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Soft Red Winter Wheat Breeding and Variety Development for Kentucky

Dave VanSanford
University of Kentucky

Objectives
Project Overview
Final Report and Data

Objectives:

To develop and release improved varieties of soft red winter wheat that will make wheat production more profitable for Kentucky's farmers. Specific breeding objectives include:

  • higher yields

  • higher test weights

  • increased winter hardiness
  • improved resistance to fungal and viral diseases
  • increased straw strength and resistance to lodging
  • early maturity suitable for double cropping
  • yield stability across diverse environments
  • identification of quality traits that will lead to an identity preserved marketing system

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Project Overview:

Justification for Research

The primary goal of our research project is to increase the profitability of wheat production in Kentucky by releasing wheat varieties that return more profit to the producer. The strategy is to focus on yield, test weight, scab resistance and other economically important traits. We are also working to develop varieties with specific end-use quality so that farmers may be paid for the quality of the wheat produced. Significant progress towards these goals requires long term, sustained effort and commitment.

Summary of Proposed Research September 2000-August 2001

Crossing: Our greenhouse crossing program has been modified due to increased use of the greenhouse for scab screening. Last spring, approximately 900 single crosses were made. Rather than cross those F1's to a third parent this fall as we have done in the past, we will delay 3-way crosses until the winter cycle. This change is dictated by the need for space to conduct our scab screening. We don't have enough greenhouse space to carry out full-scale scab screening and crossing efforts simultaneously.

Population and Line Development: Early generations (F1-F4) of breeding material will be planted at Lexington to screen for disease resistance, maturity, height and straw strength, winter-hardiness, and overall vigor. in 2000 at Lexington we had great opportunities to select for resistance to virus (spindle streak / wheat streak complex), powdery mildew, leaf rust and leaf blotch in all of these early generations. We will plant back F2, F3 and F4 headrows with improved resistance for this diseases. Exact numbers of headrows have not yet been tallied due to the late , rain-delayed harvest at Lexington.

Yield Testing: Approximately 500 F5 lines will be yield tested in Preliminary Trials in 2001 at Lexington, Schochoh, and Princeton. These will be single replication trials. The number of PT lines is down because we had a good opportunity to discard F4 lines based on disease reaction in 2000. However, the number of lines in advanced stages of testing has increased: we should have approximately 450-500 lines in Advanced Trials, 250-300 lines in Elite Trials, and 60 lines in Ultra Trials. These trials are grown at multiple locations throughout the state. Our check varieties have been Coker 9663, 2568, 2552, and Foster. Approximately 5-15 lines will be entered in the state variety trail grown at seven locations. Some lines will be entered in cooperative multi-state tests including the USDA Uniform Eastern Nursery, the Mason Dixon test, a cooperative test with VA, NC and MD, and the 5-State advanced and preliminary trials with OH, IN, IL and MO. And several lines will be entered in the private company tests run by Miles, Wheat Tech, Agripro and FFR.

Purification and Increase: All purifications headrows and purification plots for advanced lines are grown at Lexington. In 2000, the Foundation Seed Project harvested small increases of 13 breeding lines in the state variety test. This seed will be used to test some of these lines in company and university trials. Breeder seed of the most promising of these lines will be planted in anticipation of variety release.

Resistance to head scab: Screening for resistance to head scab has become a big part of our breeding effort in terms of time and resources devoted to it. In 2000 we screened hundreds of adapted lines and approximately 1000 exotic (English, French, Yugoslavian) lines in the greenhouse and field. We are also crossing to many lines with reported resistance. In 2001 we will:

1) Screen in the field for resistance to initial infection: The Uniform scab nurseries and breeding lines will be planted in small plots at Lexington following corn. At boot stage, infected corn kernels are spread throughout the plots and overhead mist irrigation will be provided throughout flowering. Disease incidence and severity are assessed several times during grain fill. We will also screen several breeding populations as part of a genetic study of the inheritance of head scab.

2) Continue to screen germplasm, varieties and breeding lines in the greenhouse using several moisture chambers built last year. Type II resistance to fungal spread through the wheat head will be evaluated by injecting inoculum into the central spikelets of 10 heads of each entry. A genetic study involving several resistant and susceptible lines and their F1 hybrids will be inoculated and evaluated as part of a graduate student's study of the inheritance of resistance to head scab. A better understanding of inheritance of resistance will lead to more efficient breeding schemes.

Soft White Winter Wheat

Last spring we produced a number of crosses between white wheats and between white and red wheats. This represents the first step in the soft white winter breeding program. These F1's will be planted in the field this fall and in the greenhouse in the spring. In the spring greenhouse cycle the F1's will be crossed to a third parent to broaden the genetic base. We are also in the process of screening existing germplasm with a chemical staining test to see if we have some white lines that are already in the program.

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Final Report
April 2000

Greenhouse Activities

Crossing: Three-way crosses were produced in the fall crossing cycle. Single crosses, between pairs of elite lines and varieties have been and are being produced in our spring crossing cycle. Conditions and plant development have been great, so we anticipate about 700 crosses being completed in this cycle.

Scab Screening: Brenda Kennedy, a master's level plant pathologist, and Marla Hall, a graduate student have completed an extensive scab-screening project in the greenhouse. This screening method is based on single-floret inoculation to evaluate Type II resistance, which is resistance to spread of the disease within the head. We have inoculated 170-gallon jars of corn kernels to be spread in our inoculated scab plots in the field. We will distribute the corn about April 24.

Field Activities

Field activities are proceeding as planned in terms of nitrogen and Harmony applications. The wheat looks good with no winterkill and excessive growth for time this year. Much of our time lately has been devoted to building an irrigation system for misting the scab screening plots. We will have a programmable solenoid valve that allows us to mist the plots at critical ties of the day when spore release is believed to occur.

Personnel

We have a new graduate student, Liu Hua on board. She is interested in using molecular markers for scab resistance. Based on responses to flyers we have distributed on campus, there is a shortage of undergraduates who want to do field work, so we may be shorthanded this summer.

Southern Test Summary - Greenhouse Scab Data, Spring 2000
Screening for Type II resistance by Single floret injections

Entry Variety N 21 dpi* Min Max Rank
1 Ernie 8 7.0 6.3 7.7 2
2 Futai 8944 6 9.7 4.5 30.0 7
3 SC 921285 8 68.0 5.9 100 20
4 SC 921299 8 71.7 17.6 100 22
5 SC 941292 8 38.2 5.0 100 15
6 Coker 9474 8 16.7 5.9 50.0 12
7 B950799 9 36.1 5.6 76.5 14
8 B930390 8 14.1 5.9 35.3 9
9 B961092 8 13.6 6.7 43.8 8
10 GA 89482-E7 8 62.2 6.3 100 19
11 GA 901146-E15 8 33.9 5.9 88.2 13
12 GA 90524-E35 8 14.9 5.6 50.0 11
13 GA 90552-AE33 8 48.3 5.0 100 17
14 Roane 8 8.0 4.8 26.3 4
15 VA96W-329 8 14.4 5.3 58.8 10
16 VA96W-326 8 68.8 6.3 100 21
17 VA96W-158 8 58.2 5.6 100 18
18 VA96W-348 7 39.8 5.3 100 16
19 NC96-13848 8 6.5 5.3 11.8 1
20 NC96-13965 8 8.5 6.3 17.6 6
21 NC96-13374 8 8.3 5.6 25.0 5
22 NC96-14629 8 7.9 5.9 18.8 3
 
  CV   88.1      
  LCD 0.05   26.1      

* Percentage of infected spikelets ((number of infected spikelets/total number of spikelets per head) x 100) 21 and 28 days post inoculation.
Injections were made from a composite of 12 different isolates of F. graminearum.

Northern Test Summary, Greenhouse Scab Data, Spring 2000
Screening for Type II resistance by Single floret injections

Entry Variety N 21 dpi* Min Max Rank
23 Patterson 8 55.4 2.0 95.5 27
24 Freedom 8 6.1 4.5 14.3 3
25 2545 6 18.6 4.5 56.0 18
26 Ernie 8 6.5 5.9 7.1 6
27 NY 87047W-6048 3 8.6 3.8 13.6 11
28 NY 87047W-6041 6 11.8 4.2 23.1 13
29 NY 87047W-7405 8 8.5 4.8 30.0 10
30 NY 87047W-7387 8 6.0 4.5 10.5 2
31 NY 87047W-7388 6 7.0 4.3 16.7 8
32 IL 95-4152 8 6.2 5.6 6.7 4
33 IL 96-7654 8 7.8 0 27.8 9
34 IL 97-2945 8 16.0 4.3 41.2 16
35 IL 96-3073 8 6.4 5.0 15.0 5
36 Roane 8 13.5 4.8 72.7 14
37 VA 96W-329 8 54.3 5.9 100 26
38 VA 96W-326 8 84.4 43.8 100 28
39 VA 96W-250 8 21.2 5.0 35.0 20
40 VA 96W-749 8 23.2 4.5 100 22
41 NE 94654 8 22.6 4.3 40.9 21
42 MO 982030 8 20.8 6.3 88.2 19
43 MO 971022 8 26.3 5.6 100 23
44 MO 980725 8 16.6 4.3 100 17
45 MO 980525   +      
46 KY 90C-049-31 7 6.7 4.8 15.8 7
47 KY 91C-117-33 8 9.4 4.8 20.0 12
48 OH 645 8 52.3 5.9 100 25
49 OH 650 8 26.9 5.6 56.3 24
50 OH 661 8 5.6 4.8 6.3 1
51 OH 688   14.1 5.3 35.3 15
 
  CV   100.9      
  LSD 0.05   20.6      

* Percentage of infected spikelets ((number of infected spikelets/total number of spikelets per head) x 100) 21 and 28 days post inoculation.
+ Data was not collected due to late flowering.
Injections were made from a composite of 12 different isolates of F. graminearum.

WYT Test Summary - Greenhouse Scab Data, Spring 2000
Screening for Type II resistance by Single floret injections

Entry Variety N 21 dpi* Min Max Rank
52 Clark 15 13.2 0 77.3 12
53 Patterson 8 31.0 0 100 36
54 Goldfield 7 13.5 4.8 59.1 13
55 Madison 9 55.2 6.3 100 51
56 Roane 8 6.3 4.5 10.0 3
57 Jackson 8 46.1 5.9 100 45
58 Kaskaskia 8 7.0 4.2 23.8 4
59 Patriot 8 28.0 4.2 100 32
60 Independence 8 24.1 5.0 88.9 25
61 Revere 6 6.3 4.3 9.1 3
62 FFR 522 8 37.7 4.8 100 40
63 FFR 566 8 30.6 6.3 61.1 35
64 FFR 555 8 38.2 5.3 100 41
65 FFR 558 8 14.7 5.0 50.0 15
66 FFR exp 2704 8 89.0 47.1 100 54
67 Stine 455 7 40.9 5.3 76.5 43
68 Stine 422X 8 24.9 4.5 55.6 28
69 Foster 8 8.9 4.8 22.7 5
70 Patton 8 5.6 5.3 6.3 1
71 Elkhart 7 30.1 5.9 100 33
72 Mason 7 47.2 5.3 100 48
73 Gibson 7 10.6 5.3 38.9 9
74 9663 8 46.2 5.6 88.9 46
75 BL 930390 8 20.0 5.6 58.8 21
76 CK 9474 8 10.2 5.6 23.5 8
77 25R18 9 6.3 4.3 14.3 3
78 2552 8 15.0 6.3 40.0 16
79 2568 7 11.5 4.2 33.3 11
80 26R24 8 47.2 5.6 100 48
81 25R26 1 5.9 5.9 5.9 2
82 25W33 8 20.3 5.0 82.6 22
83 Crop Gen SR 211 6 25.7 4.5 87.0 30
84 Crop Gen SR 218 8 24.7 4.8 90.0 27
85 Beck 101 8 23.3 0 89.5 24
86 Beck 6812 8 33.7 5.6 88.2 38
87 Beck 6820 8 31.1 5.0 89.5 37
88 USG 3209 8 14.2 5.9 43.8 14
89 USG 3709 8 53.4 6.7 94.1 50
90 VA 96W-270 7 30.3 4.8 100 34
91 VA 96W-158 8 74.0 5.0 100 53
92 VA 96W-250 8 18.4 5.3 50.0 20
93 VA 96W-247 8 24.2 4.0 55.0 26
94 AR 494B-2-2 8 15.9 4.8 33.3 18
95 AR 584-3-1 8 20.4 5.9 88.9 23
96 KY 89C 804-14-1 8 36.7 5.0 100 39
97 KY 89C 804-14-2 8 51.4 5.3 100 49
98 25W60 8 15.9 4.8 95.0 18
99 91C 117-27 8 42.1 5.6 94.4 44
100 91C 117-32 8 38.6 5.0 100 42
101 91C 170-3 8 9.7 5.0 27.8 7
102 91C 170-4-1 8 9.1 4.8 31.6 6
103 91C 171-24 8 27.3 5.3 52.6 31
104 90C 048-59 8 15.8 5.6 57.9 17
105 90C 049-31 8 11.2 5.3 30.0 10
106 90C 054-6 7 46.8 4.8 98.8 47
107 90C 160-14 8 61.9 25.0 100 52
108 90C 292-4-1 8 16.4 4.8 30.0 19
109 90C 292-16 8 25.2 4.8 85.0 29
 
  CV   98.5      
  LSD 0.05   26.8      

* Percentage of infected spikelets ((number of infected spikelets/total number of spikelets per head) x 100) 21 and 28 days post inoculation.
Injections were made from a composite of 12 different isolates of F. graminearum.

Ultra 1 Test Summary - Greenhouse Scab Data, Spring 2000
Screening for Type II resistance by Single floret injections

Entry Variety N 21 dpi* Min Max Rank
110 2552 8 11.4 7.1 27.3 6
111 2568 8 10.6 5.6 25.0 5
112 Foster 8 7.8 5.6 21.1 1
113 CK 9663 8 31.3 5.6 68.4 21
114 91C 092-1 8 29.2 4.2 86.4 17
115 91C 092-3-1 8 39.2 4.3 100 26
116 91C 092-5-1 8 19.1 4.3 47.8 13
117 91C 092-55 9 48.2 18.2 100 27
118 91C 092-72 8 35.0 4.5 87.0 23
119 91C 092-105 7 21.6 4.3 83.3 15
120 91C 092-111 8 29.7 4.3 90.9 18
121 91C 092-111-1 8 16.6 4.8 31.8 10
122 91C 261-24 8 26.2 4.3 66.7 16
123 91C 261-21-1 8 31.1 4.3 95.4 19
124 92C 432-62 8 8.8 6.3 18.2 3
125 92C 432-62-1 8 8.1 5.6 18.8 2
126 92C 433-77 8 36.2 6.3 100 24
127 92C 433-77-1 8 32.5 5.9 60.0 22
128 92C 434-104 8 13.2 5.3 40.0 7
129 92C 433-17 8 38.5 5.3 100 25
130 90C 0042-37-1 8 16.9 5.3 52.6 11
131 90C 383-18-1 8 9.3 5.3 26.3 4
132 91C 088-2 8 18.9 4.5 57.1 12
133 91C 088-2-1 8 13.3 4.8 21.8 8
134 90C 022-11 8 19.3 4.5 72.7 14
135 92C 433-64 8 31.2 6.7 73.3 20
136 92C 460-44-1 8 13.6 4.5 35.0 9
 
  CV   104.6      
  LCD 0.05   23.7      

* Percentage of infected spikelets ((number of infected spikelets/total number of spikelets per head) x 100) 21 and 28 days post inoculation.
Injections were made from a composite of 12 different isolates of F. graminearum.

Southern Test Summary - Greenhouse Scab Data, Spring 2000
Screening for Type II resistance by Single floret injections

Entry Variety N 21 dpi* Min Max Rank
1 Ernie 8 7.0 6.3 7.7 2
2 Futai 8944 6 9.7 4.5 30.0 7
3 SC 921285 8 68.0 5.9 100 20
4 SC 921299 8 71.7 17.6 100 22
5 SC 941292 8 38.2 5.0 100 15
6 Coker 9474 8 16.7 5.9 50.0 12
7 B950799 9 36.1 5.6 76.5 14
8 B930390 8 14.1 5.9 35.3 9
9 B961092 8 13.6 6.7 43.8 8
10 GA 89482-E7 8 62.2 6.3 100 19
11 GA 901146-E15 8 33.9 5.9 88.2 13
12 GA 90524-E35 8 14.9 5.6 50.0 11
13 GA 90552-AE33 8 48.3 5.0 100 17
14 Roane 8 8.0 4.8 26.3 4
15 VA96W-329 8 14.4 5.3 58.8 10
16 VA96W-326 8 68.8 6.3 100 21
17 VA96W-158 8 58.2 5.6 100 18
18 VA96W-348 7 39.8 5.3 100 16
19 NC96-13848 8 6.5 5.3 11.8 1
20 NC96-13965 8 8.5 6.3 17.6 6
21 NC96-13374 8 8.3 5.6 25.0 5
22 NC96-14629 8 7.9 5.9 18.8 3
 
  CV   88.1      
  LCD 0.05   26.1      

* Percentage of infected spikelets ((number of infected spikelets/total number of spikelets per head) x 100) 21 and 28 days post inoculation.
Injections were made from a composite of 12 different isolates of F. graminearum.


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