Merit 16

Barley

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Merit' and 'Harrington'

Summary: 'Merit 16' has weaker anthocyanin colouration, and sparser pubescence of the auricles of the flag leaf than 'Merit'. The spike emergence of 'Merit 16' is earlier than 'Merit'. 'Merit 16' has a different collar shape than 'Merit' and 'Harrington'. The tips of the lemma awns of 'Merit 16' has weaker anthocyanin colouration than 'Harrington'. 'Merit 16' has weaker glaucosity of the spike than 'Merit' and 'Harrington'. The spike of 'Merit 16' is laxer than 'Merit'. 'Merit 16' has a stronger curvature of the first segment of the rachis than 'Merit' and 'Harrington'. The plant height of 'Merit 16' is shorter than 'Merit'. 'Merit 16' has stronger spiculation of the inner lateral nerves of the dorsal side of the lemma of the kernel than 'Merit' and 'Harrington'. The basal marking on the kernel of 'Merit 16' is horseshoe shaped while it is transverse creased in 'Harrington'. 'Merit 16' has a longer kernel than 'Harrington'. 'Merit 16' matures earlier than 'Merit'.

Description:

PLANT: two row, spring malt barley, erect juvenile growth habit, green coleoptile, absent or very weak pubescence on sheaths of lower leaves, intermediate growth habit

FLAG LEAF: very sparse to sparse pubescence on the blade, sparse pubescence on the sheath, no anthocyanin colouration of the auricles, very sparse pubescence on the auricle margins

SPIKE: mid-season emergence, saucer shaped collar, weak anthocyanin colouration of the tips of the lemma awns, semi-erect attitude, medium glaucosity, parallel shape, medium density, divergent attitude of the sterile spikelet, medium to long length of first segment of rachis at ripening, medium curvature of first segment of rachis at ripening, the length of the glume and awn relative to grain of the median spikelet is equal, lemma awns are longer relative to spike, lemma awns are rough

KERNEL: whitish aleurone layer, husk present, long rachilla hair, medium spiculation of inner lateral nerves of dorsal side of lemma, very sparse to sparse hairiness of the ventral furrow, clasping disposition of lodicules, horseshoe shaped basal markings, medium to long length, medium to wide width, good malting quality

AGRONOMY: poor to fair resistance to lodging, good resistance to shattering, fair to good tolerance to straw breaking, neck breaking and drought

Origin & Breeding History: 'Merit 16' is derived from a backcross made in 1996 in Fort Collins, Colorado. The female parent was 'Merit' and the male parent was 'Merit' / 2B95-8129, where 2B95-8129 is an experimental line from the BARI breeding program with the pedigree B1215 / Stein (TR479) // Manley. Stein is a line from the Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan that has Nairn in its extended pedigree. The recurrent female parent 'Merit' is a BARI cultivar which has a pedigree of Manley / 2B80-350. The BC1F1 generation was grown in the winter of 1996/97 in a greenhouse as a population of 200 seeds. The BC1F2 generation was grown in Irricana, Alberta in 1997 where plants were selected based on straw strength, maturity and general foliar disease resistance. The F3 generation was grown in a greenhouse in Fort Collins, Colorado by single seed descent (196 seed) during the fall/winter of 1997/98. In the spring of 1998, 174 F4 rows were grown in Brooks, Alberta of which 27 rows were selected on visual appearance and NIR whole grain scores for protein, predicted extract etc. The line was initially derived as a single F5 observation row in a counter-season increase in Christchurch, New Zealand during the winter of 1998/99. This row was assigned the mother-line designation 2B99-2316 and first entered into yield trials in 1999 as an F5:6 and subsequently tested at multiple locations in the USA and Canada from 1999-2005. Selection criteria included yield, straw strength, disease resistance and malting qualities.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials were conducted during the summers of 2006 and 2007 in Neapolis, Alberta. Plots consisted of 5 rows per variety, with a row spacing of 23 centimetres and a row length of 5 meters. There were 3 replications arranged in an RCB design.

Comparison table for 'Merit 16' with reference varieties 'Merit' and 'Harrington'

Plant height (cm)

Click on image for larger view

Barley: 'Merit 16' (left) with reference varieties 'Merit' (centre) and 'Harrington' (right)