ARS | Publication request: EFFECT OF EARLY AND LATER RWA INFESTATION ON AGRONOMICS AND MALTING QUALITY OF ADAPTED BARLEY GERMPLASM LINES

Submitted to: North American Barley Research Workshop Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: August 30, 1999
Publication Date: August 1, 1999
Citation: Mornhinweg, D.W., Bregitzer, P.P., Jones, B.L., Peairs, F.B., Randolph, T.L., Porter, D.R., Webster, J.A. 1999. Effect of early and later RWA infestation on agronomics and malting quality of adapted barley germplasm lines. Proceedings of the 16th North American Barley Research Workers Workshop, July 11-15, 1999, Idaho Falls, ID. p. 69.

Technical Abstract: Resistance to Russian wheat aphid (RWA) has been identified in 109 barley accessions from the National Small Grains Germplasm Collection, and 109 resistant lines were selected from these accessions. These lines were identified, selected, and purified via screening of seedlings in greenhouse flats. Resistance measured as grain yield and yield components was confirmed to hold throughout the life of the plant when a subsample of RWA resistant lines with differing levels of resistance were grown in the greenhouse under constant RWA pressure from seedling to maturity, and in the field under artificial RWA infestation for 2 years in Wyoming. Resistance measured in terms of impact on malting quality was inconclusive. Unadapted resistant lines had such poor quality that any reduction in malting quality was hard to measure by normal malt testing procedures. A new field test was designed to test for RWA feeding effects on both agronomics and malting quality of adapted RWA-resistant lines developed by USDA-ARS in Aberdeen, ID, in cooperation with USDA-ARS in Stillwater, OK. Plots in Aberdeen, ID, and Fort Collins, CO, with the cooperation of Colorado State University, were either aphid-free or artificially infested at either an early or late date. Agronomic data from 1 year generally indicated no significant effect of RWA feeding on the unadapted resistant check and adapted resistant lines developed from that resistant check, while an adapted moderately resistant line as well as the susceptible checks were severely affected by RWA feeding. RWA effect on malting quality followed similar trends but will not be reported here in detail.