Thorsby

Wheat

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'AC Intrepid', 'CDC Teal', 'AC Splendor' and 'Lillian'

Summary: At booting, the flag leaves of 'Thorsby' are shorter and narrower than those of 'Lillian' and longer than those of 'AC Splendor'. 'Thorsby' is later heading than 'AC Intrepid' and 'AC Splendor'. At maturity, the plants of 'Thorsby' are taller than those of 'AC Intrepid' and 'Lillian'. In cross section, the straw pith for 'Thorsby' is thin whereas it is thick for 'Lillian'. The spikes of 'Thorsby' are longer than those of 'CDC Teal', 'AC Splendor' and 'Lillian'. The brush hairs on the kernel of 'Thorsby' are medium length whereas they are short on 'AC Splendor'. The crease of the kernel of 'Thorsby' is shallow to medium depth whereas it is deep in 'CDC Teal'.

Description:

PLANT: common hard red spring type, erect to semi-erect growth habit at the 5 to 9 tiller stage, matures mid to late season

SEEDLING: very weak to weak intensity of anthocyanin colouration of coleoptile, glabrous lower leaf sheaths and blades

FLAG LEAF: absent or very weak anthocyanin colouration of auricles, absent or very weak glaucosity of sheath, glabrous blade and sheath

CULM NECK: straight
STRAW: thin pith in cross-section, no anthocyanin colouration at maturity

SPIKE: absent or very weak glaucosity, parallel sided to fusiform shape in profile, medium density, white at maturity, erect attitude, sparse hairiness of convex surface of apical rachis segment
AWNS: awnlets present, shorter than length of spike
LOWER GLUME: medium length and width, glabrous
LOWER GLUME SHOULDER: narrow to medium width, sloping shape
LOWER GLUME BEAK: short length, moderately to strongly curved
LOWEST LEMMA: slightly curved beak

KERNEL: medium red colour, medium size, medium length and width, oval shape, rounded to angular cheek shape, medium length of brush hairs, medium width of crease, shallow to medium depth of crease
GERM: medium size, oval shape

Origin & Breeding History: The pedigree of 'Thorsby' (experimental designations '0527*F4SSD50', '09BA0120') is 'AC Intrepid'/3/(TNMU//DOVE/BUC)/4/'CDC Teal'. The original cross was made in the winter of 2004-2005 at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta. F1 seed was grown in the field at the Edmonton Research Station in 2005. Two hundred seeds from individual heads were advanced using a single seed descent method without selection in the F2 and F3 generations at the Lacombe Field Crop Development Centre in Alberta, Canada during the winter of 2005-2006. In 2006, the F4 generation seeds were collected from hill-plots grown in a space planted stripe rust nursery and selected on the basis of rust reaction, plant type and straw strength. These F4 seeds were grown as head rows near Lincoln, New Zealand during the winter of 2006-2007 where 'Thorsby' was selected based on plant type, early maturity and straw strength. Seed of the bulked F5 head-row was grown as a single entry in an unreplicated yield trial in Edmonton in 2007 and as a hill plot in a stripe rust nursery near Creston, British Colombia. Based on cumulative agronomic and quality data, one of the lines was evaluated as '0527*F4SSD50' in replicated yield trials at one Saskatchewan and five Alberta locations in 2007. In 2008, '0527*F4SSD50' was evaluated in the CBWA2 test as entry '09BA0120' and subsequently, evaluated in the Western Bread Wheat Cooperative tests from 2010 to 2012 as 'Thorsby'.

Tests & Trials: The comparative trials conducted in Edmonton, Alberta in 2013 and 2014 were planted in a RCB design and consisted of 3 replicates for each variety. Each 4.5 metres squared plots consisted of 6 rows 4.5 metres in length with a row spacing of 0.19 metres. The planting density was 300 plants per square metre. Mean differences were significant at the 5% probability level based on LSD values.

Comparison tables for 'Thorsby' with reference varieties 'AC Intrepid', 'CDC Teal', 'AC Splendor' and 'Lillian'

Flag leaf length (cm)

Flag leaf width (mm)

Days to heading (50% of heads fully emerged from boot)

Plant height (including awns) (cm)

Spike length (excluding awns) (cm)

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Wheat: 'Thorsby' (centre left) with reference varieties 'AC Intrepid' (far left), 'CDC Teal' (centre right) and 'Lillian' (far right)

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Wheat: 'Thorsby' (centre bottom) with reference varieties 'AC Splendor' (top left), 'CDC Teal' (top right), 'AC Intrepid' (bottom left) and 'Lillian' (bottom right)