ARS | Publication request: RUSSIAN WHEAT APHID RESISTANT BARLEY-CULTIVAR AND GERMPLASM RELEASE

Submitted to: North American Barley Research Workshop Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: June 15, 2005
Publication Date: July 15, 2005
Citation: Mornhinweg, D.W., Bregitzer, P.P., Obert, D.E., Peairs, F.B., Baltensperger, D., Hammon, R. 2005. Russian wheat aphid resistant barley-cultivar and germplasm release [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 18th North American Barley Researchers Workshop. 48:27.gov/ggpages/BarleyNewsletter/48/05_NABRW_POSTERabstracts.pdf.

Technical Abstract: RWA continues to be a devastating pest of barley in the high and dry areas of the Western U.S.A. Screening of the entire National Small Grains Collection in Aberdeen, Idaho, by the USDA-ARS in Stillwater, Oklahoma, identified 115 accessions with some level of resistance ranging from 2 to 6 on Webster’s scale of 1 to 9 where 1 is immune and 9 is dead. Resistant germplasm lines were developed from each accession and two of these lines, STARS 9301B and STARS 9577B were released in 1993 and 1995 respectively. A long term prebreeding project was initiated at the USDA-ARS in Stillwater, OK, to develop adapted germplasm lines by bringing multiple sources of resistance into barley cultivars and elite lines of both state and federal barley breeders across the country. These breeders as well as extension personal from several states have been involved in field testing of the 62 prebred germplasm lines now ready for release. A detailed description of these lines and a time table for their release will be presented. Along the way several feed barley cultivars have also been developed. The first RWA-resistant barley cultivar, Burton, has released by USDA-ARS in Aberdeen, ID, in conjunction with USDA-ARS in Stillwater, OK, and several other cooperators. Burton, a 2-rowed, hulled, spring barley, has shown excellent performance in irrigated and dryland areas both in the presence and absence of RWA. Three, 2-rowed, spring, feed barleys, developed by the USDA-ARS in Stillwater, OK, and Aberdeen, ID, and which are adapted to the extremely arid conditions of the western high plains are currently in seed increase and planned for release this fall. A new biotype, RWA2, identified in Colorado in the summer of 2003, has been found to damage all currently grown wheat cultivars developed for resistance to the original biotype, RWA1. All germplasm lines and cultivars slated for release from this program have been found to be resistant to RWA2 as well as RWA1.