A new wheat variety promising greater resistance to fusarium head blight was released recently in North Dakota with hopes that it will save grain producers there as much as $100 million (U.S.) a year.
Alsen, a hard red spring wheat, has shown a level of fusarium resistance higher than nearly all other wheat varieties, according to the North Dakota State University.
Alsen resulted from a three-way cross made by Richard Frohberg, an NDSU hard red spring wheat breeder.
The fusarium resistance was derived from a Chinese wheat variety, said Frohberg. The resistance trait was transferred using conventional plant breeding techniques.
Read Also
Land crash warning rejected
A technical analyst believes that Saskatchewan land values could be due for a correction, but land owners and FCC say supply/demand fundamentals drive land prices – not mathematical models
Fusarium head blight, also referred to as scab, costs growers in North Dakota, Manitoba and Saskatchewan millions of dollars each year in lost yields and grain quality.
Frohberg would not say whether there are efforts under way to get Alsen registered in Canada.
The scab resistance found in Alsen restricts the disease from spreading into the wheat spike, even if a kernel becomes infected.
Although enthused about the new variety, Frohberg stressed that it is not entirely resistant to scab.
“It has fusarium resistance, but it is not resistant. There is a difference there.”
Alsen is a semi-dwarf wheat variety with good lodging resistance. It also has moderate resistance to leaf rust, Frohberg said.
The seed will be released to county crop improvement associations for seed multiplication this year. Froh-berg expects it will be generally available to all growers in North Dakota next year.
Scab is of most concern to growers on the eastern side of the state.
Last year, during trials in northeastern North Dakota, Alsen’s average yield was better than that of McVey, AC Barrie and Gunner. The new variety outperformed variety number 2375 by more than five bushels per acre, according to NDSU information.
In statewide trials last year, Alsen’s test weight averaged 59.2 pounds per bushel compared to 56.4 lb. for McVey, 59.8 lb. for Gunner, 59.8 lb. for variety 2375 and 59 lb. for AC Barrie.
Alsen’s namesake is a North Dakota community in Cavalier County. Members of the NDSU variety release committee chose the name to recognize the financial support given by country crop improvements associations in northeastern North Dakota.
