Plant cell wall confers flexibility, support for the vital processes of the plant and resistance to abiotic stresses and pathogen. It is constituted by a complex matrix of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectins and polyphenolic compounds as lignin. These main components interact with each other with a wide range of chemical bounds. At present the interest in plant cell wall is growing due to the possibility to convert ligno-cellulosic biomass (e.g. agricultural residues) into bioethanol but also for the benefits to human health of some cell wall constituents found in cereals, in particular beta-glucans. Plant cell wall biosynthesis is regulated by a large number of genes and regulatory factors but very few of these are known and characterized.

This PhD project aimed to the identification of putative candidate genes involved in plant cell wall composition and properties using a genome wide (GWAS) approach. The species investigate were wheat, barley and B. distachyon, considered a model plant for temperate cereals. Agronomical traits as yield and plant height were also included in the analysis along with cell wall composition and saccharification properties. Several marker-trait associations were identified and hypothesis based on bioinformatic resources available were formulated on the underlining genes involved in trait regulation.