'Above' Winter Wheat
	Above Foundation Seed Production Field Yuma, Arizona April 2001	Above Field Plot Julesburg, Colorado July 2001

Above hard red winter wheat was developed cooperatively by the Colorado and Texas Agricultural Experiment Stations and jointly released to seed producers in September 2001. Above was selected from the cross 'TAM 110'*4/FS2 made in 1996 at Amarillo, TX. The proprietary wheat germplasm line FS2 was developed by BASF Corporation (formerly American Cyanamid) through induced mutagenesis, with sodium azide and the French wheat cultivar 'Fidel', to obtain tolerance to the imidazolinone class of herbicides (1). Selection was practiced for imazamox resistance of seedlings (at 180-240 grams imazamox/acre) during the backcrossing program conducted in the greenhouse at Bushland, Texas.

Above is an awned, white-glumed, early maturing, semidwarf hard red winter wheat. Above is early maturing (138.5 days to heading from Jan. 1), about 1.5 days later than 'TAM 107', similar to TAM 110, 3.5 days earlier than 'Akron', and 7 days earlier than 'Prowers 99'. Plant height of Above is short (27.5 inches), similar to TAM 107 and TAM 110, about 0.7 inches shorter than Akron, and 4 inches shorter than Prowers 99. The straw strength of Above is good, similar to TAM 107.

Selection History

Above was selected as a BC3F2:3 line (F2-derived F3 line following the third backcross) in 1998 at Akron, CO, and was given the experimental designation CO980894. Bulk seed increases of Above were grown in 1999 at Fort Collins, CO, concurrent with unreplicated yield trials in eastern Colorado. Following treatment of the seed increases with imazamox in April 1999, 500 single heads were selected at random for generation of breeder seed. Breeder seed of Above was produced in 2000 near Yuma, AZ, and Brawley, CA, from a composite of approximately 450 BC3F4:5 head-rows selected for plant height and glume color uniformity and tolerance to imazamox application in the field.

Yield Performance

Above was tested in Colorado Dryland Variety Performance Trials in 2000 and 2001. Averaged over 15 trial locations, Above (41.8 bu/a) yielded less than 'Trego' (45.1 bu/a), the same as 'Jagger' and 'Alliance', and greater than Akron (40.9 bu/a), TAM 107 (39.9 bu/a), and TAM 110 (39.0 bu/a). Average test weight for Above (56.0 lb/bu) in these trials was less than Trego (59.0 lb/bu), TAM 107 (56.4 lb/bu), and Akron (56.3 lb/bu), the same as Jagger, and greater than TAM 110 (55.5 lb/bu).

Disease and Insect Resistance

On the basis of field evaluations in Colorado and cooperative evaluations through the USDA Regional Testing Program, Above is resistant to stem rust (caused by Puccinia graminis Pers.:Pers. f. sp. tritici Eriks & E. Henn.), susceptible to leaf rust (caused by Puccinia triticina Eriks.; syn Puccinia recondita Roberge ex Desmaz.), and moderately susceptible to both wheat streak mosaic virus and Barley yellow dwarf virus. Above is resistant to greenbug [Schizaphis graminum (Rondani)] and susceptible to the Great Plains biotype of Hessian fly [Mayetiola destructor (Say)] and Russian wheat aphid [Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko)].

End-Use Quality Characteristics

Milling and bread baking characteristics of Above were determined from multilocation composite grain samples from unreplicated yield trials in 1999 and the Colorado Dryland Variety Performance Trials in 2000. Relative to the broadly adapted check cultivar TAM 107, Above had higher test weight (59.4 versus 58.3 lb/bu), kernel weight (31.9 versus 30.8 g/1000 kernels), and flour yield (66.4 versus 65.5 %) with lower flour protein (11.5 versus 12.2 %) and higher ash contents (.44 versus .43 %). In bread baking tests, Above had lower bake water absorption (61.0 versus 61.6 %), shorter Mixograph mixing time (2.5 versus 2.9 minutes to peak strength), lower loaf volume (788 versus 878 cc), lower crumb grain and texture score (1.5 versus 2.0 score; 0-unacceptable to 6-excellent scale) and the same Mixograph tolerance score (2.0 score; 0-unacceptable to 6-excellent scale) compared to TAM 107.

Development Team

Scott D. Haley, Mark D. Lazar, James S. Quick, Jerry J. Johnson, Gary L. Peterson, John A. Stromberger, Sally R. Clayshulte, Bruce L. Clifford, Todd A. Pester, Scott J. Nissen, Phillip H. Westra, Frank B. Peairs, and Jeff B. Rudolph

Affiliations

• S.D. Haley, J.S. Quick, J.A. Stromberger, S.R. Clayshulte, B.L. Clifford, and J.J. Johnson, Soil and Crop Sciences Dep., Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO 80523
• M.D. Lazar and G.L. Peterson, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M Univ. Ag. Res. and Ext. Center-Amarillo, Amarillo, TX 79106
• T.A. Pester, S.J. Nissen, P.H. Westra, F.B. Peairs, and J.B. Rudolph, Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management Dep., Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO 80523

References and Notes

1. Newhouse, K.E., W.A. Smith, M.A. Starrett, T.J. Schaefer, and B.K. Singh. 1992. Tolerance to imidazolinone herbicides in wheat. Plant Physiol. 100:882-886.

Breeder seed of Above will be maintained by the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station. Above is protected by the U.S. Plant Variety Protection Act (PVPA).

Acknowledgements

Above was developed with financial support from Colorado Agric. Exp. Stn. Projects 795 and 646, the Colorado Wheat Administrative Committee, Texas Agric. Exp. Stn. Projects H6599 and H8080, and the Texas Wheat Producers Board.