A chromosome-scale genome assembly of Hordeum erectifolium: genomic, transcriptomic and anatomical adaptations to drought in a wild barley relative

Wild crop relatives are valuable genetic resources for improving stress adaptation in cultivated species, but their effective use depends on high-quality reference genomes integrated with phenotypic and molecular datasets. Hordeum erectifolium, a wild relative of barley (H. vulgare), is adapted to intermittent and prolonged drought and saline soils, making it an excellent model for stress-adaptation research.