Montana State University's winter wheat breeding aims at benefiting Montana producers

Bozeman, Montana
March 19, 2002

Phil Bruckner, Montana State University's winter wheat breeder, says the breeding program has four objectives:

  • developing improved cultivars of winter wheat adapted to Montana;
  • developing production strategies to maximize wheat quality consistency, which will enhance
    wheat marketability;
  • investigating environmental, genetic and management factors that influence wheat productivity
    and end-use quality. This includes identifying molecular markers for wheat stem sawfly resistance and cold tolerance while minimizing enzymes like polyphenol oxidase that discolor noodles, all the while maintaining disease resistance and agronomic performance; and
  • coordinating statewide winter wheat variety testing and providing long-term performance data
    necessary for cultivar release decisions, variety recommendations and producer management
    decisions.

Meeting cultivar development objectives over the 2000-2001 season was a challenge, says Bruckner, since winter weather wiped out the Sidney, Mont. and Williston, ND trials and other Montana trials were severely impacted by continuing drought. All test plots except Bozeman and Moccasin were below long-term moisture averages.

On the other hand, thousands of breeding lines were tested and survived to go on for further testing, and over 300 crosses were added to winter wheat breeding material.

The emphases in the 300 crosses were on incorporating sawfly resistance, high yield potential and white kernel color. All of the testing sites that survived had below average precipitation, but generally moderate yields, though the yields ranged from 12 bushels per acre at Conrad to 99 bushels per acre at Bozeman. Based on high yield potential and excellent end-use quality, a new hard red winter wheat that will be named "Paul" has been approved for release as Foundation Seed in 2003. The name honors Paul Brown, a recently deceased USDA-Agricultural Research Service soil scientist. "Paul" is a high-yielding, winter-hardy line targeted toward acreage currently being planted with Neeley. In addition, five other breeding lines are being purified for potential release. These experimental lines are showing good winter hardiness and drought tolerance.

Also in the pipeline are Montana experimental lines that are resistant to wheat stem sawfly, wheat streak mosaic virus and Russian wheat aphid. One in the advanced testing stages is promising for Russian wheat aphid resistance. Another 420 lines in a more preliminary stage of testing were evaluated in an observation nursery at Bozeman. Based on agronomic performance, Russian wheat aphid resistance and end-use quality evaluation, 40 lines will go on for preliminary yield testing, including 12 lines resistant to RWA and six hard white wheat lines.

In addition, breeders evaluated 960 lines for agronomic potential in observation nurseries at Bozeman, Havre and Moccasin. Based on their performance and early-generation quality screening, 72 lines were selected for preliminary yield testing, including 14 that were hard white wheat selections and five with resistance to wheat streak mosaic virus.

Breeders observed another 940 solid-stemmed lines in nurseries at Bozeman, Loma, Molt and Conrad. Of those, breeders selected 35 to move on to preliminary yield testing. Another 30,000 headrows were evaluated at Bozeman and Loma for stem solidness and agronomic potential. Bruckner selected 2,500 for plot evaluation for pest and end-use screening in 2002. Primary objectives of these lines are sawfly resistance, white seed color, wheat streak mosaic virus resistance, Russian wheat aphid resistance and imazamox tolerance.

The development of sawfly-resistant cultivars has been enhanced by continuation of a Montana Wheat and Barley Committee-financed selection nursery located on the McKeever farm near Loma, where wheat stem sawfly populations are high. Two lines look particularly promising: MTS0031 and MTS0023. Each out-yielded Rampart by over 10 percent, with good test weights and stem solidness. Both lines will be tested extensively in Montana during 2002.

Acreage of sawfly-resistant cultivars continues to increase in Montana, with MSU's Rampart and Vanguard collectively being planted on about 22 percent of the state's winter wheat acreage in 2001. Foundation seed of BigSky and NuSky were released to Montana seed producers. BigSky will provide an excellent combination of high yield, test weight and grain protein and NuSky provides a publicly available hard white winter wheat with excellent agronomic and end use qualities.

In addition, MSU's winter wheat breeding program is looking at lines tolerant of imazamox for potential proprietary release in cooperation with BASF. BASF is helping support development of these lines and will be involved in any commercialization ventures of these lines. Though this is a cooperative venture with BASF, a key goal of any venture would be to have the collaboration benefit Montana's wheat producers.

This year will also mark the final payments on a heavy-duty, six-row no-till plot planter that is being purchased with MWBC and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station funding. This planter allows MSU to handle more diverse planting conditions for breeding and selection nurseries.

The winter wheat breeding program is continuing a transition to an increasingly greater proportion of hard white winter wheats in the breeding program. This is to position Montana for the export market, which we anticipate in the future will require hard white wheats suitable for both bread and Asian noodle products. Should this market fail to develop as rapidly as anticipated, MSU will continue to develop and release hard red wheats as it does currently.

The Montana Wheat and Barley Commission supports the winter wheat breeding programs, as does the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station. For the period covered by this report, the MWBC provided a $70,000 grant for general wheat breeding, an additional $12,000 to support work to breed varieties resistant to the wheat stem sawfly and $15,000 to help pay for the no-till planter.

Montana State University news release
4280
 

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