Four new varieties of highly adaptable wheat released.
Washington State University has released four new wheat varieties for commercialization, including Xerpha, a soft-white common winter wheat, which is highly adapted to a broad range of production zones in Washington, Oregon, southern Idaho, and northern California.
“WSU’s job is to work in partnership with industry so growers will have the best varieties possible,” said Ralph Cavalieri, director of the Agricultural Research Center and associate dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences. “These new varieties are the product of good science, hard work, and the dedication of our breeding teams.”
Xerpha highest yielding in all precipitation zones
In 2006 and 2007, Xerpha, a product of WSU geneticist Steve Jones’ winter wheat breeding program, was the highest yielding variety in every precipitation zone in the WSU Extension Cereal Variety Testing Program where it was compared with 50 other varieties, breeding lines, and varietal blends from 10 other programs at 19 locations.
Farnum, Whit, and Kelse, three varieties from WSU researcher Kim Kidwell’s breeding program, also were approved for final release.
Farnum is a high yielding, hard red winter wheat that carries an early senescence gene associated with high grain-protein content as well as a slow rusting gene for stripe rust. Whit is a soft white common spring wheat with high-temperature, adult plant resistance to stripe rust, and Hessian fly resistance.
Farnum suited for high rainfall regions
“We expect it to replace Nick, Alpowa, and some Louise in the high rainfall region,” said Dr. Kidwell, who was appointed associate dean for academic programs of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences last summer.
Kelse is a high protein hard red spring wheat for the intermediate to high rainfall zone.
The University and the WSU Research Foundation agreed to offer the Washington Wheat Commission or a commission-affiliated corporation the first right to negotiate a worldwide, exclusive license to any new wheat varieties developed by University researchers where commission funding has been used during the development process.
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