Identifying variants associated with dwarfism via long read sequencing of the Ddw1locus in winter rye

Dwarfism or semi-dwarfism is an established characteristic in the European cereal market, for example semi-dwarf barley and wheat are commonplace. However, dwarf winter rye is still atypical commercially and fundamental research into the underlying genes influencing plant height is still in its relative infancy. In this study, association between two independent dwarf donors are established as Ddw1 carriers and variants within the Ddw1 locus are identified using long read sequencing. Here over 20,000 variants are identified as having putative association with the dwarf phenotype by using two Ddw1 genotypes and four representative (non-dwarf) elite lines for exclusion. Consequently, the sequence data presented here provides rye breeders and researchers a resource to develop KASP markers to track the allelic status of Ddw1 and to select for dwarf material.