AB Tofield

Barley

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'AC Ranger' and 'Vivar'

Summary: At tillering, the plants of 'AB Tofield' have a semi-erect growth habit while those of 'AC Ranger' have an intermediate, between semi-erect and semi-prostate, growth habit. At booting , anthocyanin colouration is absent on the flag leaf auricle of 'AB Tofield' while it is of a weak intensity on the flag leaf auricles of 'AC Ranger' and 'Vivar'. The flag leaf of 'AB Tofield' is wider than that of 'AC Ranger' and larger than that of 'Vivar'. At maturity, the plants, including the awns, of 'AB Tofield' are taller than those of 'Vivar'. The collar on the spike of 'AB Tofield' is open while those of the reference varieties are v-shaped. The lemma awns of 'AB Tofield' are smooth while those of the reference varieties have rough spiculations on the margins.

Description:

YOUNG PLANT: semi-erect growth habit at tillering, absent or very sparse pubescence on lower leaf sheaths
PLANT: six row, spring feed barley, absent or very low frequency of plants with recurved flag leaves, spike emergence occurs mid-season

FLAG LEAF (AT BOOTING): sparse pubescence on blade
FLAG LEAF SHEATH: medium glaucosity, sparse pubescence
AURICLES: anthocyanin colouration absent, sparse pubescence on margins

SPIKE: weak to medium glaucosity, semi-erect attitude, open collar, tapering, lax, glume and awn of the median spikelet are longer relative to the grain
LEMMA AWNS: weak intensity of anthocyanin colouration of tips, longer than spike, smooth spiculations on margins
FIRST SEGMENT OF RACHIS: short, weak degree of curvature

KERNEL: long rachilla hairs, husk present, absent or very weak anthocyanin colouration of nerves of lemma, medium spiculation of inner lateral nerves of dorsal side of lemma, hairless ventral furrow, clasping disposition of lodicules, incomplete horseshoe shaped basal markings, medium in length and width

AGRONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS: poor winter survival, good resistance to lodging, poor malting quality

Origin & Breeding History: 'AB Tofield' (experimental designations SR17515 and H07057014) originated from the cross between the varieties H97094002, as the female parent, and 'Sundre', as the male parent, conducted in 2007 at the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Field Crop Development Centre in Lacombe, Alberta. The F2 and F3 generations were bulked in Lacombe in 2007 and in El Centro, California in the winter of 2008-2009, respectively. The F4 and F5 generations were advanced in Lacombe in 2009 and 2010 with selected F5 heads grown as F6 headrows in 2011. One line, designated as H07057014, was tested in multi-location replicated trials and disease nurseries in Western Canada from 2012 to 2016 and entered the Western Cooperative Six-row Barley Test (Coop) as SR17515 in 2017. Selection criteria included grain and forage yield, test weight, kernel weight, lodging resistance, disease resistance, maturity and feed quality.

Tests & Trials: The comparative trials for 'AB Tofield' were conducted during the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons at Olds College Field Crop Development Centre in Lacombe, Alberta. The trial was arranged in a RCB design with 3 replicates. Each plot consisted of 8 rows with a row length of 2.5 metres. There was 0.14 metre inter row spacing with 0.4 metres between the plots. The seeding density was 269 seeds per squared metre resulting in approximately 2250 plants per variety. Measured characteristics were based on 30 measurements per variety per year. Mean differences were significant at the 5% probability level based on a paired Student's t-test.

Comparison tables for 'AB Tofield' with reference varieties 'AC Ranger' and 'Vivar'

Flag leaf length (cm)

Flag leaf width (mm)

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

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Barley: 'AB Tofield' (centre) with reference varieties 'Vivar' (left) and 'AC Ranger' (right)

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Barley: 'AB Tofield' (centre) with reference varieties 'AC Ranger' (left) and 'Vivar' (right)