Winter wheat breeding technologies: Dual purpose, scab resistance, low PPO

Jason Cook, MSU assistant winter wheat and spring wheat breeder, talks about the winter wheat breeding program at the MSU Eastern Ag Research Center field days last month in Sidney, Mont.

All kinds of new technologies are brewing at the Montana State University’s winter wheat breeding program. One of the newest technologies is developing is a forage/grain dual-purpose wheat.

“We wanted a dual purpose winter wheat, that could be used for either grain or forage,” said Jason Cook, MSU assistant winter wheat and spring wheat breeder. Cook talked about the winter wheat breeding program at the MSU Eastern Ag Research Center field days last month in Sidney, Mont.

There are two or three experimental forage lines being developed with high grain quality, that will yield well. Producers have been looking for a new forage winter wheat, something to replace Willow Creek winter wheat. Willow Creek was released in 2005 by MSU and is an awnless variety that is tall, late-maturing and palatable by livestock. It is not suitable for hard red wheat grain production.

But these new experimental lines are different. “These new forage lines can also be harvested for grain. So in a good year, producers could sell it for grain, and in a dry year, producers could sell it for forage,” Cook said. “It’s exciting.”

Genetic diversity important

Cook said his main interest for the winter wheat breeding program is “genetic diversity - having enough new genetic combinations in the breeding program to increase yield and integrate new traits for sawfly and disease resistance.”

The newest variety from the MSU winter wheat breeding program that will reach growers this year for their fall planting, is Loma. Loma HRWW has been recommended for all dryland districts in Montana. That in itself is unusual.

“There should be enough certified Loma seed available this fall. It has been seed increased and 2017-2018 will be its first full season,” Cook said.

In the north central region, throughout the Golden Triangle, and in the central and south central regions, producers plagued with the wheat stem sawfly like to use solid stems. However, in the past, most solid stems did not produce enough yield.

Loma was designed to resist the sawfly and have good yields, as well, but it is not a total solid stem. “Loma is a Yellowstone type with some stem solidness from Dr. Bruckner’s breeding program. The sawfly resistance is not as strong as Warhorse, but the big emphasis for Loma was higher yields,” Cook said.

If a producer has a problem with significant wheat stem sawfly, a solider stem variety would be a better choice. Loma is an awned, white chaffed, semi solid, semi-dwarf HRWW, and is medium to late in maturity. It is resistant to stem rust and especially, stripe rust. The variety is shorter than Yellowstone, which will help with harvesting, and has good milling and baking characteristics.

Cook raised on Montana farm

Cook grew up on a small grain farm in northern Montana, where his family continues to grow winter wheat in rotation. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in plant science and pathology from MSU.

“For my master’s degree, I worked under Dr. Luther Talbert, MSU spring wheat breeder, where my research focused on identifying DNA markers associated with wheat stem sawfly resistance,” Cook said.

He received his doctorate from the plant breeding and genetics department, and then worked at universities in Missouri and North Carolina, studying maize kernel traits.

“I am excited to be back to conduct research that will further enhance Montana’s valuable ag economy,” Cook added. He works with Dr. Phil Bruckner, winter wheat breeder and Talbert, so understands the research that goes with both spring and winter wheat.

Breeding program incorporates traits

EARC has winter wheat plots in both Sidney and Williston, N.D., to evaluate several factors, especially winter hardiness. But across Montana, different environments usually mean different varieties. Planting varieties recommended for whatever district the producer is in can help meet yield goals.

Winter wheat yields statewide were projected by the Montana Ag Statistics Service at 49 bushels per acre in 2016, tying the record set in 2010. Harvested acreage in 2016 was 2.15 million acres, down slightly from 2015. Test weights averaged 60.1 pounds per bushel for all locations.

In addition to winter hardiness, traits that the winter wheat breeding program takes into account when breeding new varieties include disease tolerance, yield potential, adaptation, pest resistance, such as wheat stem sawfly resistance, and end-use quality.

Yellowstone remains number one

The number one planted variety across all Montana locations was Yellowstone, with around 18.8 percent of acreage. Judee was planted on 18 percent of Montana's acres last year, while Warhorse was planted on 10 percent and WB-Quake on 1 percent. Besides Loma, other state recommended varieties for 2017 include Bearpaw, Broadview, Colter, Decade, Jerry, Judee, Keldin, Northern, SY Wolf, Warhorse, WB-Quake and Yellowstone.

Check the 2017 MSU Ag Experiment Station’s Winter wheat variety performance evaluation and recommendations for the districts the varieties are recommended for.

Variety testing for winter wheat performance was conducted in 2016 at Kalispell, Conrad, Havre, Moccasin, Bozeman, Huntley, and Sidney, Mont., and Williston, N.D. One of the main goals in the winter wheat program is meeting qualities that are desired by export markets, such as protein and dough quality.

Low PPO levels important for markets

Another quality the market wants is wheat with low polyphenol oxidase (PPO) levels. Asian noodles need color stability, and high PPO levels are the cause of discoloration in noodles and other wheat products.

“We are looking at advanced lines, screening PPO levels,” Cook said. They can measure PPO levels and screen lines for lower PPO. A quantitative PPO is determined for varieties and is included in the testing release data each year, “The markets are looking for wheat lines that have good quality and good coloration for noodles,” he said.

In addition to low PPO levels, the lines need to have good quality for baking, along with a good disease package for producers. “We have a license agreement with Monsanto West Bred to develop WB 3768. It has a low PPO rating and was formerly MTW 08168,” Cook said.

Loma also is low in PPO.

Breeding white winter wheat

Hard white winter wheat is another avenue for the breeding program. Hard white wheats are not red and produce a bread that is white, and desirable by some markets.

“Colorado is one state that specifically contracts with different bread making companies for their hard white winter wheat,” Cook said.

Scab-resistant varieties being developed

Another emphasis in MSU’s winter wheat breeding program is developing Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), commonly known as head scab, resistant varieties.

“We haven’t seen much scab in Montana winter wheat, but they are seeing it in North Dakota, and we want to be proactive in developing varieties resistant to scab,” he said. There are some genes in spring wheat that have a native resistance to scab, and those could be used to cross with winter wheat and develop resistant varieties.

Cook said there is a FHB-resistance trial going on in Minot, N.D., to find scab resistance in winter wheat.

“They test around 50 experimental varieties each year to evaluate for scab resistant genes that will work in winter wheat,” Cook said.

Winter survivability vital in Sidney

In Sidney, Mont., and Williston, N.D., the big emphasis in the winter wheat variety trial is finding winter hardy varieties.

“The variety trial in Sidney is replicated in Williston, N.D., where winter kill has been a problem, especially in the non-winter hardy varieties,” he said.

Some of the varieties are from Colorado, Nebraska, and the Pacific Northwest, which are high yielding when the winter wheat survives, but have poor winter hardiness.

“Winter survivability is a big problem in Sidney and Williston, but we have some promising new varieties coming out with lines that have good winter hardiness and good yields,” Cook said.

Winter wheat varieties with “very good” winter hardiness included: McGill, Peregrine, and Wesley, but many were rated “good” including Yellowstone, WB-Matlock, and Jerry.

In an interstate winter wheat yield trial at Sidney last year with no winter kill, the top-yielding varieties were: SY Wolf, 78.5 bushels/acre; Brawl CL Plus, 78.3; SY Sunrise, 77.7; and Keldin, 77.3.

None of those are winter hardy varieties.

Winter wheat harvest begins

Winter wheat harvest is under way in some areas of Montana.

Despite the recent heat throughout the state, the crop has been upgraded by NASS and is now 40 percent in good condition with 45 percent in good to excellent condition.

Winter wheat continues to be one of Montana’s most important agricultural crops, and some 2-3 million acres of all types of wheat are planted annually in the state.