Author
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Porter, David |
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Submitted to: Inside Scoop
Publication Type: Popular Publication Publication Acceptance Date: 12/21/1998 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Information previously presented in another media; no new research information provided; no interpretive summary required. Technical Abstract: The greenbug is a serious pest of wheat in the Southern Plains. Every year producers lose up to $60 million because of reduced yields and increased pesticide application costs. At present, insecticides are the primary control measure, but genetic resistance to greenbugs is finally becoming available in wheat. We have recently developed an excellent source of resistance to biotype E in the form of the wheat germplasm line GRS 1201. GRS 1201 is also resistant to greenbug biotypes B, C, G, I, and K. The resistance gene is located on a short piece of a rye chromosome that was transferred to wheat, similar to the resistance gene in TAM 107. While this type of wheat-rye chromosome transfer has been known to impart undesirable flour quality traits (e.g., shorter mix times, weaker dough, etc.), individual breeding lines selected from crosses involving GRS 1201 have quality traits that fall within acceptable limits for U.S. hard wheat breeding programs. We have our work cut out for us. We have an excellent source of greenbug resistance in GRS 1201 that is being used to develop multi-biotype-resistant high performance wheat in our breeding program. We will be selecting superior, greenbug-resistant breeding lines for testing within 2 to 3 years. |
