The study used chlorophyll fluorescence imaging to map non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) gradients along barley leaf axes and found heat stress attenuates NPQ induction, revealing spatial heterogeneity in stress responses. Genome‑wide association and transcriptomic analyses identified candidate genes, notably HORVU.MOREX.r3.3HG0262630, that mediate region‑specific heat responses, highlighting pathways for improving cereal heat resilience.

The study applied Spatial Analysis of Field Trials with Splines (SpATS) and Neighbor Genome-Wide Association Study (Neighbor GWAS) to barley field data, revealing that neighboring genotypes contribute to spatial variation in disease damage. Neighbor GWAS identified variants on chromosome 7H that modestly affect net form net blotch and scald resistance, suggesting that genotype mixtures could mitigate pest damage.