ARS | Publication request: Registration of 'Eve' winter hulless barley

Submitted to: Journal of Plant Registrations
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: August 15, 2012
Publication Date: January 2, 2013
Citation: Brooks, W.S., Berger, G.L., Griffey, C.A., Thomason, W.E., Paling, J.J., Hokanson, E.G., Behl, H.D., Liu, S.Y., Gundrum, P.G., Price, A.M., Brann, D.E., Vaughn, M.E., Pitman, R.M., Dunaway, D.W., Corbin, R.A., Kenner, J.C., Beahm, B.R., Whitt, D.L., Custis, J.T., Starner, D.E., Gulick, S.A., Ashburn, S.R., Jones, E.H., Marshall, D.S., Fountain, M.O., Tuong, T.D., Livingston, D.P., Premakumar, R., Kurantz, M.J., Taylor, F., Moreau, R.A., Hicks, K.B. 2013. Registration of 'Eve' winter hulless barley. Journal of Plant Registrations. 7:5-11.

Interpretive Summary: A new hulless barley variety was released from the VA agricultural experiment station. This paper describes the characteristics that make it unique. Briefly, it was higher yielding had a higher density and a high starch concentration and has good resistance to Fusarium head blight.

Technical Abstract: ‘Eve’ (Reg. No. CV- PI 659067 ), a six-row winter hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) developed and tested as VA01H-68 by the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station was released in May 2007. Eve was derived from the cross SC860974 / VA94-42-13. Eve is widely adapted and provides producers with an early heading, long awned, six-row winter hulless barley that has good straw strength, high test weight, plump seed, and notable resistance to Fusarium head blight (caused by Fusarium graminearum (Schwabe). In the Virginia Official State Variety Trial, the 3-yr (2009-2011) average grain yield of Eve was 3718 kg ha-1 in comparisons to 3607 kg ha-1 for ‘Dan’, and 3563 kg ha-1 for ‘Doyce’. Average grain volume weight of Eve (73.8 kg hl-1) over the same period was higher than that of Doyce (68.9 kg hl-1). In the 2005 to 2011 Uniform Winter Barley Yield Nursery, Eve had mean grain yields ranging from 3026 to 4924 kg ha-1 and grain volume weights from 73.2 to 77.5 kg hl-1. Eve winter hulless barley provides producers in the eastern United States with additional cropping and grain marketing opportunities. Head emergence of Eve is 6 d earlier than Dan and ‘Thoroughbred’, which is the predominant barley cultivar grown in the eastern U.S. This is significant in that early maturity is a primary factor determining whether barley or wheat is used in double-cropping systems with soybean (Glycine max L.). In addition to good kernel physical characteristics including high grain volume and kernel weight, Eve is unique in having grain with high starch (60.4%) and protein (10.1%) concentration. This combination of kernel quality and grain compositional traits provides feed and biofuels (ethanol and grain by-products) industries with a valuable feedstock having both high energy and protein concentration and nutritional value. Eve is the first winter hulless barley released in the eastern U.S. having a high level of resistance to Fusarium head blight. On the basis of performance in state, regional, and uniform winter barley yield trials, Eve is adapted to barley production regions in the eastern U.S., southeastern Texas, and Oklahoma.