AAC Douglas

Oat

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'AC Morgan'

Summary: At the 5 to 9 tiller stage, the pubescence on the lower leaf sheath of 'AAC Douglas' is absent or very sparse to sparse whereas the pubescence on the lower leaf sheath is medium to dense for 'AC Morgan'. At booting, the flag leaf of 'AAC Douglas' is shorter and narrower than that of 'AC Morgan'. The pubescence on the stem above and below the upper culm node of 'AAC Douglas' is absent to very sparse whereas it is sparse to medium for 'AC Morgan'. The plants of 'AAC Douglas' head earlier than the plants of 'AC Morgan'. After heading at the green stage, the plants of 'AAC Douglas' are shorter than the plants of 'AC Morgan'.

Description:

PLANT: spring hulled type, erect to semi-erect juvenile growth habit at 5 to 9 tiller stage, low to medium frequency of plants with recurved flag leaves at booting

STEM: absent to very sparse pubescence above and below the upper culm node

LOWER LEAF: absent or very sparse to sparse pubescence on sheath, absent to very sparse pubescence on blade
LEAF: medium to dark green, absent to very sparse pubescence on margin of leaf below flag leaf, medium glaucosity at green stage

PANICLE: equilateral/symmetrical orientation, lax to medium density, semi-erect to horizontal attitude of branches, 30 to 45 degree angle between rachis and dominant side branch
SPIKELET: two to three grains
LEMMA: small extent of lateral overlap on palea, white at maturity, absent to very sparse pubescence on lateral and dorsal surface, absent to very weak tendency to be awned

KERNEL (PRIMARY KERNELS FROM UPPER SPIKELETS): short to medium basal hairs, cream colour
GROAT: medium pubescence

Origin & Breeding History: 'AAC Douglas' (experimental designations OT2122 and 11P17A-165) originated from the cross made in 2011 between OT7070 and 'CS Camden' at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was selected using a modified bulk breeding strategy followed by a pedigree breeding method. After increasing the F1 seed near Palmerston North, New Zealand, the F2 seed was planted as a bulk plot in an artificial disease nursery at the University of Manitoba Point land in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The harvested F3 seed was increased in the winter nursery near Palmerston North, New Zealand in 2012-2013 where plants were exposed to natural infections. Seeds harvested in bulk were returned to the disease nursery at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg for another cycle of selection. F5 seed was harvested and grown in rows in New Zealand during the winter of 2013 and 2014. Five hundred panicles were selected from disease free and lodging resistant plants within these rows and seeds were selected based on visual appearance for plumpness, lack of awns and white hulls. In 2014, two hundred and fifty F5 panicles were planted in hill plots and inoculated in the disease nursery in Brandon, Manitoba. Due to a flood, seed from the remaining 250 panicles produced in New Zealand in 2012-2013 were increased again and thirty-five F7 lines were selected based on the previous criteria. These lines were tested in preliminary yield tests in Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia in 2015. In 2016, two F8 lines were advanced and evaluated in the 'B' Oat Yield Trial grown in western Canada and were evaluated for disease resistance, quality traits and agronomic performance. One line, designated as OT2122, was advanced into the 2017 Western Cooperative Oat Registration Test.

Tests & Trials: The comparative trials for 'AAC Douglas' were conducted at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Brandon Research and Development Centre in Brandon, Manitoba in 2020 and 2021. There were 4 replicates arranged in a RCB design. The size of the plots were 4.4 metres squared. Plots consisted of five 5 metre long rows with 0.177 metre inter-row spacing. The seeding density was 300 seeds per metre squared resulting in a minimum of 3834 plants per variety. The measured characteristics were based on 20 measurements per variety per year. The mean differences were significant at the 5% probability level based on LSD values.

Comparison tables for 'AAC Douglas' with reference variety 'AC Morgan'

Flag leaf length (cm)

Flag leaf width (mm)

Days to heading (days fromm planting to when 50% of panicles are fully emerged)

Plant height (shortly after heading, culm plus panicle) (cm)

Click on image for larger view

Oat: 'AAC Douglas' (left) with reference variety 'AC Morgan' (right)