Plant Science Research
Raleigh, North Carolina
Research Spotlight
ARS Releases First Hard Winter Wheat Varieties for Eastern U.S. Production
October 29, 2009
The first hard winter wheat varieties bred and developed for production in the eastern United States have been released by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
NuEast, a hard red winter wheat, and Appalachian White, a hard white winter wheat, were bred by ARS plant pathologist and geneticist David Marshall, research leader of the Plant Science Research Unit in Raleigh, N.C.
Hard wheats are best suited for making bread. Hard wheat has not traditionally been successfully grown in the eastern states because the area's humidity increases the incidence of disease in the field. This in turn affects yield and the quality of the grain.
But NuEast and Appalachian White address these problems. In field tests, these varieties had significantly higher grain yield than the check varieties and showed acceptable resistance to powdery mildew and rust.
There are very few hard white wheats grown and produced in the United States. The key to developing a hard wheat for eastern U.S. production is the ability to produce consistently good grain quality, resulting in good milling and baking characteristics when grown in a humid environment. Commercial millers and bakers involved in testing the vararities since their release have been favorably impressed.
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