Registration of ‘Wirtas’, A New Spring Spelt Cultivar in Poland

Abstract

‘Wirtas’ is a spring spelt (Triticum spelta L.) (Reg. No. CV‐1118, PI 677227) cultivar developed at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland. In 2012, the cultivar was tested in pre‐registration experiments and in 2013 to 2014 in experiments required for cultivar registration in Poland. In 2015, Wirtas was placed on the Polish National List of Agricultural Plant Varieties. In 2015, it was submitted for testing to the Community Plant Variety Office to obtain Community Plant Cultivar Right to the cultivar throughout the European Union, and it was entered into the Common Catalogue of Varieties of Agricultural Plant Species. Wirtas was bred by selection from accession PL 21803 of Triticum spelta var. coeruleum from the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources of the Polish Genebank in Radzików. In pre‐registration experiments, Wirtas produced an average spikelet yield of 5.45 t ha−1, which was lower by 16.3% than the grain yield of the reference wheat (T. aestivum L.) cultivar Hewilla. In registration experiments, the spikelet yield of Wirtas was significantly lower than the grain yield of the reference wheat cultivar Tybalt, by 23.6% and 16.2% at 50 and 100 kg N ha−1, respectively. Despite the above, Wirtas's significant resistance to the most dangerous fungal pathogens combined with high grain quality (high protein content, high falling number and sedimentation index) could turn breeders’ attention to Wirtas, particularly in organic farming systems.