Registration of ‘Curiosity CL+’ soft white winter wheat

Abstract

Abstract‘Curiosity CL+’ (Reg. no. CV‐1167, PI 675007; PVP 201500290) is a soft white winter (SWW) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar carrying two‐gene tolerance to imazamox herbicide that was developed and released by the Agricultural Research Center of Washington State University in October 2013. It was tested under the experimental designations EBC2F3‐3‐18 and WA008143. Curiosity CL+ was developed using marker‐assisted background selection involving a cross between ‘Eltan’ and ‘CL0618’. Eltan was a predominant SWW wheat cultivar (released in 1990) in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), whereas CL0618 is an Australian hard red spring line carrying two‐gene mutations conferring herbicide tolerance. Curiosity CL+ carries two mutation alleles (AhasL‐B1 and AhasL‐D1) of acetolactate synthase gene copies on chromosomes 6B and 6D. Curiosity CL+ has high grain‐yield potential, intermediate plant height, and is well adapted to the dryland production areas of the PNW with <300 mm of annual precipitation. Tested in multiple location and years, Curiosity CL+ showed herbicide tolerance equivalent to the two‐gene Clearfield cultivar ‘AP503 CL2’ (PVP 200800322) and higher than the single‐gene Clearfield cultivar ‘ORCF‐102’ (PI 641787). Its end‐use quality is similar to ORCF‐102, ‘Stephens’ (CI 17596), and ‘Xerpha’ (PI 645605). Compared with Eltan, Curiosity CL+ has better stripe rust resistance, whereas the level of snow mold and Cephalosporium stripe tolerance is equal.