The development of improved plant cultivars is accomplished through comprehensive plant breeding
programs. Such programs:
1) evaluate promising germplasm to identify superior-performing genotypes for use as parents;
2) create new genetic recombinations from these selected parental genotypes using crossing or other
means;
3) evaluate segregating progeny from the resulting families while exerting selection pressure for
desirable characteristics; and
4) identify superior-performing cultivars in yield trials conducted across multiple environments.
This circular documents the current status of research in cultivar development associated with the
Alaska barley breeding program

Blake, Steve A.

Dofing, Stephen M.

Knight, Charles W.

English

ScholarWorks@UA

Results from the1992 Alaska Barley Breeding ProgramStephen M. DofingAssistant Professor of AgronomyPalmer Research Center, Agricultural and Forestry Experiment StationUniversity of Alaska FairbanksCharles W. KnightAssistant Professor of AgronomyAgricultural and Forestry Experiment StationUniversity of Alaska FairbanksSteve A. BlakeAgricultural AssistantPalmer Research Center, Agricultural and Forestry Experiment StationUniversity of Alaska FairbanksAgricultural and Forestry Experiment StationSchool of Agriculture and Land Resources ManagementCircular 92 December 1992U A FNIVERSITY OF LASKA AIRBANKSINTRODUCTIONThe development of improved plant cultivars isaccomplished through comprehensive plant breedingprograms. Such programs:1)  evaluate promising germplasm to identify su-perior-performing genotypes for use as parents;2) create new genetic recombinations from theseselected parental genotypes using crossing or othermeans;3) evaluate segregating progeny from the result-ing families while exerting selection pressure fordesirable characteristics; and4) identify superior-performing cultivars in yieldtrials conducted across multiple environments.This circular documents the current status of re-search in cultivar development associated with theAlaska barley breeding program.PROCEDURESParental Screening TrialsThe purpose of parental screening trials is to iden-tify the most elite germplasm developed outside ofAlaska for use as parents in crosses. The primaryscreening criterion is early maturity, although othertraits are considered. Germplasm is evaluated first asa single row or a single four-row plot, depending onthe amount of seed available. Top-performing lines areevaluated in the Elite Variety Yield Trial the followingyear.The Elite Variety Yield Trial is an ongoing, compre-hensive evaluation, and comprises the second level ofparental screening. It consisting of four replicationseach of cultivars which show good performance underAlaskan conditions. In this trial, cultivars are evalu-ated over a period of several years to obtain a betterindication of their average performance and, there-fore, their potential for use as parents in crosses. Supe-rior-performing cultivars are evaluated again in sub-sequent years of the test, while poorer-performingones are dropped. Within each year, the performanceof cultivars is measured as a percentage of the checkvariety ‘Otal’. Percentages greater than 100 are used toindicate better performance (earlier heading, earliermaturity, shorter plant height, or higher yield), com-pared to  Otal. The performance of cultivars evaluatedfor more than one year is determined by averaging theyearly comparisons with Otal. Thus, although culti-vars may differ in number of tests or were tested indifferent years, all percentages reported are based onpaired comparisons with Otal.In addition to the Elite Variety Yield Trials, the 1992Northwestern Canada Barley Trial was grown atPalmer. This trial consists of 25 cultivars, and is grownthroughout Alberta and in Alaska to evaluate theperformance of genotypes over a wide range of envi-ronmental conditions.Segregating Families and Lines in BreedingProgramA diagram of the methodology used in the breed-ing program is given in Figure 1. After the initial crossis made between two parental genotypes (P1 x P2), F1plants are grown and harvested in bulk. Progeny areadvanced without selection to the F4 generation, whichis grown as a selection block. The earliest-maturingheads in this block are harvested. These selected headsare grown as headrows in the F5 generation, wherevisual selection is practiced for early heading, earlymaturity, and optimum plant height. All breeding andselection is conducted at Palmer.The selected families are then evaluated sequen-tially for the next three years in one-, two-, and three-replication trials, with superior-performing familiesadvanced to the next level of testing. Superior familiesare again grown in a selection block in the F9 generation,and the earliest-maturing heads are harvested. Selectedheads are increased and evaluated for the next severalyears in yield trials to determine potential candidatesfor varietal release.Advanced Yield TrialsThe purpose of the advanced yield trial is to evaluatecommercially grown cultivars developed in Alaska.This trial was grown at Palmer and Fairbanks in 1992,and consists of three cultivars with four replicationseach.RESULTSParental Screening TrialsApproximately 70 entries were grown in unreplicatedobservation plots in 1992, and the performance of thefive entries harvested, along with the check varietyOtal, is given in Table 1. ‘Arupo S’ was extremely earlyheading compared to Otal, but it was not early matur-ing. This appeared to be due to a flush of late tillerswhich delayed maturity. Growing conditions were dryuntil mid-July, however late summer precipitation re-sulted in heavy tillering in this variety. This was accen-tuated by the fact that ‘Arupo S’ is a two-row variety,which tends to produce more tillers than six-row vari-eties. However, this variety is being used in crosses,and may have potential as a donor for early maturitydue to its extremely early heading. ‘Zaoshu 3’ and‘Zhenong 12’ also showed some promise as donors ofearly maturity in crosses, however they are both two-row types and possess undesirable characteristics.The cumulative performance of entries in the EliteVariety Yield Trial is given in Table 2. Entries with twotests were evaluated in both 1991 and 1992, whileentries with one test were evaluated for the first time in1992. Several entries were earlier maturing than Otal(percentage >100), and most entries were shorter inplant height. Significant lodging has not occurred inthis trial, so no information on lodging resistance isavailable. ‘Nordyls’, an older Norwegian variety,showed particular promise, being 4.5% earlier thanOtal and only slightly lower yielding than Otal.Results from the 1992 Northwestern Canada BarleyTrial are given in Table 3. ‘VJ3-018’ was the earliest-maturing entry in this trial, maturing two days earlierthan Otal. BT670 is a selection from Otal, and wasjointly released by Agriculture Canada and the UAFAgricultural and Forestry Experiment Station underthe name ‘Albright’. Consistent with previous North-western Canada Barley Trials in Alaska and Alberta,BT670 appears to have yield advantage over Otal,although it has generally been slightly later maturing.Segregating Families and Lines in BreedingProgramThe performance of F2, F3, and F4 families is given inTable 4. One F2 family, Arupo S/Olli, was grown in1992. This family represents a cross between two veryearly maturing parents, and is segregating for two-rowand six-row types. This family has potential as a sourcepopulation for very early lines, although the pedigreesuggests that the resultant lines might be deficient forother important agronomic traits.Three F3 families evaluated were developed by cross-ing selections from Composite Cross XXXII with 2228,an unnamed line with the pedigree ‘Olli/4/CaliforniaMariout/3/Betzes*6/Titan/(dwarf)Belonne’, receivedfrom the Agriculture Canada Station at Beaverlodge,Alberta. Considerable variability exists in these popu-lations, however their bulk performance was betterthan Otal for days to heading and days to maturity.These families possess short plant height; in fact, theymay be shorter than desirable. Head size is relativelylarge for their plant stature.The same families, one generation advanced, consti-tuted the F4 of the breeding program. Their bulk perfor-mance relative to Otal is similar to that of their counter-part F3 families.Seventy-nine F6 lines, progeny of selected headrowsfrom 1991, were grown in 1992. On the basis of head-ing, plant height, and maturity, as well as overallappearance, eighteen of these families were harvested.The average performance of these lines relative to Otalis given in Table 5. All lines harvested were signifi-cantly earlier maturing than Otal, and they were alsoshorter. Although short plant height generally resultsin reduced lodging, the height of these lines is shorterthan desirable for mechanical harvest.This is especially true if swathing is used,as the straw left after cutting should betall enough to keep swathed grain wellabove ground level. Selection within theselines in subsequent generations will em-phasize taller plant height.Advanced Yield TrialResults of the Advanced Yield Trialaveraged across Palmer and Fairbanks lo-cations is given in Table 6. The cultivarswere similar in performance, with ‘Datal’showing slightly higher grain yield. Table7 gives the cumulative performance ofvarieties in the Advanced Yield Trial ex-pressed relative to Otal. In four tests, Dataldemonstrated higher grain yield than Otal,with equal maturity. Averaged over thesefour tests, all varieties were shorter thanOtal and had better lodging resistance.Table 2. Cumulative performance of varieties in the Elite Variety Yield Trial between 1991-1992.*No. of Plant GrainVariety tests Heading Maturity height Lodging yieldCIMMYT E Bar #9  1  109.7  107.7  150.0   .  42.9JO 1632  2  99.2  104.5  127.9   .  94.9Nordyls  2  101.1  104.5  111.1   .  98.6Bode  2  95.8  102.1  111.9   .  97.4Olli  2  105.4  101.9  105.4   .  90.6JO 1474  2  99.7  100.4  122.7   .  88.0Nord  2  97.0  100.3  120.1   .  95.4Arra  2  97.0  99.7  110.0   .  105.2Arve  2  100.4  98.8  124.0   .  93.4Potra  2  99.6  98.2  113.2   .  92.9JO 1465  2  99.2  96.2  106.6   .  82.7Ripa  2  95.6  95.6  119.2   .  90.5Karin  2  95.8  93.8  121.1   .  84.1Eero 80  2  99.9  92.8  138.9   .  110.4Agneta  2  94.2  92.7  116.0   .  101.0Super Precoz 2H  1  96.8  92.5  134.2   .  86.2*Values greater than 100 indicate better performance (earlier heading, earlier maturity, shorter plant height, or higheryield) than Otal.Table 1. Performance of selected entries grown as single four-row plots in 1992.PlantDays to height Days toEntry heading* (in) maturity*Otal (check) (6/29) (80) (8/14)Arupo S +9 40 -7Zaoshu 3 +6 58 +7Zhenong 12 +6 67 +7Super Precoz 2H -2 56 -10Jo 1558 -1 56 +6*No. of days earlier (+) or later (-) than Otal.Table 4. Performance of F2 , F3 , and F4  families in 1992.PlantheightGeneration Family Heading* (in) Maturity*Otal (check) (7/2) 81 (8/17)F2 Arupo S/Olli +11 60 +5F3 86CCXXXII-31-21/2228 +6 58 +4“ 86CCXXXII-159-81/2228 +6 58 +4“ 86CCXXXII-176-98/2228 +6 48 +4F4 86CCXXXII-31-21/2228 +6 50 +3“ 86CCXXXII-156-81/2228 +5 62 +3“ 86CCXXXII-176-98/2228 +8 49 +4*No. of days earlier (+) or later (-) than Otal.Table 3. Results of the 1992 Northwestern Canada Barley Trial grown at Palmer.Variety Days to Plant height Grain yieldmaturity (in) (bu/A)VJ3-018 104 27.6 80.8Otal 106 31.6 105.2BT670 106 31.8 109.6BT673 106 27.5 110.0SD506 106 27.1 96.9SD507 106 25.7 97.2VJ3-007 106 27.5 81.5Jackson 107 26.8 87.4AC Stacey 107 29.5 114.7BT671 107 30.0 98.1V53-035 107 32.9 92.8V3L-030 108 34.4 103.3STEIN 109 28.5 90.5VO5-014 109 28.3 104.9V54-028 109 29.1 87.8VO5-101 109 29.1 107.9AC Lacombe 634 110 33.3 84.0BT674 110 29.5 102.2VN5-003 110 27.0 92.4VTN-053 110 29.7 97.2V3H-027 110 28.1 92.6BT672 111 31.0 95.0V5L-171 111 31.6 87.3V38-082 111 25.8 89.5VEN-295 114 24.8 73.8LSD 0.05 2.5  1.9 12.0Table 5. Average performance of superior F6  lines in 1992.PlantheightGeneration Line and No. represented Heading*    (in) Maturity*Otal (check) (6/30) 77 (8/17)F6 77II-67-21-120/8176-382-761-85-1 (2) +7 59 +9“ 86CCXXXII-31-21/2228 (10) +9 49 +9“ 86CCXXXII-159-81/2228 (4) +5 52 +7“ 86CCXXXII-176-98/2228 (2) +8 53 +10*No. of days earlier (+) or later (-) than Otal.Table 7. Cumulative performance of varieties in the Advance Yield Trial at Palmer and Fairbanks between 1991-92.No. of Heading Maturity Height Lodging GrainVariety tests yield yieldDatal  4  100.2  101.2  110.3  130  105.1Lidal  4  98.8  99.9 102.7  110  92.377II-69-63-3-1  2  96.8  94.4  108.3  160  73.5*Values greater than 100 indicate better performance (earlier heading, earlier maturity, shorter plant height, or higheryield) than Otal.Table 6. Average performance of entries in the Advanced Yield Trial grown at Palmer and Fairbanks in 1992.Days to Days to Plant Lodging GrainVariety heading maturity height (1–9)* yield(in) (bu/A) Datal   52   88  32.1  7.3  83.8 Lidal   52   89  33.7  7.3  70.0 Otal   51   88  34.4  7.3  80.3 LSD 0.05   0.4  0.6  1.7 —  4.6*1= completely upright, 9=completely lodged.

Circular 92

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Circular 92

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