Radiant

Wheat

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'AC Tempest' and 'AC Bellatrix'

Summary: 'Radiant' has a dark brown spike colour at maturity whereas it is red to brown for 'AC Tempest' and white for 'AC Bellatrix'. The awn colour at maturity for 'Radiant' is brown while it is light brown for 'AC Tempest' and white for 'AC Bellatrix'. The lower glume beak length of 'Radiant' is longer than 'AC Tempest'. 'Radiant' has a rounded kernel cheek shape while it is more angular in 'AC Tempest'. The winter survival of 'Radiant' is better than 'AC Tempest' and 'AC Bellatrix'. 'Radiant' is resistant to wheat curl mite while 'AC Tempest' and 'AC Bellatrix' are not.

Description:

'Radiant' is a hard red winter wheat that has no pubescence on the sheaths or blades of the lower leaves. It has an erect to semi erect growth habit with an horizontal flag leaf attitude. The flag leaf has no pubescence on the blade or sheath, no anthocyanin colouration of the leaf auricles and strong glaucosity. The culm neck or stem has weak to medium glaucosity and is straight. The straw has no anthocyanin colouration and has a very thin pith thickness in cross section.

'Radiant' has a tapering spike shape that is medium to dense in density, incline (30 to 90 ) in attitude and dark brown in colour with moderate glaucosity at maturity. The spike has brown awns that at the tip of the spike are shorter than the length of the spike. The lower glume of the spikelet is narrow to medium in width, and medium to long in length with very sparse pubescence. The shape of the shoulder of the lower glume is sloping to slightly sloping and narrow. The beak of the lower glume is medium to long in length and slightly to moderately curved in shape. The shape of the beak of the lemma is slightly to moderately curved.

'Radiant' has a hard red kernel type that is medium red in colour and medium in size being mid-long, and mid-wide. The elliptical shaped kernel has a round cheek shape, mid long brush hairs, and a mid-size oval shaped embryo. The kernel crease is mid-wide and mid-deep.

'Radiant' has good resistance to shattering, fair to good resistance to drought, good winter survival and fair bread making qualities. 'Radiant' is moderately susceptible to susceptible to black point and smudge (Cochliobolus sativus, Alternaria species, Pseudomonas syringae pv. Atrofaciens), susceptible to powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis f. sp. tritici) and highly susceptible to common bunt (Tilletia caries, Tilletia foetida), leaf rust (Puccinia recondita) and stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici). 'Radiant' is resistant to wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella) which is the sole vector of Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Radiant' was selected from the cross Norstar*6/PGR16635//Norwin/UT125512 made in 1987 at Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Lethbridge Research Station, Lethbridge, Alberta. PGR16635 (Triticum tauschii CI4/Novomicurinka) carries a single dominant gene for resistance to wheat curl mite colonization, designated Cmc1. The F1 to F4 generations were grown as bulks, with F4 head selections screened for kernel appearance, freezing tolerance, and wheat curl mite resistance. The surviving F4 derived F5 families were grown as F6 hills and F7 rows. F7 derived F8 head rows were grown based on screening for plant and kernel appearance, straw strength, protein content, test weight, and SDS sedimentation volume. An F7 derived F9 line designated APB4AK7J entered preliminary agronomic testing in 1994/95 and was subsequently identified as wheat curl mite resistant. Following three years of replicated, multi location agronomic trials and favourable quality results, it was entered into the Western Winter Wheat Co-op Registration Trial as W337 in 1997/98 where it was tested for three years.

Wheat curl mite resistance was determined in the manner described in the article by Thomas, J. B. and Conner, R. L. 1986. "Resistance to colonization by the wheat curl mite in Aegilops squarrosa and its inheritance after transfer to common wheat". Crop Science, 26:527-530.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials were conducted at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Research Station, Lethbridge, Alberta in 2000/2001 and 2002/2003. In 2000/2001the plots consisted of 8 rows, each 4 metres long with inter-row spacing of 23 cm. There were 8 non-randomized replicates with approximately 2800 seeds per plot. In 2002/2003 the plots were seeded in the same manner as in 2000/2001, with the exception that the plots consisted of 4 rows of approximately 1400 seeds per plot and there were 6 replicates.