that paradoxically high sucrose preferences predicted fentanyl preference in shock mice, while signs of anhedonia predicted fentanyl preference in controls. Taken together, these results indicate that stress can act as a physiological modulator, shifting profiles of opioid abuse susceptibility depending on an individual's history.

Identifying the genetic control of salinity tolerance in the bread wheat landrace Mocho de Espiga Branca.

Salinity tolerance in bread wheat is frequently reported to be associated with low leaf sodium (Na+) concentrations. However, the Portuguese landrace, Mocho de Espiga Branca, accumulates significantly higher leaf Na+ but has comparable salinity tolerance to commercial bread wheat cultivars. To determine the genetic loci associated with the salinity tolerance of this landrace, an F2 mapping population was developed by crossing Mocho de Espiga Branca with the Australian cultivar Gladius. The population was phenotyped for 19 salinity tolerance subtraits using both non-destructive and destructive techniques. Genotyping was performed using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). Genomic regions associated with salinity tolerance were detected on chromosomes 1A, 1D, 4B and 5A for the subtraits of relative and absolute growth rate (RGR, AGR respectively), and on chromosome 2A, 2B, 4D and 5D for Na+, potassium (K+) and chloride (Cl-) accumulation. Candidate genes that encode proteins associated with salinity tolerance were identified within the loci including Na+/H+ antiporters, K+ channels, H+-ATPase, calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs), CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs), calcium dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) and calcium-transporting ATPase. This study provides a new insight into the genetic control of salinity tolerance in a Na+ accumulating bread wheat to assist with the future development of salt tolerant cultivars.

Cryopreservation of Woody Crops: The Avocado Case.

Recent development and implementation of crop cryopreservation protocols has increased the capacity to maintain recalcitrant seeded germplasm collections via cryopreserved in vitro material. To preserve the greatest possible plant genetic resources globally for future food security and breeding programs, it is essential to integrate in situ and ex situ conservation methods into a cohesive conservation plan. In vitro storage using tissue culture and cryopreservation techniques offers promising complementary tools that can be used to promote this approach. These techniques can be employed for crops difficult or impossible to maintain in seed banks for long-term conservation. This includes woody perennial plants, recalcitrant seed crops or crops with no seeds at all and vegetatively or clonally propagated crops where seeds are not true-to-type. Many of the world's most important crops for food, nutrition and livelihoods, are vegetatively propagated or have recalcitrant seeds. This review will look at ex situ conservation, namely field repositories and in vitro storage for some of these economically important crops, focusing on conservation strategies for avocado. To date, cultivar-specific multiplication protocols have been established for maintaining multiple avocado cultivars in tissue culture. Cryopreservation of avocado somatic embryos and somatic embryogenesis have been successful. In addition, a shoot-tip cryopreservation protocol has been developed for cryo-storage and regeneration of true-to-type clonal avocado plants.

Novel Salinity Tolerance Loci in Chickpea Identified in Glasshouse and Field Environments.

A better understanding of the genetics of salinity tolerance in chickpea would enable breeding of salt tolerant varieties, offering potential to expand chickpea production to marginal, salinity-affected areas. A Recombinant Inbred Line population was developed using accelerated-Single Seed Descent of progeny from a cross between two chickpea varieties, Rupali (salt-sensitive) and Genesis836 (salt-tolerant). The population was screened for salinity tolerance using high-throughput image-based phenotyping in the glasshouse, in hydroponics, and across 2 years of field trials at Merredin, Western Australia. A genetic map was constructed from 628 unique in-silico DArT and SNP markers, spanning 963.5 cM. Markers linked to two flowering loci identified on linkage groups CaLG03 and CaLG05 were used as cofactors during genetic analysis to remove the confounding effects of flowering on salinity response. Forty-two QTL were linked to growth rate, yield, and yield component traits under both control and saline conditions, and leaf tissue ion accumulation under salt stress. Residuals from regressions fitting best linear unbiased predictions from saline conditions onto best linear unbiased predictions from control conditions provided a measure of salinity tolerance per se, independent of yield potential. Six QTL on CaLG04, CaLG05, and CaLG06 were associated with tolerance per se. In total, 21 QTL mapped to two distinct regions on CaLG04. The first distinct region controlled the number of filled pods, leaf necrosis, seed number, and seed yield specifically under salinity, and co-located with four QTL linked to salt tolerance per se. The second distinct region controlled 100-seed weight and growth-related traits, independent of salinity treatment. Positional cloning of the salinity tolerance-specific loci on CaLG04, CaLG05, and CaLG06 will improve our understanding of the key determinants of salinity tolerance in chickpea.

The wheat Seven in absentia gene is associated with increases in biomass and yield in hot climates.

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) productivity is severely reduced by high temperatures. Breeding of heat-tolerant cultivars can be achieved by identifying genes controlling physiological and agronomical traits when high temperatures occur and using these to select superior genotypes, but no gene underlying genetic variation for heat tolerance has previously been described. We advanced the positional cloning of qYDH.3BL, a quantitative trait locus (QTL) on bread wheat chromosome 3B associated with increased yield in hot and dry climates. The delimited genomic region contained 12 putative genes and a sequence variant in the promoter region of one gene, Seven in absentia, TaSINA. This was associated with the QTL's effects on early vigour, root growth, plant biomass, and yield components in two distinct wheat populations grown under various growth conditions. Near isogenic lines carrying the positive allele at qYDH.3BL underexpressed TaSINA and had increased vigour and water use efficiency early in development, as well as increased biomass, grain number, and grain weight following heat stress. A survey of worldwide distribution indicated that the positive allele became widespread from the 1950s through the CIMMYT wheat breeding programme but, to date, has been selected only in breeding programmes in Mexico and Australia.

pMAT: An open-source software suite for the analysis of fiber photometry data.

The combined development of new technologies for neuronal recordings and the development of novel sensors for recording both cellular activity and neurotransmitter binding has ushered in a new era for the field of neuroscience. Among these new technologies is fiber photometry, a technique wherein an implanted fiber optic is used to record signals from genetically encoded fluorescent sensors in bulk tissue. Fiber photometry has been widely adapted due to its cost-effectiveness, ability to examine the activity of neurons with specific anatomical or genetic identities, and the ability to use these highly modular systems to record from one or more sensors or brain sites in both superficial and deep-brain structures. Despite these many benefits, one major hurdle for laboratories adopting this technique is the steep learning curve associated with the analysis of fiber photometry data. This has been further complicated by a lack of standardization in analysis pipelines. In the present communication, we present pMAT, a 'photometry modular analysis tool' that allows users to accomplish common analysis routines through the use of a graphical user interface. This tool can be deployed in MATLAB and edited by more advanced users, but is also available as an independently deployable, open-source application.

Identification of salt tolerance QTL in a wheat RIL mapping population using destructive and non-destructive phenotyping.

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important food crops, however it is only moderately tolerant to salinity stress. To improve wheat yield under saline conditions, breeding for improved salinity tolerance of wheat is needed. We have identified nine quantitative trail loci (QTL) for different salt tolerance sub-traits in a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population, derived from the bi-parental cross of Excalibur × Kukri. This population was screened for salinity tolerance subtraits using a combination of both destructive and non-destructive phenotyping. Genotyping by sequencing (GBS) was used to construct a high-density genetic linkage map, consisting of 3236 markers, and utilised for mapping QTL. Of the nine mapped QTL, six were detected under salt stress, including QTL for maintenance of shoot growth under salinity (QG(1-5).asl-5A, QG(1-5).asl-7B) sodium accumulation (QNa.asl-2A), chloride accumulation (QCl.asl-2A, QCl.asl-3A) and potassium:sodium ratio (QK:Na.asl-2DS2). Potential candidate genes within these QTL intervals were shortlisted using bioinformatics tools. These findings are expected to facilitate the breeding of new salt tolerant wheat cultivars.

Effect of Rice GDP-L-Galactose Phosphorylase Constitutive Overexpression on Ascorbate Concentration, Stress Tolerance, and Iron Bioavailability in Rice.

Ascorbate (vitamin C) is an essential multifunctional molecule for both plants and mammals. In plants, ascorbate is the most abundant water-soluble antioxidant that supports stress tolerance. In humans, ascorbate is an essential micronutrient and promotes iron (Fe) absorption in the gut. Engineering crops with increased ascorbate levels have the potential to improve both crop stress tolerance and human health. Here, rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants were engineered to constitutively overexpress the rice GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase coding sequence (35S-OsGGP), which encodes the rate-limiting enzymatic step of the L-galactose pathway. Ascorbate concentrations were negligible in both null segregant (NS) and 35S-OsGGP brown rice (BR, unpolished grain), but significantly increased in 35S-OsGGP germinated brown rice (GBR) relative to NS. Foliar ascorbate concentrations were significantly increased in 35S-OsGGP plants in the vegetative growth phase relative to NS, but significantly reduced at the reproductive growth phase and were associated with reduced OsGGP transcript levels. The 35S-OsGGP plants did not display altered salt tolerance at the vegetative growth phase despite having elevated ascorbate concentrations. Ascorbate concentrations were positively correlated with ferritin concentrations in Caco-2 cells - an accurate predictor of Fe bioavailability in human digestion - exposed to in vitro digests of NS and 35S-OsGGP BR and GBR samples.

Transcripts of wheat at a target locus on chromosome 6B associated with increased yield, leaf mass and chlorophyll index under combined drought and heat stress.

Drought and heat stress constrain wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yields globally. To identify putative mechanisms and candidate genes associated with combined drought and heat stress tolerance, we developed bread wheat near-isogenic lines (NILs) targeting a quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 6B which was previously associated with combined drought and heat stress tolerance in a diverse panel of wheats. Genotyping-by-sequencing was used to identify additional regions that segregated in allelic pairs between the recurrent and the introduced exotic parent, genome-wide. NILs were phenotyped in a gravimetric platform with precision irrigation and exposed to either drought or to combined drought and heat stress from three days after anthesis. An increase in grain weight in NILs carrying the exotic allele at 6B locus was associated with thicker, greener leaves, higher photosynthetic capacity and increased water use index after re-watering. RNA sequencing of developing grains at early and later stages of treatment revealed 75 genes that were differentially expressed between NILs across both treatments and timepoints. Differentially expressed genes coincided with the targeted QTL on chromosome 6B and regions of genetic segregation on chromosomes 1B and 7A. Pathway enrichment analysis showed the involvement of these genes in cell and gene regulation, metabolism of amino acids and transport of carbohydrates. The majority of these genes have not been characterized previously under drought or heat stress and they might serve as candidate genes for improved abiotic stress tolerance.

High-throughput, image-based phenotyping reveals nutrient-dependent growth facilitation in a grass-legume mixture.

This study used high throughput, image-based phenotyping (HTP) to distinguish growth patterns, detect facilitation and interpret variations to nutrient uptake in a model mixed-pasture system in response to factorial low and high nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) application. HTP has not previously been used to examine pasture species in mixture. We used red-green-blue (RGB) imaging to obtain smoothed projected shoot area (sPSA) to predict absolute growth (AG) up to 70 days after planting (sPSA, DAP 70), to identify variation in relative growth rates (RGR, DAP 35-70) and detect overyielding (an increase in yield in mixture compared with monoculture, indicating facilitation) in a grass-legume model pasture. Finally, using principal components analysis we interpreted between species changes to HTP-derived temporal growth dynamics and nutrient uptake in mixtures and monocultures. Overyielding was detected in all treatments and was driven by both grass and legume. Our data supported expectations of more rapid grass growth and augmented nutrient uptake in the presence of a legume. Legumes grew more slowly in mixture and where growth became more reliant on soil P. Relative growth rate in grass was strongly associated with shoot N concentration, whereas legume RGR was not strongly associated with shoot nutrients. High throughput, image-based phenotyping was a useful tool to quantify growth trait variation between contrasting species and to this end is highly useful in understanding nutrient-yield relationships in mixed pasture cultivations.

Mentoring for knowledge translation in allied health: a scoping review protocol.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this review is to identify how allied health staff have used mentoring as a knowledge translation strategy to support practice change. Secondary objectives include identifying barriers and enablers to using mentoring as a knowledge translation strategy, and the methods used to evaluate the strategy. INTRODUCTION: Mentoring provides professional support and guidance while attending to the learning needs of the individual. Mentoring has been described in previous knowledge synthesis reviews as a strategy for nursing and medicine practitioners to improve capability and capacity to participate in knowledge translation to create practice change. To the authors' knowledge, a synthesis of the use of mentoring as a knowledge translation strategy by allied health staff has not been reported. INCLUSION CRITERIA: This scoping review will consider all studies that describe the use of mentoring with allied health staff to support practice change as directed by research evidence. The scoping review will not investigate the use of mentoring to increase the conduct of research in a clinical setting, nor will studies be included if the majority of participants are students. METHODS: A three-step search strategy will be undertaken. Two independent authors will screen articles and perform data extraction. The results will be presented in a narrative Summary of Findings, alongside a presentation of the data in diagrammatic or tabular form. The findings will inform future use of mentoring as a knowledge translation strategy in a regional health service.

Dissecting new genetic components of salinity tolerance in two-row spring barley at the vegetative and reproductive stages.

Soil salinity imposes an agricultural and economic burden that may be alleviated by identifying the components of salinity tolerance in barley, a major crop and the most salt tolerant cereal. To improve our understanding of these components, we evaluated a diversity panel of 377 two-row spring barley cultivars during both the vegetative, in a controlled environment, and the reproductive stages, in the field. In the controlled environment, a high-throughput phenotyping platform was used to assess the growth-related traits under both control and saline conditions. In the field, the agronomic traits were measured from plots irrigated with either fresh or saline water. Association mapping for the different components of salinity tolerance enabled us to detect previously known associations, such as HvHKT1;5. Using an "interaction model", which took into account the interaction between treatment (control and salt) and genetic markers, we identified several loci associated with yield components related to salinity tolerance. We also observed that the two developmental stages did not share genetic regions associated with the components of salinity tolerance, suggesting that different mechanisms play distinct roles throughout the barley life cycle. Our association analysis revealed that genetically defined regions containing known flowering genes (Vrn-H3, Vrn-H1, and HvNAM-1) were responsive to salt stress. We identified a salt-responsive locus (7H, 128.35 cM) that was associated with grain number per ear, and suggest a gene encoding a vacuolar H+-translocating pyrophosphatase, HVP1, as a candidate. We also found a new QTL on chromosome 3H (139.22 cM), which was significant for ear number per plant, and a locus on chromosome 2H (141.87 cM), previously identified using a nested association mapping population, which associated with a yield component and interacted with salinity stress. Our study is the first to evaluate a barley diversity panel for salinity stress under both controlled and field conditions, allowing us to identify contributions from new components of salinity tolerance which could be used for marker-assisted selection when breeding for marginal and saline regions.