Assessment of hard red winter wheat F2 and F3 hybrids for the Nebraska panhandle*1

Abstract

Although hybrid wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.)] has shown yield superiority over pure-line cultivars across the Nebraska Panhandle, concerns about additional costs to attain that superiority remain. The use of ‘farmer-saved’ seed from hybrid generation seed has been suggested to reduce production costs. F1 and derived F2 and F3 hybrid generations along with 11 pure-line cultivars of hard red winter wheat were grown in the Nebraska Panhandle in 1991–1993 to evaluate the performance of F2 and F3 hybrids in the region. Grain yield of F1 hybrids was 10% higher than yield of the cultivars, but yield of F2 and F3 hybrids were 12% and 6% lower than the yield of the cultivars, respectively, and yield differences between F1 and F2 and between F1 and F3 were equivalent, respectively, to 22% and 6% of the cultivar-group mean. Segregation for male sterility in the F2 generation might be responsible for the greater decline in yield in F2. Test weight of F2 and F3 hybrids were 2% and 1% lower than the observed value for the cultivars, respectively. Compared to pure lines, protein concentration was 2% and 1% higher in the F2 and F3 hybrids, respectively, and differences between F1 and F2 and between F1 and F3 were in both cases equivalent to more than 6% of the cultivar-group mean. The results indicate that production of advanced generation hybrid wheat in the Nebraska Panhandle should not be recommended. *University of Nebraska Agric. Res. Div. J. Series No. 12977.