August 12, 2011

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Nebraska wheat producers have two new varieties to consider when deciding what to plant this fall.  The University of Nebraska in cooperation with the USDA Agricultural Research Service is releasing McGill and Robidoux through Husker Genetics.  Certified seed for these varieties is available but may be somewhat limited this year as this is the first year of commercial seed production.

Husker Genetics Brand McGill

Tested as NE01481

McGill was named after the legendary professor of genetics, Dr. David P. McGill, in UNL’s Department of Agronomy. The pedigree of McGill is NE92458/Ike where the pedigree of NE92458 is OK83201/REDLAND and the pedigree of OK83201 is Vona//Chisholm/Plainsman V.

McGill is a moderately early, medium height semi-dwarf wheat with good winterhardiness and straw strength. In our tests, it has soilborne wheat mosaic virus resistance (a rarity among our lines), moderate resistance to stem rust, but is moderately resistant to moderately susceptible to leaf rust and is susceptible to Hessian fly, Fusarium head blight, and wheat streak mosaic virus. It has performed well for grain yield in southeast, south central, and southwest Nebraska.

One of its real strengths is its consistent performance. In the southeast, south central, and southwest, it has been among the highest yielding varieties for the past five years, always at or very near the top of the trials. It also has good end-use quality, so it will be an excellent complement to Overland.

We view McGill as an excellent new wheat with a trait that is valuable to a part of our state where we have had difficulty finding good new varieties with the right disease resistances.

See UNL Virtual Wheat Tour entry for McGill for a list of certified seed growers and a means for comparing its characteristics with characteristics of other varieties.

Husker Genetics Brand Robidoux

Tested as NI04421

Robidoux was developed at the University of Nebraska and co-released with Wyoming. The name Robidoux was chosen in honor of Robidoux Pass — a popular pioneer pathway on the Oregon Trail between Nebraska and Wyoming before 1852. The pass was named after the Robidoux family who built a fur trading post at the site.

The pedigree of Robidoux is NE96644/Wahoo (sib) where the pedigree of NE96644 is ODESSKAYA P./CODY//PAVON 76/*3 SCOUT66.

It is a medium maturity, medium height semi-dwarf wheat with good winterhardiness and medium straw strength. In our tests it is moderately resistant to moderately susceptible to leaf rust and stem rust. It is moderately susceptible to soilborne wheat mosaic virus and moderately susceptible to susceptible to Hessian fly and wheat streak mosaic virus. It is susceptible to common bunt (syn. stinking smut) and seed treatments are recommended.

Robidoux has performed well under irrigation though it does not have the highest yield under optimum conditions, nor the strongest straw strength. In addition, it has performed well in rainfed conditions in western Nebraska where drought is common. It appears to be ideally suited to being grown in western Nebraska under irrigation, especially when the last irrigation was insufficient (e.g. has some stress at finish) and in rainfed conditions in western Nebraska where drought stress is common.

Based on the 2011 data available so far, the ability to take advantage of moisture early in the growing season and then having stress tolerance late in the season was a definite advantage as the variety finished well with the very high temperatures just prior to maturity. As such, there also may be a place for it in southwestern Nebraska. In addition, in our end-use quality assays it had above average end-use quality.

See UNL Virtual Wheat Tour entry for Robidoux for a list of certified seed growers and a means for comparing its characteristics with characteristics of other varieties.

Stephen Baenziger
Professor of Agronomy
Nebraska Wheat Growers Presidential Chair