Vivar

Barley

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Mahigan' and 'Tukwa'

Summary: 'Vivar' is a six-row, spring, feed barley variety. The auricles of the flag leaf of 'Vivar' have no anthocyanin colouration whereas the intensity of anthocyanin on 'Mahigan' is medium. The intensity of anthocyanin at the tips of the lemma awns is medium in 'Vivar', strong for 'Mahigan' and weak in 'Tukwa'. The spike of 'Vivar' is longer than that of 'Mahigan'. 'Vivar' has rough lemma awns, while 'Mahigan' has semi-smooth and 'Tukwa' has smooth awns. The rachilla hairs are short for 'Vivar' and long for 'Tukwa'. 'Vivar' has a wider and heavier kernel than either reference variety.

Description:

'Vivar' is a six-row, spring feed barley which has a semi-erect juvenile growth habit and green coleoptiles. There is no pubescence on the sheaths of the lower leaves and at tillering the plants are semi-erect. At booting there is a low frequency of plants with recurved flag leaves. The flag leaf of 'Vivar' has weak pubescence on the blade and sheath and strong glaucosity on the sheath. There is no anthocyanin colouration of the auricles. Pubescence on the auricle margins is weak.

Spike emergence is mid-season for 'Vivar' and the collar shape is platform. Lemma awns have a medium intensity of anthocyanin colouration at the tips. The spike is semi-erect in attitude, tapering in shape and medium in density. Glaucosity on the spike is weak. The first segment of the rachis is long with weak curvature. The glume and awn of the median spikelet are longer than the grain. The lemma awns are rough (barbs along the entire length of the awn) and longer than the spike.

The kernel of 'Vivar' has a hull, a colorless aleurone layer and medium anthocyanin colouration on the nerves of the lemma. The rachilla hairs are short. Spiculation of the inner lateral nerves of the dorsal side of the lemma is medium. There is no hairiness of the ventral furrow and the lodicules are clasping. Basal markings are horseshoe shaped. The kernel of 'Vivar' is medium in length and width.

'Vivar' has good resistance to lodging, straw breaking, neck breaking and fair resistance to shattering and drought.

'Vivar' is resistant to covered smut (Ustilago hordei) and black semi-loose smut (Ustilago nigra) and moderately resistant to common root rot (Fusarium spp.) and true loose smut (Ustilago nuda). The variety is susceptible to spot blotch (Cochliobolus sativus), net blotch (Pyrenophora teres), scald (Rhynchosporium secalis), Septoria speckled leaf blotch (Septoria passerinii) and stem rust (Puccinia graminis).

Origin & Breeding History: The pedigree of 'Vivar' is Leduc//DL69/DL70///Noble/CM67-U.Sask1800xPro-CM67/DL7. The original cross was made in 1987. The F2 seed of this variety was bulked and grown in nurseries in Lacombe, Alberta and in California up to the F6 level. At this time heads were selected from this population and grown out as individual F7 headrows in 1993 from which a line named H87020011 was selected as a variety to be entered into yield trial testing from 1994-1999. Purification of this line also took place during this time, being completed with 196 Breeder lines being bulked at the F13 level to form the Breeder seed of the variety. In 1998 the line was entered into the Western Semi-Dwarf Cooperative Barley Test as SD516.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials for 'Vivar' were conducted at the Field Crop Development Centre in Lacombe, Alberta during 2000 and 2001. The trials consisted of 3 replicates per variety. The plots were seeded at a rate of 22 seeds per 30 cm square, in eight rows, 4.5 metres long with a 14 cm row spacing. Each harvested plot was 2.5 metres long. There were 41 cm between plots. Measured characteristics were based on 20 measurements.

Comparison tables for 'Vivar' with reference varieties 'Mahigan' and 'Tukwa'

Flag leaf length (cm)

Flag leaf width (cm)

Plant height (stem plus spike, including awns) (cm)

Spike length (excluding awns) (cm)

Kernel weight (grams/1000 kernels)