Canada Western Red Spring Class Research Articles

AAC Hassler Canada Western Red Spring wheat

AAC Hassler (PT496) is an early maturing, high yielding, awned and hollow stemmed Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar suited to growing conditions in the northern Canadian Prairies. AAC Hassler yielded 8% more than Glenn, 6% more than Parata and 6% more than Carberry in the Parkland Wheat Registration Trials (2019-2021). AAC Hassler matured 4 days earlier than Carberry and had similar maturity as Parata. AAC Hassler had similar height to Glenn and the lodging score was similar to Parata. The test weight of AAC Hassler was 2% lower than the mean of the checks and the thousand kernel weight was similar to Glenn. AAC Hassler had protein content 0.1% higher than Carberry. AAC Hassler expressed an intermediate resistant reaction to Fusarium head blight (FHB; Fusarium graminearum Schwabe). AAC Hassler was moderately resistant to the prevalent races of stem rust (Puccinia graminis Pers. f. sp. tritici Eriks. & E. Henn) and moderately susceptible to common bunt [Tilletia caries (DC) Tul. & C. Tul.]. It was resistant to prevalent races of leaf rust (Puccinia triticina Erikss.) and stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis Westend). AAC Hassler was susceptible to orange wheat blossom midge (OBWM) (Sitodiplosis mosellana Géhin). AAC Hassler was registered under the CWRS class.

AAC Hodge Canada western red spring wheat

AAC Hodge (BW1069) is a hollow-stemmed, awned and high yielding Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat cultivar suited to the growing conditions in Western Canada. AAC Hodge was 6% higher yielding than AAC Viewfield, the highest yielding check in the Central Bread Wheat Cooperative (CBWC) registration trials (2017–2019). Within the same test, AAC Hodge was 16% higher yielding than Carberry. AAC Hodge matured 1 d earlier than Carberry and 2 d later than Unity; Unity is the earliest maturing check in the eastern prairie growing conditions. AAC Hodge was 7 cm shorter with better lodging resistance than Unity. The lodging score for AAC Hodge was lower than the mean of the checks. The test weight of AAC Hodge was similar to the mean of the checks. Over the 3 yr of testing (2017–2019), the 1000-kernel weight of AAC Hodge was equal to, or higher than all the checks. The grain protein content of AAC Hodge was equal to that of AAC Viewfield. AAC Hodge was rated moderately resistant to Fusarium head blight (FHB; Fusarium graminearum Schwabe) and resistant to leaf rust (Puccinia triticina Erikss.), stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis Westend), stem rust (Puccinia graminis Pers. f. sp. tritici Eriks. & E. Henn), and common bunt [Tilletia caries (DC) Tul. & C. Tul.]. AAC Hodge ranged from resistant to moderately susceptible for its reaction to the Ug99 family of stem rusts. AAC Hodge was resistant to orange wheat blossom midge (OBWM) (Sitodiplosis mosellana Géhin). AAC Hodge was registered under the CWRS class.

Noor hard red spring wheat

Noor hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was developed using a modified bulk breeding method at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB Canada. Noor is an apically awnletted, hollow-stemmed line with a combination of high yield potential, good lodging tolerance, and medium maturity. During the three years (2016–2018) of evaluation in the Parkland Wheat Cooperative test, Noor yielded 12% higher than the mean of all the checks and matured similarly to Carberry and Glenn, but 3.1 and 2.6 d later than AC Splendor and Parata, respectively. Noor was 94.9 cm tall, shorter than AC Splendor (98.4 cm), similar in height to Glenn (94.0 cm) and Parata (93.5 cm), but taller than Carberry (86.0 cm). The lodging score of Noor (2.1) was lower than Parata (3.0) and AC Splendor (3.0), but similar to Carberry (2.3) and Glenn (2.1). The test weight (kg·hL−1) of Noor (80.0) was higher than AC Splendor (78.6), similar to Carberry (80.2) and Parata (80.4), but lower than Glenn (82.2). Grain weight (35 g) and NIR protein of Noor (14.1%) was lower than all the checks. Overall, Noor was rated resistant (R) to the prevalent races of leaf, stem, and stripe rusts during the three years of testing. Noor was rated intermediate (I) to common bunt and Fusarium head blight. Three years of end-use quality evaluation indicated that Noor is acceptable for the Canada Western Red Spring class, with fewer flags.

Genetic variation for flowering time and height reducing genes and important traits in western Canadian spring wheat

Genetic variation is prerequisite for wheat improvement. High grain yield and protein content and early maturity are some of the major objectives in global as well as Canadian wheat breeding programs. We investigated genetic diversity for earliness related and plant height reducing (Rht) genes in 82 spring wheat cultivars, registered in western Canada, through eight diagnostic DNA markers. Allelic variation was observed at the Vrn-A1, Vrn-B1, Vrn-D1 and Ppd-D1 loci but not at Ppd-A1 and Ppd-B1 loci in the 82 cultivars. Spring type allele of Vrn-A1 was present in 94 % cultivars, whereas only two cultivars carried spring allele of Vrn-D1. Among the four earliness related genes, the most frequent combination was Vrn-A1a, Vrn-B1, vrn-D1 and Ppd-D1b, which was found in 32 cultivars. As for the Rht genes, eight cultivars had Rht-B1b and 13 cultivars had Rht-D1b. All cultivars carrying dominant allele of Vrn-B1, photoperiod-insensitive allele of Ppd-D1 and height reducing allele of Rht-1 had shorter plants and higher grain yield but lower grain protein content. Days to heading and maturity showed positive genetic (rg = 0.65) and phenotypic (rp = 0.44) correlation, and were also positively correlated with grain yield and kernel weight but negatively correlated with test weight and protein content. Plant height was positively correlated with grain protein content (rg = 0.53; rp = 0.42), but negatively correlated with grain yield (rg = −0.47; rp = −0.14). Grain yield and protein content showed negative genetic correlation (rg = −0.57). Among the sixty cultivars from Canada Western Red Spring Class released over 100 years, the newest cultivar yielded 23 % more grain and had 15 % higher grain protein than the oldest cultivar ‘Red Fife’. Breeders in western Canada have incorporated vernalization and photoperiod insensitive and Rht genes in modern cultivars to promote early maturity, to make use of off-season nurseries abroad, and to improve lodging tolerance.

New breeding tools impact Canadian commercial farmer fields

The high cost of cultivar development encourages efficiencies to reduce time and costs to develop cultivars. Doubled haploid (DH) technology and marker assisted breeding (MAB) are two such tools that improve efficiencies. Since 1997, twenty five wheat cultivars in seven market classes, developed using DH methods, have been registered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. These DH cultivars accounted for more than one third of the Canadian wheat acreage in 2009. The DH cultivar Lillian, eligible for grades of Canada Western Red Spring class and currently the most widely grown wheat cultivar in Canada, was developed using MAB to improve grain protein content with the Gpc-B1/Yr36 on chromosome 6BS introgressed from Triticum turgidum L. (Zhuk.) dicoccoides (Körn. Ex Asch. & Graebn). AC Andrew, a Canada Western Soft White spring DH cultivar, was the most widely grown cultivar in its class for the last two years. The new market class, Canada Western Hard White Spring wheat, is based entirely on DH cultivars. Goodeve, one of the first Canada Western Red Spring cultivars released with the gene Sm1 on chromosome 2BS for resistance to the orange wheat blossom midge (Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin)) was selected by application of the DNA marker WM1. Glencross, the first cultivar in the Canada Western Extra Strong wheat class with Sm1, was selected using the WM1 marker on haploid plants prior to doubling. Development of the durum wheat cultivars CDC Verona and Brigade involved the use of a marker for Cdu1, a major gene on chromosome 5B that regulates grain cadmium concentration. Marker technology permits a more strategic and integrated approach to breeding by quantifying the introgression of various key genes into advanced breeding material, identifying targeted loci in parents and following up with MAB in the progeny.

Unity hard red spring wheat

Unity is a hard red spring wheat that meets the end-use quality specifications of the Canada Western Red Spring class. Unity is the first spring wheat cultivar registered in Canada that contains the antibiosis resistance gene Sm1, which produces a product that reduces the palatability of developing seeds to wheat midge larvae (Sitodiplosis mosellana Géhin). Unity is a partial backcross derivative of McKenzie, using Clark as the donor of the Sm1 gene for midge resistance. Unity was found to be adapted to the eastern wheat growing regions of the Canadian prairies as represented in the Central Bread Wheat Cooperative Registration Test in 2004, 2005 and 2006. For registration testing, the performance of Unity was estimated using the varietal blend Unity VB, which consisted of 90% Unity and 10% Waskada. In comparison to the check cultivars (Katepwa, McKenzie, CDC Teal, AC Barrie, and Superb), Unity was the highest yielding cultivar overall; although not significant, Unity was 5% higher yielding than McKenzie. Unity matured significantly later than Katepwa and significantly earlier than Superb. Unity had significantly shorter plant stature than Katepwa and significantly taller stature than Superb. Unity had significantly greater lodging scores than AC Barrie and Superb. The test weight of Unity was significantly higher than the best check: 0.9 kg hL-1 higher than McKenzie. Unity expressed resistance to leaf rust, stem rust and common bunt, intermediate resistance to loose smut, and susceptibility to fusarium head blight. Unity had preharvest sprouting resistance with an overall sprouting score similar to the best checks McKenzie and Superb. Unity also maintained its falling numbers following natural or artificial weathering of spikes. The end-use suitability attributes of Unity were similar to the recurrent parent McKenzie for all traits except amylograph viscosity which was significantly higher than all checks except Superb. Key words: Triticum aestivum L., cultivar description, red spring wheat, test weight, preharvest sprouting, wheat midge antibiosis

AC Splendor hard red spring wheat

AC Splendor is a hard red spring wheat that meets the end-use quality and kernel visual distinguishability specifications of the Canada Western Red Spring class. AC Splendor was evaluated in the Central Bread Wheat Cooperative Registration Test in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and was found to be adapted to the wheat-growing regions of the Canadian prairies. In comparison to the check cultivars Neepawa, Katepwa, Columbus, Roblin and AC Majestic, AC Splendor grain yield was similar to Katepwa, Columbus and Roblin; however, AC Splendor exhibited earlier maturity by 2.8, 7.5 and 1.6 d, respectively. AC Splendor is resistant to Puccinia graminis Pers.:Pers. f. sp. tritici Eriks. E. Henn. that causes the disease stem rust and P. triticina Eriks. that causes leaf rust and has intermediate resistance to Tilletia tritici (Bjerk.) R. Wolff and T. laevis Kuhn in Rabenh. that causes common bunt. Resistance to Fusarium graminearum Schwabe [teleomorph Gibberella zeae (Schwein.) Petch] that causes fusarium head blight is poor. End-use quality tests identified that AC Splendor had high protein concentration and was in the range of the checks for the other quality traits. Key words: Triticum aestivum L., cultivar description, red spring wheat, early maturity

Quantification of the yield and protein response to N and water availability by two wheat classes in the semiarid prairies

Genetic improvements have increased grain yield of newer wheat (Triticum spp.) cultivars relative to older benchmark cultivars. However, the improvements have been larger in the Canada Western Amber Durum wheat class (CWAD) [Triticum turgidum L. var. durum (T. durum)] than the Canada Western Red Spring class (CWRS) (Triticum aestivum L.). Thus, it is necessary to determine if N fertilizer recommendations for these two wheat classes need to be segregated. We conducted fertility trials for four CWAD and seven CWRS cultivars during 4 yr, in two soils in southwestern Saskatchewan, under fallow- and stubble-cropping to determine if there were differences in the N response of the two wheat classes under various water availability conditions. Grain yields of CWAD were consistently higher than those of CWRS, while protein concentrations were higher for CWRS than for CWAD. A regression model consisting of available water (W) plus the interactions of W with fertilizer N (NF), NF2, soil NO3-N in the 0- to 60-cm depth (NS), NS2, and with the NF × NS interaction explained 76% of the yield variability of all cultivars and site years. Inclusion of wheat class as an indicator variable increased the proportion of the explained variability to 80%, and determined that both classes of wheat had similar response to N availability, and that CWAD had a larger response to available water than CWRS. A regression model consisting of a quadratic function of N and a linear term for W with wheat class as an indicator variable explained 58% of the variability in grain protein of all varieties, and indicated that both classes had the same protein response to N availability, but that the protein of CWAD decreased faster than that of CWRS as water availability increased. Inclusion of wheat cultivars as indicator variable, instead of wheat class, did not increase the resolution of the regression model for either yield or protein responses. Results of these analyses indicate that the amount of N required for maximum yield is the same for both wheat classes. Key words: Durum wheat, hard red spring wheat, grain yield, grain protein, fertilizer N, soil N, available water

Somerset hard red spring wheat

Somerset is a hard red spring wheat that meets the end-use quality and kernel visual distinguishability specifications of the Canada Western Red Spring class. Evaluation of Somerset occurred in the Central Bread Wheat Cooperative Registration Test in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and was found to be adapted to the wheat-growing regions of the Canadian prairies. In comparison to the check cultivars Katepwa, McKenzie, CDC Teal, AC Barrie and Superb, Somerset grain yield was intermediate to AC Barrie and McKenzie. Somerset is resistant to stem rust, leaf rust and loose smut. Resistance to fusarium head blight was similar to that of AC Barrie, Katepwa and McKenzie. End-use quality tests identified that Somerset had about 1% more grain protein and slightly higher flour yield than the check cultivars. Somerset has lower test weight and is taller than the check cultivars. Key words: Triticum aestivum L., cultivar description, red spring wheat, grain protein

Fusarium SPECIES ISOLATED FROM WHEAT SAMPLES CONTAINING TOMBSTONE (SCAB) KERNELS FROM ONTARIO, MANITOBA, AND SASKATCHEWAN

The Fusarium spp. associated with samples of wheat seed containing tombstone kernels were identified for 454 samples collected in 1986 and 1987, representing six wheat classes from three provinces. The results indicate that the frequencies and distribution of the 13 species isolated were influenced by geographic location, growing conditions and wheat class. In 1986 and 1987, F. graminearum infected the most seeds and samples of Ontario-grown wheats. It was also the most frequently recovered species from Manitoba wheats in 1986, but was absent from the Saskatchewan wheats. In 1987, F. avenaceum was isolated from the greatest percentage of seeds from Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The greatest percentage of Manitoba samples in 1986 and 1987 were infected by F. sporotrichioides whereas F. acuminatum infected the most Saskatchewan samples. Only F. graminearum infected more than 7% of the seeds of any sample of Canada Western Red Spring, Canada Prairie Spring, Canada Eastern White Winter, Canada Eastern Red Winter, or Canada Eastern Red Spring class of wheat (to a maximum of 52%), whereas five species (F. acuminatum, F. avenaceum, F. equiseti, F. poae, and F. sporotrichioides) exceeded that level in one or more samples of the Canada Western Amber Durum class. The other seven Fusarium spp. (F. compactum, F. crookwellense, F. culmorum, F. proliferatum, F. oxysporum, F. pallidoroseum, and F. subglutinans) combined accounted for <5% of isolates. Overall, the lowest frequency of Fusarium spp. was found in the Canada Western Red Spring class of wheats, and the highest in the Canada Western Amber Durum class.Key words: Fusarium, wheat, disease, graminearum, avenaceum, scab