This thesis explores the genetic architecture of malting quality within the Virginia Tech barley breeding program, and discusses implications for imposing selection on complex traits that are difficult to phenotype. Malting quality measures are destructive, and can not be performed before selection must be made for advancement of breeding lines in winter barley. A growing body of evidence suggests that malt quality is influenced by malting regime, growing environment, line genotype, and the interactions between them. We aim to better understand the genetic effect on malt quality in two manners: first, as it relates to the genetic architecture regulating malt quality parameters, and second the relationship between genetic growth patterns to end-use malting traits. This study included two years of breeding trial data of two and six-row winter malt barley across two locations. Results of a genome-wide association scan and genomic prediction of malt quality traits indicated that they are largely quantitative traits with complex inheritance. Previous studies have identified quantitative trait loci and genes regulating malt quality traits in markedly different germplasm. Heritability of traits ranged from 0.27 to 0.72, while mean predictive abilities ranged from 0.45 to 0.74. Thus, selection on genomic estimated breeding values (gEBVs) should perform similarly to selection on single phenotypic observations of quality, but can be done within the same season. This indicates that genomic selection may be a viable method to accelerate genetic improvement of malting quality traits. The use of gEBVs requires that lines be genotyped with genome-wide markers, somewhat limiting the number of candidate individuals. Selection on growth and development traits genetically correlated with quality measures could allow for selection among a much greater number of candidates if high-throughput phenotypes can be collected on many ungenotyped indivduals. Growth and development was quantified by the near-infrared vegetation index (NDVI) extracted from aerial images captured from multiple time points throughout the growing season. Estimates of genetic correlation identified time points throughout the season when quality traits are related to growth and development. We demonstrated that aerial imagery can discern growth patterns in barley and suggest ways it can be incorporated into the breeding pipeline. / Master of Science / Malt barley (Hordeum vulgare) is the preferred source of fermentable sugar used to brew beer. Currently, the majority of malt barley used in the United States is grown in the upper mid-west or imported from Europe. The east coast could become a producing region if high quality, disease resistant varieties were available to growers. The Virginia Tech small grains breeding program began breeding locally adapted malt barley in 2010. This project aims to improve the breeding process by incorporating information from genomic sequencing, malt quality and aerial imagery. Malt barley differs from that used for animal feed or human food because specific quantities of starches, proteins, and enzymes are necessary in the brewing process. The quantity of these molecules are determined through lab analysis and determine the grain's suitability for particular brewing styles. This analysis is timeconsuming and costly because it involves a three-step process of malting the grain, brewing with the malt, and analyzing the wort. The wort is the liquid sugar solution which is produced by heating the malt with water to a high temperature in a process called 'mashing'. Lab quality analysis for the thousands of lines evaluated in a breeding program in any given year is unfeasible. However, by understanding the genetic regulation of malt quality traits, breeders can employ techniques like genomic selection to improve these traits in a shorter amount of time. Additionally, this work identifies relationships between growth and quality. The grain is the result of the plant's growth throughout the entirety of the season. Measuring growth repeatedly through time was previously difficult until the advent of aerial imagery. Images captured from drones have been used to quantify growth in a variety of plants, but is not extensively done in malt barley. Relating growth to quality will help breeders understand genetic patterns of growth and development which may be advantageous in the production of high quality malt barley.

CAPES / A germinação pré-colheita é um dos principais problemas da triticultura mundial. Na germinação pré-colheita ocorrem transformações bioquímicas próprias da germinação que também ocorrem na maltagem, porém sem controle e com intensidade variável. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar o uso de trigo com germinação pré-colheita na produção de malte. Treze amostras de trigo com germinação pré-colheita obtidas de diferentes regiões do Paraná e Rio Grande do Sul foram analisadas a fim de avaliar a intensidade das mudanças nas propriedades físicas, composição química e atividade enzimática, em função da intensidade do dano causado pela chuva. Foram avaliados falling number (FN), peso hectolitro, peso de mil sementes, nitrogênio total, nitrogênio solúvel (NS), nitrogênio de aminoácidos livres (NAL), cinzas, açúcares redutores, atividade enzimática e alterações na fração de gliadina. A segunda etapa teve como objetivo otimizar a maltagem de uma amostra de trigo com germinação pré-colheita, utilizando metodologia de superfície de resposta e avaliando o efeito da temperatura de embebição e germinação, umidade inicial de germinação e tempo de germinação. Os maltes foram avaliados quanto as perdas de maltagem, extrato, atenuação limite, viscosidade, atividade de α e β-amilase, nitrogênio total, NS e NAL. Na terceira etapa foi avaliada a qualidade do malte de amostras de trigo com diferentes intensidades de germinação pré-colheita, quanto às perdas de maltagem, extrato, atenuação limite, viscosidade, atividade de α e β-amilase, nitrogênio total, NS e NAL. Nas amostras de trigo com germinação pré-colheita, as variáveis açúcares redutores, NS, NAL, atividade de α-amilase, β-glucanase e protease apresentaram correlações significativas com FN. À medida que houve redução do falling number, as gliadinas apresentaram alterações nas bandas entre 40 e 30 KDa que ficaram mais intensas. No estudo de otimização da maltagem, a temperatura de embebição e germinação foi o fator que influenciou um maior número de parâmetros de qualidade do malte, seguido por tempo de germinação e umidade inicial de germinação. A metodologia de superfície de resposta possibilitou otimizar a maltagem do trigo, e as melhores condições definidas pela ferramenta de desejabilidade foram 45% de umidade inicial, embebição e germinação a 12,5oC e germinação por 78 horas. A maltagem de amostras com diferentes intensidades de germinação pré-colheita nas condições anteriormente citadas, produziram maltes que atenderam aos parâmetros de viscosidade, extrato, níveis de perdas, nitrogênio de aminoácidos livres, nitrogênio solúvel e índice de Kolbach. A amostra com falling number acima de 200 s apresentou nitrogênio solúvel inferior; mas atividade de α e β-amilase e extrato, superiores às amostras com germinação pré-colheita. O conjunto de resultados obtidos indica a viabilidade técnica de produção de maltes de trigos com germinação pré-colheita. / The preharvest sprouting damage (PHSD) is one of the main problems in world wheat crop. During the preharvest sprouting typical germination biochemical process occurs, which also happens in malting, but without control and with variable intensity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of preharvest sprouted wheat in malt production. Thirteen samples of preharvest sprouted wheat were collected in Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul states and were analyzed to assess the changes in physical properties, chemical composition and enzyme activity, due to rain damage. Falling number (FN), hectoliter weight, thousand seed weight, total nitrogen, soluble nitrogen (SN), free amino acid nitrogen (FAN), ash, reducing sugars, enzyme activity and changes in the gliadin fraction were investigated. In the second study response surface methodology was used to optimize the malting of preharvest sprouted wheat. The influence of three malting parameters (degree of steeping, germination time and temperature) on the quality of wheat malt was investigated. Malt quality was evaluated as malting losses, extract, attenuation limit, viscosity, α and β-amylase activity, total nitrogen, Kolbach index, SN and FAN. In the third study, the quality of preharvest sprouted wheat malt containing various levels of PHSD was investigated about malting losses, extract, attenuation limit, viscosity, α and β-amylase activity, total nitrogen, Kolbach index, SN and FAN. In samples of preharvest sprouted wheat, reducing sugars, SN, FAN, α and β-amylase activity, and protease activity showed significant correlations with FN. In samples with lower falling number values, the gliadins displayed changes to the 40 and 30 kda bands, which become more intense. In the malting optimization study, temperature of malting was the factor that influenced a greater number of malt quality parameters, followed by germination time and degree of steeping. The response surface methodology enabled to optimize the malting of the wheat, and the best conditions defined by the desirability tool were degree of steeping 45%, temperature 12.5oC and germination time 78 hours. Wheat malt samples containing various levels of PHSD reached the desible parameters: viscosity, extract, malting losses, free amino nitrogen, soluble nitrogen and kolbach index. The sample with falling number greater than 200 s showed lower soluble nitrogen concentration; but higher α and β-amylase activity and extract than the samples of preharvest sprouted wheat with lower values of falling number. The set of results indicates that is possible to produce malt, using pre-harvest sprouting wheat.

CAPES / A germinação pré-colheita é um dos principais problemas da triticultura mundial. Na germinação pré-colheita ocorrem transformações bioquímicas próprias da germinação que também ocorrem na maltagem, porém sem controle e com intensidade variável. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar o uso de trigo com germinação pré-colheita na produção de malte. Treze amostras de trigo com germinação pré-colheita obtidas de diferentes regiões do Paraná e Rio Grande do Sul foram analisadas a fim de avaliar a intensidade das mudanças nas propriedades físicas, composição química e atividade enzimática, em função da intensidade do dano causado pela chuva. Foram avaliados falling number (FN), peso hectolitro, peso de mil sementes, nitrogênio total, nitrogênio solúvel (NS), nitrogênio de aminoácidos livres (NAL), cinzas, açúcares redutores, atividade enzimática e alterações na fração de gliadina. A segunda etapa teve como objetivo otimizar a maltagem de uma amostra de trigo com germinação pré-colheita, utilizando metodologia de superfície de resposta e avaliando o efeito da temperatura de embebição e germinação, umidade inicial de germinação e tempo de germinação. Os maltes foram avaliados quanto as perdas de maltagem, extrato, atenuação limite, viscosidade, atividade de α e β-amilase, nitrogênio total, NS e NAL. Na terceira etapa foi avaliada a qualidade do malte de amostras de trigo com diferentes intensidades de germinação pré-colheita, quanto às perdas de maltagem, extrato, atenuação limite, viscosidade, atividade de α e β-amilase, nitrogênio total, NS e NAL. Nas amostras de trigo com germinação pré-colheita, as variáveis açúcares redutores, NS, NAL, atividade de α-amilase, β-glucanase e protease apresentaram correlações significativas com FN. À medida que houve redução do falling number, as gliadinas apresentaram alterações nas bandas entre 40 e 30 KDa que ficaram mais intensas. No estudo de otimização da maltagem, a temperatura de embebição e germinação foi o fator que influenciou um maior número de parâmetros de qualidade do malte, seguido por tempo de germinação e umidade inicial de germinação. A metodologia de superfície de resposta possibilitou otimizar a maltagem do trigo, e as melhores condições definidas pela ferramenta de desejabilidade foram 45% de umidade inicial, embebição e germinação a 12,5oC e germinação por 78 horas. A maltagem de amostras com diferentes intensidades de germinação pré-colheita nas condições anteriormente citadas, produziram maltes que atenderam aos parâmetros de viscosidade, extrato, níveis de perdas, nitrogênio de aminoácidos livres, nitrogênio solúvel e índice de Kolbach. A amostra com falling number acima de 200 s apresentou nitrogênio solúvel inferior; mas atividade de α e β-amilase e extrato, superiores às amostras com germinação pré-colheita. O conjunto de resultados obtidos indica a viabilidade técnica de produção de maltes de trigos com germinação pré-colheita. / The preharvest sprouting damage (PHSD) is one of the main problems in world wheat crop. During the preharvest sprouting typical germination biochemical process occurs, which also happens in malting, but without control and with variable intensity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of preharvest sprouted wheat in malt production. Thirteen samples of preharvest sprouted wheat were collected in Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul states and were analyzed to assess the changes in physical properties, chemical composition and enzyme activity, due to rain damage. Falling number (FN), hectoliter weight, thousand seed weight, total nitrogen, soluble nitrogen (SN), free amino acid nitrogen (FAN), ash, reducing sugars, enzyme activity and changes in the gliadin fraction were investigated. In the second study response surface methodology was used to optimize the malting of preharvest sprouted wheat. The influence of three malting parameters (degree of steeping, germination time and temperature) on the quality of wheat malt was investigated. Malt quality was evaluated as malting losses, extract, attenuation limit, viscosity, α and β-amylase activity, total nitrogen, Kolbach index, SN and FAN. In the third study, the quality of preharvest sprouted wheat malt containing various levels of PHSD was investigated about malting losses, extract, attenuation limit, viscosity, α and β-amylase activity, total nitrogen, Kolbach index, SN and FAN. In samples of preharvest sprouted wheat, reducing sugars, SN, FAN, α and β-amylase activity, and protease activity showed significant correlations with FN. In samples with lower falling number values, the gliadins displayed changes to the 40 and 30 kda bands, which become more intense. In the malting optimization study, temperature of malting was the factor that influenced a greater number of malt quality parameters, followed by germination time and degree of steeping. The response surface methodology enabled to optimize the malting of the wheat, and the best conditions defined by the desirability tool were degree of steeping 45%, temperature 12.5oC and germination time 78 hours. Wheat malt samples containing various levels of PHSD reached the desible parameters: viscosity, extract, malting losses, free amino nitrogen, soluble nitrogen and kolbach index. The sample with falling number greater than 200 s showed lower soluble nitrogen concentration; but higher α and β-amylase activity and extract than the samples of preharvest sprouted wheat with lower values of falling number. The set of results indicates that is possible to produce malt, using pre-harvest sprouting wheat.

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