Brookfield

Wheat

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'AC Helena' and 'AC Walton'

Summary: 'Brookfield' has less of an erect growth habit at the 5-9 tiller stage with fewer plants with recurved flag leaves than 'AC Walton'. 'Brookfield' has less pubescence of the flag leaf and flag leaf sheath than 'AC Walton'. The glaucosity of the culm of 'Brookfield' is stronger than in 'AC Helena'. 'Brookfield' has weaker spike glaucosity than 'AC Walton'. 'Brookfield' has awns present while 'AC Walton' has only awnlets. The attitude of the awns of 'Brookfield' are more spreading than in 'AC Helena'. 'Brookfield' has a longer lower glume than 'AC Walton'. The lower glume shoulder shape of 'Brookfield' is sloping while it is slightly sloping in 'AC Helena' and straight in 'AC Walton'. 'Brookfield' has a moderately curved shaped beak of the lower glume while in the reference varieties it is slightly curved. The lower glume beak length of 'Brookfield' is medium in length while it is short in 'AC Walton' and long in 'AC Helena'. 'Brookfield' has shorter kernel brush hairs than 'AC Walton'.

Description:

'Brookfield' is a hard red spring wheat that has very sparse to no pubescence on the sheaths or blades of the lower leaves. It has an intermediate growth habit with a medium frequency of plants with recurved or drooping flag leaves. The flag leaf has very sparse to no pubescence on the blade or sheath, no anthocyanin colouration of the leaf auricles and medium to strong glaucosity. The neck of the culm or stem has medium to strong glaucosity and is straight. The straw has no anthocyanin colouration and has a thin thickness for the pith when looking at a cross section.

'Brookfield' has a parallel sided shaped spike that is medium in density, erect in attitude and white in colour with moderate glaucosity at maturity. The spike has spreading awns that are medium in length. The lower glume of the spikelet is medium in width, long in length. The shape of the shoulder of the lower glume is sloping with a moderate width. The beak of the lower glume is medium in length and moderately curved.

'Brookfield' has a hard red kernel type that is medium red in colour and is medium to large in size being mid long to long in length, and mid wide in width. The oval to broad elliptical shaped kernel has a round to angular cheek shape, short brush hairs, and a medium sized round shaped embryo. The kernel crease is mid wide and mid deep.

'Brookfield' has fair to good lodging resistance and good shattering resistance. It has fair to good bread quality characteristics. 'Brookfield' is moderately susceptible to Septoria tritici blotch (Septoria tritici), moderately resistant to powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis, f. sp. tritici) and moderately resistant to moderately susceptible to Glume blotch (Septoria nodorum) and Fusarium Head Blight (Fusarium graminearum Fusarium sp.).

Origin & Breeding History: 'Brookfield', which was tested as AW466, was derived from the cross Kolibri/Gamenya//Wisconsin 271/Oskar/3/SS Fundy which was made in the fall of 1992 at the Agriculture AgriFood Canada Research Center, Charlottetown, PEI. In 1993, the F1 generation was grown in the field at the Research farm, Harrington, PEI. In 1994, head selections were made in the F2 population in the field based on large head size, freedom from diseases, such as powdery mildew, and strong straw. The seed from each head was planted in the greenhouse at 5 seeds per pot and screened for powdery mildew resistance with the susceptible plants being discarded. At maturity, up to 5 heads per pot were harvested and threshed individually. In 1995, the seed from each head was grown as a head row. The rows were screened for freedom of leaf diseases and uniformity, of which the best 35 rows were selected. In 1996-1998, these F3 derived lines were evaluated for agronomic performance. One of these lines, 'Brookfield' was evaluated in the Eastern Spring Wheat Screening Test in 1999 at 3 sites in Quebec, 4 in Ontario and 2 in the maritimes. Brookfield was evaluated at 4 sites in the Maritime Registration-Recommendation Spring Wheat Test from 2000-2002. It was then evaluated in the Ontario Orthogonal Spring Wheat Test from 2002-2003 at 6 sites. During the winter of 2002-2003 1250 F9 heads (F3 derived) were grown in the greenhouse at 5 seeds per pot. In the spring of 2003, 1330 fully awned heads were selected and sown as individual head rows in the field under isolation. Rows with off-types were discarded with the remaining constituting the original breeder seed.

Tests & Trials: Tests and Trials were conducted at C & M Seeds, Palmerston, Ontario in 2004 and 2005. Plots consisted of 8 rows, 4 metres in length with a row spacing of 15 cm. There were 4 replications arranged in a RCB design.

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Wheat: 'Brookfield' (centre) with reference varieties 'AC Helena' (left) and 'AC Walton' (right)