New Wheat Varieties Offer Opportunities
In 2023, the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station has released two new wheat varieties. Each offers unique traits such as disease resistance, and improved agronomic performance and end-use quality.
NDSU’s spring wheat breeding program developed ND Thresher, which was released in July. This new variety offers the following features:
• Shorter plant height and good straw strength
• Moderate resistance to Fusarium head blight, bacterial leaf streak and stem rust
• High yields, especially in the eastern growing region
• High protein
• Good milling and baking qualities
Andrew Green, associate professor in the Department of Plant Sciences, led the development of this variety. The name, ND Thresher, pays homage to historical threshing machines.
“Threshing crews and the history of the North Dakota wheat crop go hand-in-hand, and this name was chosen to honor that heritage,” says Green. “The variety does dry down well for harvesting despite later heading, which we know is an important consideration for farmers looking to maximize efficiency during harvest.”
ND Allison, a new winter wheat variety developed by NDSU’s winter wheat breeding program, was released in September. It was bred from segregating progeny of a cross between the Canadian variety, Accipiter, and the South Dakota variety, Ideal, that was released in 2013. Compared to other varieties, ND Allison:
• Is one to two inches shorter and one day later flowering than the variety Jerry
• Has good winter survival and satisfactory processing quality
• Provides broad adaptation and high yield.
• Appears more tolerant of acidic soils with improved aluminum tolerance.
The development of ND Allison was led by Department of Plant Sciences professor Francois Marais. New winter wheat varieties are named to acknowledge and honor women of all walks of life.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Andrew Green, 701-231-8478, andrew.j.green@ndsu.edu
Francois Marais, 701-231-8155, gideon.marais@ndsu.edu
