WSU researcher to seek 2011 pre-release of two gene Clearfield wheat

Farm and Ranch January 18, 2011 Kulvinder Gill, who holds the Vogel Endowed Chair at Washington State University says he will be asking this year for a pre-release of a two gene Clearfield soft white winter wheat.

Gill: “We have to delay by year if the variety release committee wants three years of field data. So that would pretty much be the only hold up. So pre-release 2011 and full release 2012 or pre-release 2012 and full release 2013.”

Gill says a two gene Clearfield wheat can have substantially less plant injury from the use of the herbicide used in the Clearfield production system.

Gill: “The difference can be in two genes zero to ten and 70 to 80% injury in single gene. You can spot, if there are two gene and single gene planted side by side after spray you can tell even without looking at the tag which one is two gene and which one is single gene.”

Gill does say that some years a single gene does just fine. He says some varieties claiming to be two gene Clearfield may not be.

Gill: “The two gene we have are confirmed. I don‘t want to name varieties, the two lines we tested that are so-called two gene, are segregating, at least the seed we got from the breeders.”

After meeting the needs for two gene soft white winter wheat Gill is working on two gene spring and then club wheat.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net.

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