NEBRASKA
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AND THE USDA-ARS
Department of Agronomy, Lincoln, NE 68583, USA.
P.S. Baenziger, D. Baltensperger, L. Nelson, I. Dweikat, A. Mitra, T. Clemente, S. Sato, J. Watkins, J. Schimelfenig, and G. Hein (University of Nebraska) and R.A. Graybosch, L. Divis, R. French, and D. Stenger (USDAARS).
The 2005 Nebraska Wheat Crop was estimated at 68,600,000 bu, which represented a 39 bu/acre state average yield on 1,760,000 harvested acres. The 2005 crop was 12 % higher than the 2004 crop (61,100,00 bu, which represented a 37 bu/acre state average yield on 1,650,000 harvested acres). Despite continued genetic improvement, the main determinant in wheat production seems to be acres harvested, government programs, and weather (which also affects disease pressure and sprouting). [p. 181]
P.S. Baenziger, R.A. Graybosch, B. Beecher, M. Shipman, D. Baltensperger, and L. Nelson with cooperation of Jim Krall and Amir Ibrahim.
In 2005, two new cultivars (Hallam and Infinity CL) were formally released. These cultivars were recommended for release in 2004 and have been described in the 2004 report. The release statements can be found at:
Hallam: http://agronomy.unl.edu/grain/hallam.PDF
Infinity CL: http://agronomy.unl.edu/grain/infinity.PDF
One experimental line NE99495, which has exceptional end-use quality, has been licensed to the Kansas Organic Producers. The license is part of our effort to ensure that the germ plasm developed at the University of Nebraska for the public good is broadly available to interested parties. NE99495 is a HRWW with the pedigree Alliance/Karl 92. The cross was made in 1993. NE99495 is an F3-derived line that was selected in the F4 generation. The F1 generation was grown in the greenhouse in 1993-94. The F2 and F3 generations were grown in bulk at the Agricultural Research and Development Center at Ithaca, Nebraska in 1995 and 1996, respectively. Random heads were chosen from the F3 bulk and planted as head rows, which were harvested in 1997. The F3-derived F5 family was harvested as a single observation plot in 1998. NE99495 was identified in 1999 and was grown at six unreplicated locations in 1997. The line has been tested in replicated trials at six to seven locations per year from 2000 to present. In addition, NE99495 was tested in the Northern Regional Performance Nursery in 2002 and 2003, and in Nebraska cultivar performance trials in 2003 and 2004. NE99495 is semidwarf wheat with medium plant height for a semidwarf cultivar and acceptable winterhardiness for production in Nebraska. NE99495 is slightly later than Alliance and slightly earlier than Millennium for flowering date. This line is susceptible to WSMV, WSBMV, and stripe rust; moderately resistant to Hessian fly and stem rust; and moderately susceptible to moderately resistant to leaf rust. NE99495 has good yield potential and has genetically lower test weight.
Based on last year's results and our recent releases, we have decided to increase one line, NE01643 for possible release in 2006. NE01643 is a HRWW with the pedigree 'Millennium sib/ND8974'; where ND8974 is Seward/Archer (hence the full pedigree would be Millennium sib//Seward/Archer). The cross was made in 1995. NE01643 is an F3-derived line that was selected in the F4 generation. The F1 generation was grown in the greenhouse in 199596. The F2 and F3 generations were grown in bulk at the Agricultural Research and Development Center at Ithaca, Nebraska in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Random heads were chosen from the F3 bulk and planted as head rows, which were harvested in 1999. The F3-derived F5 family was harvested as a single observation plot in 2000. NE01643 was identified in 2001 and was grown at six unreplicated locations in 2001. INE01643 has been tested in replicated trials at six to seven locations per year from 2002 to present. In addition, NE01643 was tested in the Northern Regional Performance Nursery in 2004 and 2005, and in Nebraska cultivar performance trials in 2004 and 2005. NE01643 is semidwarf wheat with medium plant height for a semidwarf cultivar and acceptable winterhardiness for production in Nebraska. The line is later than Alliance and Millennium and slightly later than Harry for flowering date. NE01643 has excellent grain yield (topped the NRPN in 2004, data being analyzed for 2005; topped the state cultivar in 2005 and best 2-year average for 2004 and 2005). In addition, it has very good test weight and is moderately resistant to leaf and stem rust, and to Hessian fly. NE01643 is moderately susceptible to Fusarium head blight and powdery mildew and susceptible to stripe rust and soilborne/spindle streak mosaic virus. The end-use quality is minimally acceptable (not a star). See also: http://agronomy.unl.edu/grain/NE01643.PDF
R.A. Graybosch, P.S. Baenziger, B. Beecher, D. Baltensperger,
and L. Nelson.
The following hard white wheats are entered in the 2006 Nebraska
Statewide Small Grains Variety trial for testing and possible
release: NW98S097 and NW03Y2016. NW98S097 consistently has demonstrated
low levels of grain PPO, and now is under preliminary increase
for possible cultivar release. NW03Y2016 carries the Wsm-1 gene
for resistance to wheat streak mosaic virus.
D.D. Baltensperger, P.S. Baenziger, and Karl Glover.
Nebraska has expanded the coöperative spring wheat effort with South Dakota and several lines are being evaluated for potential joint release. These lines carry improved production under heat stress and improved scab tolerance. We are incorporating double imi-tolerance into well-adapted material.
R.A. Graybosch and P.S. Baenziger.
Approximately 25 winter waxy wheats were advanced to either their second or third year of yield testing, with replicated trials seeded both in Nebraska and Kansas. In addition, 100+ new winter waxy wheats were selected at Mead, NE, largely on the basis of resistance to stripe rust, and advanced to a preliminary yield trial in Nebraska. NX02Y4481, a fully waxy wheat derived from 'BaiHuo/Kanto107//Ike/3/SD94217W', was entered in the USDA-ARS coördinated Northern Regional Performance Nursery, a replicated trial grown across a six state region in the northern Great Plains.
R.A. Graybosch, P.S. Baenziger, G.L. Hein, and D.D. Baltensperger in cooperation with P. Heslop-Harrison and T. Schwarzacher, University of Leicester.
We have been selecting winter wheat lines carrying Wsm-1, a gene from Th. intermedium conditioning resistance to wheat streak mosaic virus. Several wheats of interest have been identified, all with acceptable agronomic performance. N02Y5117, a hard red winter wheat, has been placed under preliminary seed increase for possible cultivar release. Three hard white wheats, NW03Y2016, NW03Y2022 and NW03Y2023 have been entered in the 2006 Southern Regional or Northern Regional Performance Nurseries. Genomic in situ hybridization suggests each carries Wsm-1 on the 4DL.4AiS translocated chromosome derived from CI 17884. All test positive in PCR for Wsm-1 markers described by Talbert et al. (TAG 93: 463), and show a strong positive reaction with primers 2P1 and 2P2, used by Li et al. (TAG 111:932) to detect Thinopyrum DNA in wheat backgrounds.
S.R. Delwiche (USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD), R.A. Graybosch, L.E. Hansen, E. Souza (USDA-ARS, Wooster, OH), and F.E. Dowell (USDA-ARS, Manhattan, KS).
Essential to development of a market for partial waxy and waxy wheats are means to rapidly and, ideally, nondestructively identify the waxy condition will need to be developed that can be used at the point of sale. The study described herein evaluated the effectiveness of near-infrared reflectance single-kernel spectroscopy for classification of durum wheat into its four possible waxiness genotypes, these being wild type, waxy, and the two intermediate states in which a null allele occurs at either the two homologous genes (Wx-1A and Wx-1B) that encode for the production of the enzyme, granule bound starch synthase, that controls amylose synthesis. Two years of breeders samples, corresponding to 47 unique lines subdivided approximately equally into the four waxiness states, were scanned in reflectance (1,000-1,700 nm) on an individual kernel basis. Linear discriminant analysis models were developed using the best set of four wavelengths, best four wavelength differences, and best four principal components. Each model consistently demonstrated the high ability (typically greater than 95 % of the time) to classify the fully waxy genotype. However, correct classification among the three other genotypes (wild type, wx-A1 null, and wx-B1 null) was generally not possible.
P. S. Baenziger, Lekgari A. Lekgari, and Ken Vogel with the coöperation of Lance Gibson and Jean-Luc Jannink.
No new triticale cultivars were released but a number of lines were advanced for grain and forage yield. Germ plasm remains a major limitation in triticale improvement and we welcome sharing germ plasm with others developing triticale germ plasm and cultivars.
Dr. John Watkins retired from the Department of Plant Pathology after many excellent years of service to the wheat industry. Dr. Stephen N. Wegulo joined the Department of Plant Pathology as John's successor. Dr. Drake Stenger will be leaving the USDA-ARS group at Lincoln to assume a position as Research Leader at the USDA-ARS San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Parlier, California. Mr. Jerry Bohlmann accepted a position with Monsanto and we wish him well. Dr. Chatuporn Kuleung successfully completed her Ph.D. degree and returned to her university in Thailand. New students are Mr. Neway Mengistu, from Ethiopia and with partial support from Pioneer Hibred Inc. and Ms. Anyamanee Auvuchamon, from Thailand with funding from her government, began their Ph.D. programs; and Mr. Javed Sidiqi, from Afghanistan with funding from the Fulbright program, began his M.S. degree.