OAT NEWSLETTER

Volume 49

October 2003

Edited by Dr. David L. Hoffman, USDA-ARS Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit, Aberdeen, Idaho, USA

                      

    With special thanks to Dr. Victoria Carollo for her assistance in posting Volume 49 of the Oat Newsletter on the internet via a link from GrainGenes.

 

Please obtain the consent of the author(s) prior to citing information in the Oat Newsletter

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

I.      NOTES  

Oat Newsletter Announcement

Instructions to Contributors for Volume 50

A Statement of Purpose of the Organization of the American Oat Workers Conference

            American Oat Workers Conference Committees 2002-2006

 

            Reminder of the VII International Oat Conference  in Helsinki, Finland

 

             In Remembrance: Solomon Kibite

 

 

 

 

II.                REPORTS

 

AUSTRALIA

 

                         A New National Oat Breeding Program for Grain and Hay Variety Development in Australia- P.K. Zwer, S.D. Hoppo, P.D. McCormack, D.K. Schaefer, J.E. Emery, M. M. Williams, J. Sydenham, T. Cure, and M. Hall

 

                   CANADA
               

                        MANITOBA

 

                  Oat Breeding Activities at CRC-AAFC  2002-2003 - Jennifer Mitchell-Fetch

 


         RUSSIA

 

              ST. PETERSBURG  

 

                   Taxonomy and specific diversity of genus Avena L-  I. G. Loskutov    

 

 

          THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

 

               FLORIDA - GEORGIA

 

                    Winter Oat Research and Breeding-  R.D. Barnett, A. R. Blount, P.L. Pfahler, J.W. Johnson, B. M. Cunfer and G. D. Buntin

 

               IDAHO

 

                    National Small Grains Collection Activities-  H E. Bockelman

 

                

                                 Evaluation of National Small Grains Collection Germplasm Progress Report – Oats- C.A. Erickson and H.E. Bockelman

 

                            

                            MINNESOTA

 

                                   Oat Rusts in the United States in 2002- D. L. Long, M. L. Carson, M. E. Hughes, G. E. Ochocki and L. A. Wanschura

                                  

                           

                             NORTH DAKOTA

 

                                    State Report- Michael S. McMullen and Douglas C. Doehlert

 

 

III.               NEW CULTIVARS

               

                      HiFi

                      Morton

 

 

 

 

 

 

I.     NOTES

Oat Newsletter Announcement

 

The Oat Newsletter is intended for informal communication among oat workers. Persons involved in any aspect of the oat industry and research, including production and breeding, pathology, biotechnology, and milling and processing, are invited to submit information about their programs in the Oat Newsletter.

 

All issues of the Oat Newsletter from Volume 44 onward have been published electronically on the Internet via a link from GrainGenes to the Oat Newsletter homepage

at http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/oatnewsletter/. Generally, printed paper versions will no longer be available, although , a limited printed copies of the Oat Newsletter will be

provided to those that do not have access to the Internet, on a cost-recovery basis. Requests should be sent to:

 

 

 

Dr. David L. Hoffman, Editor, Oat Newsletter

USDA-ARS

1691 South 2700 West

Aberdeen, Idaho USA 83210

Phone: (208) 397-4162 x125 / Fax: (208) 397-4165 ext. 125

e-mail: dlhoffman@uidaho.edu

 

 

Instructions to Contributors for Volume 50

 

Contributions for Volume 50 may be submitted at any time, but should be submitted no later than July 1, 2004. The editor encourages you to submit your article(s) several weeks earlier than the deadline date, if you can do so. Contributions to the Oat Newsletter must conform to the following guidelines:

 

a.        Prepare articles in English. Maximum length should not exceed 6 pages, single-spaced.

 

b.      Articles should be prepared in PC Microsoft Word, PC WordPerfect, or ASCII file format. Do not number pages. Articles should be titled as follows:

 

STATE OR COUNTRY

 

Title

 

Author(s)

 

Affiliation(s) and Full Address(es)

And/or E-mail Address(es)

 

(Begin Text)

 

             Photographs or images saved in .jpg or .gif format may be submitted with your  articles.

 

  1. Manuscripts should be carefully proofed. Manuscripts considered unsuitable for

       inclusion will be returned to the author(s) for revision and resubmission for a   

       future volume.

 

       e.  An electronic version of the article should be submitted by mail or e-mail to:

 

 

Dr. David L. Hoffman, Editor, Oat Newsletter

USDA-ARS

1691 South 2700West

Aberdeen, ID  83210   USA

E-mail: dhoffman@uidaho.edu

 

A Statement of Purpose of the Organization of the American Oat Workers Conference

 

This statement, approved by the members of the American Oat Workers Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 22, 1994, shall serve to delineate the purpose and organizational structure of an American Oat Workers Conference. This Conference shall be made up of scientists and other workers actively engaged in the improvement, management, and utilization of oats. These requirements being met, active participation in the Conference constitutes membership, and all attending members at a particular meeting of the Conference shall have voice and vote in all matters properly brought before the Conference during a regular business meeting to be held during each meeting of the Conference. The Conference shall meet at a time, generally every four years, and at a location to be selected by vote of the attending membership at the previous meeting of the Conference. The Executive Committee, described below, shall have the authority to call emergency meetings of the Conference as necessary.
 
The purpose of the, American Oat Workers Conference shall be to advance oat improvement and culture in the North America and the World by providing a vehicle for:


Action on other matters that may properly come before the Conference.
 

Organization

 
American Oat Workers Conference Committee
 
The American Oat Workers Conference shall be under the general leadership of an American Oat Workers Conference Committee composed of official representatives of the various regions and countries and of a general Executive Committee. Members of the Executive Committee shall be the Chairman, Chair-Elect, Past Chairman, and Secretary of the American Oat Workers Conference and the Editor of the Oat Newsletter, and they need not be official representatives of the American Oat Workers Conference Committee. The Executive Committee shall appoint a nominating committee for a slate of officers for the offices of Chairman and Secretary of the Conference. The Chairman-elect and Secretary shall be elected by the membership of the Conference during the regular business meeting to be held each time the Conference meets. The term of office shall be four years and the Chairman, Chairman-elect and Secretary will assume their duties immediately after adjournment of the Conference wherein elected. The Chairman-elect will automatically become the Chairman for the ensuing four year period. These officers may serve consecutive terms if properly elected by the Conference. The Editor of the Oat Newsletter shall be appointed by the Executive Committee. The Editor of the Oat Newsletter may serve consecutive terms. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee to appoint an Acting Editor of the Oat Newsletter should that position be vacated between regular Conference meetings. The Past Chairman, Secretary, and Editor of the Newsletter shall be non-voting members of the American Oat Workers Conference unless they are also serving as representatives on the American Oat Workers Conference Committee. The Chairman shall be a voting member of the latter Committee and shall preside over all business meetings of the Committee and of the American Oat Workers Conference.
 
The American Oat Workers Conference shall be made up of official representatives from the various countries and regions as follows:
 

 

Country and number of representatives

Region or Agency

USA

Canada

Mexico

Northeastern Region

1

1

-

North Central Region

1

-

-

Western Region

1

1

-

Southern Region

1

- 

1

Federal Dept. of Agric. Advisor

1

1

-

 

Where the representative cannot attend an official conference, he may designate an alternate.  In addition to the above minimum representation, three representatives shall be elected at large by the Conference during the regular meeting once every four years. Also, the elected chairman of the Conference shall be a member of the Committee. Thus, the total voting membership of the committee shall not exceed 14. Representatives from the various regions shall be selected by one of the following methods:


 


 


 
Alternates may be elected or appointed for each representative on the American Oat Workers Conference Committee.

Standing Committees
 
There shall be Standing Committees of the American Oat Workers Conference as follows:

1. Committee on Nomenclature and Cataloguing of Oat Genes

This Committee shall consist of three Conference members appointed by the Chairman of the American Oat Workers Conference. It shall serve to assign symbols and catalog new genes governing characters in oats. Such genes will be listed and described in the Oat Newsletter on an annual basis. The Committee will also be responsible for considering periodical updating and revision of the original publication on the subject, which was entitled "A Standardized System of Nomenclature for Genes Governing Characters of Oats". There shall be no limit of office of committee members.
 
2. Nomination Committee for Distinguished Service to Oat Improvement Award.
 
This Committee shall consist of three Conference members appointed by the Chairman of the American Oat Workers Conference and shall include at least two members who have served on the American Oat Workers Conference Committee. Their term of office shall be from date of appointment until the end of the following Conference meeting. 
 

Oat Newsletter

 
The American Oat Workers Conference shall sponsor an Oat Newsletter to be published on an annual basis for the purpose of dissemination of information on current oat research and research needs. Members of the Conference are encouraged to submit information about their current research programs in response to an annual request to be made by the Editor of the Oat Newsletter. The Newsletter shall also serve as a vehicle of publication for the minutes of the business meetings of the Conference and of the American Oat Workers Conference Committee as well as for Committee Reports and other Conference notes. Abstracts of papers presented at meetings of the Conference also shall be published in the appropriate issues of the Newsletter.
 
Contributions from countries outside the Conference will be accepted for inclusion in the Newsletter, and should be encouraged so as to promote the dissemination of oat research information and news.
 
The Oat Newsletter shall be distributed to all members of the Conference and upon request, to other interested oat and cereal crops workers outside the American Oat Workers Conference. The American Oat Association in conjunction with the Editor of the Newsletter shall maintain a mailing list for this purpose and publish it in each Oat Newsletter. An Oat Newsletter Editorial Committee of four (three researchers and one industry rep) is to be appointed by the AOWC Chair.
 

Distinguished Service to Oat Improvement Award

 
The American Oat Workers Conference shall confer the "Distinguished Service to Oat Improvement Award" upon persons in recognition of their outstanding research contributions and/or meritorious service toward making oats a successful agricultural species. The recipient(s) of this award shall be nominated by the Committee previously described as having this charge, and they shall be elected for the award by a majority vote of the American Oat Workers Conference Committee. No restriction shall be placed upon whom may receive the award. However, as a general guide, the award should be presented to persons who have devoted a significant portion of their professional career and a significant number of years working with oats through research, extension, or other professional activities, The number of recipients should not be limited, but in general, not more than one to three persons would be recognized at one Conference meeting.
 
The Award shall be conferred at a regular meeting of the American Oat Workers Conference. Manifestation of the award shall be denoted by the presentation of a suitable plaque or certificate to the recipient. A brief (not to exceed two typewritten pages) statement about the recipient and a photograph of the recipient shall be printed in the first volume of the Oat Newsletter after the presentation.
 

 American Oat Workers Conference Committees 2002-2006

 

Executive Committee

           

    Chair            Paul Murphy

                        Crop Science, North Carolina State University

                        Box 7629, 840 Method Road, Unit 3

                         Raleigh, NC 27695, USA

                         e-mail: njpm@unity.nscu.edu

 

    Past Chair    Fred Kolb

                        Crop Sciences, University of Illinois

                        1102 South Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61821, USA

                        e-mail: f-kolb@uiuc.edu

 

    Chair-elect   (Vacant)

                       

    

    Secretary      Howard Rines

                        Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics

                        University of Minnesota

                        411 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Buford Circle

                        St. Paul, MN 55108, USA

                        e-mail: Rines001@maroon.tc.umn.edu

 

               

  Oat Newsletter Editorial Committee (2002 - 2006)

 

  Editor             David L. Hoffman

                        USDA-ARS

                        1691 South 2700 West

                        Aberdeen, ID 83210 USA

                        e-mail: dhoffman@uidaho.edu

 

  Past Editor      James Chong

                         Cereal Research Centre

                         Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada

                         195 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, MB Canada  R3T 3T2

                          e-mail: jchong@em.agr.ca

 

  Editor-elect      (Dave Hoffman)

                            

 Members-at-Large      Stephen Harrison

                                     Department of Agronomy

                                     104 M.B. Sturgis Hall

                                     Louisiana State University

                                     Baton Rouge, LA  USA

                                     e-mail:  sharrison@agctr.lsu.edu

   

                                     David Marshall

                                     USDA-ARS

                                     Dept. of Plant Pathology

                                     Box 7616, NCSU

                                     Raleigh, NC 27965-7616

                                     e-mail:  david_marshall@ncsu.edu

                                    

                                     Trevor Pizzey 

                                     Can-Oat Milling

                                     P.O. Box 520

                                     Portage, MB Canada  R1N 3W1

                                     e-mail:  trevor.pizzey@can-oat.com

 

Regional and other representatives

           

  Eastern Canada        Art McElroy

                                   K. W. Neatby Building

                                   Agric. & Agri-Food Canada

                                   Ottawa, ON Canada  K1A 0C6

                                   e-mail: mcelroyar@em.agr.ca

   

     Western Canada        James Chong

                                      Cereal Research Centre

                                      Agric. & Agri-Food Canada

                                      195 Dafoe Road

                                      Winnipeg, MB Canada  R3T 3T2

                                   e-mail: jchong@em.agr.ca

 

 Agric.& Agri-             Ken Campbell

 Food Canada             Research Coordination

                                   Agric. and Agri-Food Canada

                                   Ottawa, ON  Canada

 

  North Central USA   Deon Stuthman

                                   Agronomy and Plant Genetics

                                   Univ. of Minnesota

                                   411 Hayes Hall

                                   St. Paul, MN   55108

                                   e-mail:  stuth001@umn.edu

 

 

Northeastern USA       Mark Sorrells

                                    Plant Breeding Dept.

                                    413 Bradfield Hall

                                    Cornell University

                                    Ithaca, NY  14853

                                    e-mail:  mes12@cornell.edu

 

Western USA              David Hoffman

                                       USDA-ARS

                                       1691 South 2700 West

                                       Aberdeen, ID 83210 USA

                                    e-mail: dhoffman@uidaho.edu

  

 USDA-ARS               Kay Simmons

                                    USDA-ARS-NPS

                                    Beltsville, MD USA

 

    Mexico                      Jose Salmeron

                                   APDO

                                   Cuahtemoc, Chihuahua, Mexico

    

    Industry                      Bruce Roskens

                                       The Quaker Oats Company

                                       Chicago, IL  USA

                          

Reminder of the VII International Oat Conference sin Helsinki, Finland

This is a reminder of the upcoming VII International Oat Conference to be held July 17-22,2004 in Helsinki. Although the deadline for abstract submission has past, the deadline for registration is June 15, 2004. More information may be found on the website: http://www.ioc2004.org/index.htm. As you will see, an excellent conference is planned.

 

IN MEMORIAL

 

Dr. Solomon Kibite

1949 – 2003

 

Dr. Solomon Kibite, oat breeder and researcher at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Lacombe Research Centre in Alberta, Canada passed away suddenly at age 54 on August 20, 2003.  Solomon was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and grew up there during very turbulent times.  He completed his B.Sc. degree in Plant Sciences at Alemaya College in Ethiopia in 1973 and then came to Canada where he earned his M. Sc. and Ph.D. in plant breeding at the Plant Sciences Dept., University of Manitoba.

 

In 1980 he moved to the University of Alberta where he taught and conducted research on wheat and barley until 1984 when he joined AAFC as cereal breeder at Lacombe.  While initially responsible for wheat, barley and oat R&D, shortly after arriving at Lacombe Solomon’s responsibilities became 100% oat and he excelled in his activity as an oat researcher for the next nearly 20 years.  During his all too short career he released 13 oat, barley and wheat varieties.  His most recent oat release, AC Morgan, is an outstanding variety for the non-rust areas of western Canada with high grain yield potential, very good straw strength and good milling quality.  Not only will it be a widely grown variety; it will undoubtedly survive in the pedigree of many future western Canadian varieties.  

 

Solomon’s breeding materials have also found their way in numerous breeding programs around the world.  He developed important germplasm with acid tolerance, early maturity, hulless types, forage types and with high levels of antioxidants, beta glucan, protein and fat. This material will be important in future Canadian and international oat varieties. He also developed techniques to efficiently measure important quality traits.

 

Solomon was internationally respected as the current Canadian member of the Executive Committee of the International Oat Conference, Chair of the 2006 American Oat Workers Conference, an Assoc. Editor of the Canadian Journal of Plant Science and has served on the executive of the Western Expert Committee on Grain Breeding, Prairie Region Recommending Committee for Grain, and many other regional and provincial committees. 

 

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to western Canadian oat R&D Solomon was recognized by the oat producers of the area as the first recipient of the Kirlychuk Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Oat Industry from the Oat Producer’s Association of Alberta (now the Prairie Oat Grower’s Association) in 1998.

 

Solomon was known as a real gentleman by the Canadian and International oat community.  Colleagues from around the world have spoken fondly of their social interaction with Solomon who often enjoyed pleasant visits with many colleagues and their families.  Solomon had the ability to foster much collaboration with scientists around the world that turned into friendships beyond the work.

 

Solomon leaves behind a son Michael and fiancée Yeshi Tekabe of Germany and four sisters in Ethiopia and Canada.

 

We will all miss our respected colleague, his quiet efficiency and his great eye for oat.  We have lost a great colleague and, for many members of the oat community, a special friend.

 

 

 

II.    REPORTS

     

            AUSTRALIA

 

A New National Oat Breeding Program for Grain and Hay Variety Development in Australia

 

P. K. Zwer, S. D. Hoppo, P. D. McCormack, D. K. Schaefer, J. E. Emery, M. M. Williams, J. Sydenham, T. Cure, and M. Hall

 

South Australian Research & Development Institute (SARDI)

Western Australian Department of Agriculture (WADA)

GPO Box 397, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia

Email: zwer.pamela@saugov.sa.gov.au

 

 

Introduction

 

Rationalisation and changes in strategic directions of funding corporations and state departments of agriculture have led to the formation of a national oat breeding program for the southern region of Australia to develop improved hay and grain varieties.  Two oat breeding programs led by Mr. Glenn Roberts and Dr. Leonard Song continue to develop grazing varieties for southern New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, respectively.

 

 

Personnel for the Southern Region Oat Breeding Program

 

Dr. Pamela Zwer is Principal Plant Breeder/Senior Oat Breeder and Ms. Sue Hoppo is Senior Research Officer/Oat Breeder for the Southern Region Oat Breeding Program.  Mr. Peter McCormack was appointed into a new position, National Field Manager and continues his role as Commercialisation Manager, Field Crops for SARDI.  Mr. Maurice Hall, Oat Quality Chemist, takes the lead for the quality program and is located at WADA.  Mr. Daryl Schaefer is lead Agricultural Officer (field operations) and Mr. Gerald Cash was recently hired as an Agricultural Officer at SARDI.  Mr. John Sydenham is Senior Agricultural Officer and Ms. Toni Cure is Agricultural Officer for Western Australia.  Mrs. Jenny Emery is lead Agricultural Officer (glasshouse and laboratory) and Ms. Michelle Williams is Quality Technical Officer at SARDI.

 

 

The Breeding Program

 

The new approach provides a centralised grain and hay breeding program for the southern region of Australia, encompassing South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, and southern New South Wales.   Although the area is vast, there are regions that have similar soil, climate, and production constraints.  The breeding program will focus on two main regions in southern Australia, east and west, until data is analysed to group similar environments across the continent.

 

Early generation populations will be developed at SARDI.  Selection criteria for early generation populations in the eastern region will include agronomic and disease resistance traits.  The western region selection criteria for population development in South Australia will be stem and leaf rust resistance.  Breeding lines will be evaluated for agronomic, disease resistance, and quality traits at two major sites for Stage 1 yield trials composed of F5 lines, one in Western Australia and one in South Australia.  This will be the first opportunity to select adapted lines for the western region.  Selections will progress in each region through the program until potential releases are promoted into grain and hay trials conducted by the state department of agriculture’s variety testing programs in South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales.

 

 

Benefits of the Southern Region Oat Breeding Program

 

The joint initiative for oat breeding in the southern region will provide benefits to oat hay and grain improvement in Australia.  Oat grain quality research at SARDI will be enhanced with the unification of the breeding programs due to improved laboratory facilities and personnel capabilities.  Moreover, breeding populations for the western region will have improved field evaluation for stem and leaf rust resistance.  Grain and hay variety improvement are now integrated into one program with funding from Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC), Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation, the state departments of agriculture, and Goodman-Fielder Consumer Foods Pty. Ltd. (produces Uncle Tobys products).

 

 

Acknowledgements

 

Mr. John Oates retired from the University of Sydney, Cobbitty in April 2001.  His contribution to improved stem and leaf rust and BYDV was significant working in the National Cereal Rust Control Program.

 

Dr. Robyn McLean has moved from oat breeding to wheat breeding as a result of a strategic move by WADA to enhance their effort for wheat variety improvement.  We would like to acknowledge Robyn’s significant contributions to oat variety improvement and oat research in Australia.

 

 

CANADA
     

         

                       MANITOBA

Oat Breeding Activities at CRC-AAFC  2002-2003

 

      Jennifer Mitchell-Fetch

 

Cereal Research Centre

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

 

 

No oat lines were proposed for support for registration at the PRRCG Meeting in February 2003.  There were two lines advanced to the second year of testing in the 2003 Western Cooperative Oat Test.  These lines are suitable for production in the eastern prairies because they carry resistance to barley yellow dwarf virus, loose smut and crown rust.  These lines have the Pg13 resistance to oat stem rust, but both are susceptible to stem rust races NA67 and NA76.  Both lines have acceptable milling quality.

 

OT2009 was registered as the cultivar Furlong in June 2003.  Furlong yields well in the black soil zone of western Canada, plus has good agronomics with acceptable milling characteristics.  Furlong is being jointly marketed by Cargill and Canterra Seed in Canada.

 

Development of cultivars with resistance to oat stem rust pathotype NA67 continues to be carried out in collaboration with Dr. Tom Fetch (CRC-AAFC, Winnipeg).  In 2002, approximately 4200 advanced and early generation breeding lines were evaluated for resistance to NA67.  In 2003, approximately 8700 lines are being tested.  Lines exhibiting resistance to NA67 in the 2002 nursery and suitable agronomic and quality performance have been entered into a preliminary yield trial grown at 3 locations in Manitoba.

 

RUSSIA

 


ST. PETERSBURG

 

Taxonomy and specific diversity of genus Avena L.

* (This research project was supported by the Russian Foundation for Fundamental Research (grant No. 02-04-49667)

 

I.G. Loskutov
N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry, 44, Bolshaya Morskaya St.,
St. Petersburg, 190000, Russia
e-mail: i.loskutov@vir.nw.ru

 

Comparative analysis of the whole specific diversity of oats was incited by the profound interest to the use of these forms in taxonomy and breeding practice, enforces by the late development of plant immunological, biochemical and other researches. Practical importance of interspecies hybridization lies in combining properties of different species that drifted apart in the process of evolution. The vast area of distribution of wild oat species provides for the formation of extensive intra-specific diversity of the characters in the polyploidy rank. At the same time, further development of taxonomy and search for and utilization of new oat breeding sources for breeding purposes is one of the objectives pursued by Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry (VIR) in studying its global germplasm collections (Oat Newsletter, v.41, 44, 45, 47).

In the last decades, Avena collection have been replenished by new accessions and newly described species from all regions of the Mediterranean and Black sea regions. Presently VIR stores an oat germplasm collection of 10 000 accessions of 4 cultivated species and 2 000 accessions including 22 wild species, that comprehensively reflects the whole spectra of intra- and interspecific diversity of Avena L. genera (Oat Newsletter, v.48).

The study (1987-2002) of the representative set (3000 accessions) of accessions of genus Avena L. with different ploidy levels has made it possible to disclose intra-specific diversity of all characters involved in the research.

After a complex study of major morphological characters (Oat Newsletter, v.43) and utilization of the karyotype structure data confirmed by the results of RAPD (Oat Newsletter, v.46) and avenin spectrum analysis, we have confirmed identification of two basic genomes, which most likely participated in the formation of species in Avena L., namely the A and C genomes.

Based on the recent literature concerning the oats and on the evaluation of 26 species VIR world collection of genus Avena L. under field conditions and different laboratory methods we have suggested an adjusted classification of the species in Avena L. genus (Table 1). We have divided this genus into two subgenera, subgen. Avenastrum and a typical subgen. Avena which, in its turn, is subdivided into two sections, Aristulatae Malz. ? Denticulatae Malz. Such division according to the characters of the lemma tip – biaristulate or Aristulatae and bidentate or Denticulatae.

Sectio Aristulatae includes diploid species A.clauda, A.pilosa, A.longiglumis, A.prostrata, A.damascena, A.wiestii, A.hirtula, A.atlantica and cultivated A.strigosa; tetraploid species A.barbata, A.vaviloviana and cultivated A.abyssinica. Sectio Denticulatae includes diploids species A.bruhnsiana, A.ventricosa, A.canariensis; tetraploid species A.agadiriana, A.magna, A.murphyi, A.insularis; hexaploid species A.fatua, A.occidentalis, A.sterilis, A.ludoviciana and cultivated A.byzantina, A.sativa.

            It is suggested that the evolutionary pathway of species of sectio of Aristulatae Malz. with cultivated species A.strigosa and A.abyssinica apparently reached their evolutionary climax. On the basis of detailed morphology, distribution and ecology we concluded that diploids and tetraploids of Denticulatae were involved in the evolution of hexaploid wild and cultivated oats.

A revised taxonomic system for the species in the genus Avena based upon the degree of relationship with hexaploid species has been developed (Loskutov, 1999).

Based on the law of homologous series in variation (Vavilov, 1922) a new intra-specific classification system was developed combining information from both prior taxonomic systems and recent morphological studies (Loskutov, 1998). Among these traits were the colour of lemma, character and colour of pubescence. These traits are most useful in Avena classification. These traits are also of primary importance for identification of lower taxonomic ranks within a species. Initially, each of these traits was assessed using the International Descriptors for the genus Avena L. (1984). The development of an intra-specific classification was based on characters of the karyopsis. Identification of accessions in accordance with the system described here will help to improve conservation of the diversity of wild oat species.

The study of such an representative set of accessions of genus Avena L. with different ploidy level made it possible to display intra-specific diversity on all the characters involved. Inter-specific and, especially, intra-specific classification presently becomes more and more important not only in botanical, breeding and plant science research, and especially in genebank activities related to preservation of plant diversity (Loskutov, 2000), but also in genetic investigations involving molecular technologies (RLFP, RAPD, etc).

Table 1. Key for the identification of Avena species.

 

1. Perennial plants................................…………...A.macrostachya Bal.

-  Annual plants............................................…………..........................2

2. Lemma tips biaristulate.............................................…………........  3

Lemma tips bidentate or bisubulate...............................……..………. 14

3. Glumes very unequal, lower glume one-half of upper one...…..…...    4

Glumes equal or nearly so................................................……………..5

4. Disarticulate each floret at maturity...........…………....A.clauda Dur.

  Disarticulation occurs at the lower floret only……….…A.pilosa M.B.

5. Disarticulate each floret at maturity………………………………...  6

  Disarticulation occurs at the lower floret only……………………….   7

6.Glumes till 40 mm long, callus very long, awl shaped

   10mm................................………………………   .A.longiglumis Dur.

- Glumes 10-20 mm long, callus round or absent……………………................................................................…8

7. Callus elliptic, point of awn exertion in 1/3 of lemma......………………………………………….....A.atlantica Baum

- Point of awn exertion in different part of lemma…….......................…..9

8. Disarticulate each floret at maturity.............................................…..10

-  Panicle non-shattering.................................................................…. 13

9. Spikelets very small 12-15 mm, calm prostrate...…..A.prostrata Lad.

 -  Spikelets 20 mm long, calm erect.............A.damascena Raj. et Baum

10. Lemma tips biaristulate, glumes with 9-10 veins......A.barbata Pott.

-  Lemma tips biaristulate with 1-2 denticula or without, glumes                         with 7-9 veins............................................................….................….11

 11. Lemma tips biaristulate with 1 denticulum, lemma tips longer than glumes; first floret scar narrow elliptic..............…....…....A.hirtula Lag.

-  Lemma tips biaristulate with 2 denticula, lemma and glumes         equal or nearly so; first floret scar oval or round............................……………12

12. Lemma tips biaristulate 3-6 mm long....................….A.wiestii Steud.

-  Lemma tips biaristulate 1 mm long...….............A.vaviloviana Mordv.

13. Lemma tips biaristulate with 1 denticulum, panicle erect or flagged…………...................................................…..A.strigosa Schreb.

-  Lemma tips biaristulate with 2 denticula, drooped panicle….................................................................A.abyssinica Hochst. 14. All florets disarticulating at maturity.........................................…....15

-  Panical non-shattering.............................................................……...24

15. Disarticulate each floret at maturity...........…………..…………….16

  Disarticulation occurs at the lower floret only……….………………..17

16.Spikelets with 2-3 florets, glumes 23-25 mm long.............A.fatua L.

-  Spikelets with 3-4 florets, glumes 16-20 mm long...............................

..........................................................................….....A.occidentalis Dur.

17.Callus long linner shape……………………………………………18

-  Callus elliptic, oval or round………………………………………...19

18.Callus 5 mm long, glumes 27-30 mm long..............A.ventricosa Bal.

-  Callus 10 mm long, glumes 40 mm long....…...A.bruhnsiana Gruner.

19. Spikelets small size, glumes 15-20 mm long……………………….20

-  Spikelets large size, glumes 25-30 mm long…………………………21

20.Spikelets small size with 2-3 florets, glumes 18-20 mm long ........................................................................….....A.canariensis Baum

- Spikelets very small size with 2 florets, glumes 15-18 mm long..................................................….….A.agadiriana Baum et Fedak

21. Spikelets medium size with 2 rarely 3 florets, glumes 25-30mm long......................................................…..........…....A.ludoviciana Dur.

-  Spikelets large with 3-5 florets………………………………...……22

22. Spikelets large with 3-4 florets, lemma highly pubescence…………………………………..A.magna Murphy et Terr.

-  Spikelets V-formed with 3-5 florets, lemma slightly-moderate pubescent.........................………………………………......A.sterilis L.

23. Point of awn exertion in 1/4 of lemma, callus oval...A.murphyi Lad.

-  Point of awn insertion in lower 1/3 of lemma, callus elliptical………………………………………………..A.insularis Lad.

24.Fracture surface at the base of the primary floret is straighting...................................................................……..A.sativa L.

-  Fracture surface at the base of the primary floret is slanting....................................................................A.byzantina C.Koch.

 

 

 

Table 2. Morphotypes of wild and weedy species of genus Avena L.

Colour of lemma

Hairiness of lemma

Colour of hairiness

Morphotypes

white

Glabrous

 

albida (Marq.)

 

Pubescent

 

albescens (Malz.)

grey (black)

Glabrous

 

nigra (Marq.)

 

Pubescent

 

nigrescens (Malz.)

yellow

Glabrous

 

flava (Korn.)

 

Pubescent

 

flavescens (Malz.)

brown

Glabrous

 

braunii (Korn.)

 

Pubescent

light

genuina (Malz.)

 

dark

atherantha (Malz.)

 

UDK 633.13:631.527:631.524.86

 

      

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

 

            FLORIDA-GEORGIA


    

Winter Oat Research and Breeding

 

R. D. Barnett1, A. R. Blount2, P. L. Pfahler3, J. W. Johnson4,

B. M. Cunfer5, and G. D. Buntin6

 

1Univ. of Fla,.North Florida REC - Quincy, 155 Research Rd, Quincy, FL 32351

2Univ. of Fla,.North Florida REC - Marianna, 3925 Highway 71, Marianna, FL 32446

3Univ. of  Fla., Dep. of Agronomy, PO Box 110500, Gainesville, FL 32351-0500

4Univ. of Ga., Dep. of Crop and Soil Sciences, Griffin, GA  30223

5Univ. of Ga., Dep. of Plant Pathology, Griffin, GA  30223

6Univ. of Ga., Dep. of Entomology, Univ. of Ga., Griffin, GA  30223.

rdbarnett@mail.ifas.ufl.edu

 

The University of Florida and University of Georgia combined their small grain breeding programs into a single regional project in the early 90’s.  Personnel include R. D. Barnett, Breeder- FL: A. R. Blount, Forage Agronomist- FL; P. L. Pfahler, Genetics- FL: Jerry W. Johnson, Breeder- GA; Barry Cunfer, Plant Pathology- GA; and David Buntin, Entomology- GA.  Yield Trials are uniform, multiple location across states.  All releases are joint with royalties being shared.  Leadership for the oat, rye and triticale breeding programs is provided by Barnett at Quincy, FL and leadership for the wheat and barley breeding programs is provided by Johnson at Griffin, GA.

 

“FL9708-P37” was approved for released in 2003.  It is a mid season winter oat that has considerable potential for both grain and forage production in the South.

 

FL9708-P37 originated from a cross made in 1997 between a Coker breeding line (Ck92Ab719) and Horizon 314 at the North Florida Research and Education Center at Quincy, Florida. It has the following pedigree: Coker 75-26/CI8341/4/Coker 76-19/Coker 75-27*2/3/Coker 75-26//Coker 76-23/CI8322/5/Horizon 314. The F1 was grown in the greenhouse during the fall 1997 – spring 1998.  The F2 was grown at Aberdeen, ID during the summer of 1998.  The F3 was grown in single spaced plant nursery during the 1998-1999 growing season that contained over 2,000 plants.  78 plants were selected based on crown rust resistance, BYDV resistance, tillering, lodging resistance, seed yield, and seed quality.  These 78 plant selections were planted as F4’s in observation plots for the 1999-2000 season.  Eight of the lines from this particular cross were harvested based on the same criteria as the previous generation and included in replicated grain trials during the 2000-2001 season.  The line designated FL9708-P37 was included in the Elite Oat Nursery and did well ranking 1st among the 20 entries for grain yield and it also had a very good test weight.

            Based on the 2001 performance FL9708-P37 was entered in the USDA Uniform Regional Oat Nursery. In this regional trial with yield data from 12 locations in 9 states FL9708-P37 was ranked 1st for grain yield, above average for test weight, below average for lodging, and had no crown rust. 

 

            In summary, FL9708-P37 is a mid-season winter oat with excellent grain and forage production potential, good test weight and excellent disease resistance.  It most closely resembles its Horizon 314 parent but is about 3 days earlier in heading and has better disease resistance particularly to stem rust. It is between Horizon 314 and Horizon 474 in maturity.  It also has a better yield record than Horizon 314 for both grain and forage production.  It has dark colored upright leaves at booting similar to Horizon 314.

 

            Plant Variety Protection will be applied for and a royalty-earning stream will be developed.  We are planning to release the line exclusively to a single seed company.  A name will be selected in conjunction with the selected company.  The Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc., located at Marianna, Florida, harvested 750 bushels of seed that will be available during the summer of 2003.

Figure 1.  A man outstanding in his field of FL9708-P37 oats.

 

 

IDAHO

 

National Small Grains Collection Activities

 

H.E. Bockelman

 

USDA-ARS National Small Grains Germplasm Research Facility

1691 S. 2700 W., Aberdeen, ID 83210

hbockelman@ars-grin.gov

 

PI Assignments in Avena, January 2002 – May 2003

 

628986

sativa

WABASHA

United States

Minnesota

629061

sativa

MF8891-2021

United States

Pennsylvania

629062

sativa

MF9016-31

United States

Pennsylvania

629063

sativa

MF9016-148

United States

Pennsylvania

629064

sativa

MF9018-117

United States

Pennsylvania

629065

sativa

MF9116-31

United States

Pennsylvania

629066

sativa

MF9116-150

United States

Pennsylvania

629067

sativa

MF9224-82

United States

Pennsylvania

629068

sativa

MF9224-101

United States

Pennsylvania

629069

sativa

MF9224-106

United States

Pennsylvania

629070

sativa

MF9224-164

United States

Pennsylvania

629071

sativa

MF9224-336

United States

Pennsylvania

629072

sativa

MF9224-310

United States

Pennsylvania

629073

sativa

MF9224-359

United States

Pennsylvania

629074

sativa

MF9226-1151

United States

Pennsylvania

629075

sativa

MF9323-319

United States

Pennsylvania

629076

sativa

MF9424-13

United States

Pennsylvania

629077

sativa

MF9424-15

United States

Pennsylvania

629078

sativa

MF9424-62

United States

Pennsylvania

629079

sativa

MF9424-64

United States

Pennsylvania

629080

sativa

MF9424-66

United States

Pennsylvania

629081

sativa

MF9424-74

United States

Pennsylvania

629082

sativa

MF9521-19

United States

Pennsylvania

629083

sativa

MF9521-79

United States

Pennsylvania

629084

sativa

MF9521-124

United States

Pennsylvania

629085

sativa

MF9521-196

United States

Pennsylvania

629086

sativa

MF9521-214

United States

Pennsylvania

629087

sativa

MF9521-247

United States

Pennsylvania

629088

sativa

MF9521-281

United States

Pennsylvania

629089

sativa

MF9521-362

United States

Pennsylvania

629090

sativa

MF9521-462

United States

Pennsylvania

629091

sativa

MF9620-64

United States

Pennsylvania

629092

sativa

MF9621-280

United States

Pennsylvania

629093

sativa

MF9714-32

United States

Pennsylvania

629094

sativa

MF9714-35

United States

Pennsylvania

629095

sativa

MF9714-36

United States

Pennsylvania

629096

sativa

MF9715-28

United States

Pennsylvania

629097

sativa

MF9809-19

United States

Pennsylvania

629113

sativa

AC MORGAN

Canada

Alberta

630926

sativa

ForagePlus

United States

Wisconsin

630940

sativa

MORAINE

United States

Wisconsin

633005

sativa

MORTON

United States

North Dakota

633006

sativa

HI-FI

United States

North Dakota

           

 

Evaluation of National Small Grains Collection Germplasm

Progress Report - Oats

 

C.A. Erickson and H.E. Bockelman

 

USDA-ARS National Small Grains Germplasm Research Facility

1691 S. 2700 W., Aberdeen, ID 83210

<nsgcce@ars-grin.gov>

 

Systematic evaluation of accessions in the USDA-ARS National Small Grains Collection (NSGC) is coordinated by National Small Grains Germplasm Research Facility (NSGGRF) staff at Aberdeen, Idaho.  Descriptors appropriate for each of the principal small grains crop species have been established in collaboration with the Crop Germplasm Committees.  Field evaluation data are recorded on such descriptors as growth habit, number of days from planting to anthesis (heading), plant height, panicle density, lodging, straw breakage, shattering, and awn characteristics.  Panicles are collected from each evaluation or nursery plot at maturity to facilitate detailed laboratory analysis for seed characters and for more precise determination of panicle descriptors than can be obtained under field conditions.  Cooperative oat evaluations continued for reaction to crown rust and smut as well as beta-glucan, protein, and oil content.     

 

Oat descriptors with data entered in the GRIN system are summarized below.  No evaluations have been conducted to date for descriptors such as awn type, panicles per row, groat percent, winterhardiness, Helminthosporium avenae, leaf Septoria, stem Septoria, powdery mildew, and  stem rust.

                                                           

NATIONAL SMALL GRAINS COLLECTION

EVALUATION DATA ON GRIN - OATS

 

 

 

No.

Descriptor

Location

Accessions

 

 

 

Awn Frequency

Aberdeen, ID; Mesa & Maricopa, AZ

8,563

Beta-Glucan

Madison, WI & Aberdeen, ID

5,382

Bundle Weight

Aberdeen, ID

4,064

BYDV

Davis, CA

108

BYDV

Urbana, IL

8,551

Cereal Leaf Beetle

Michigan, Indiana

7,684

Chromosome Number

Columbia, MO

4,410

Crown Rust (264A)

Ames, IA

10,391

Crown Rust (264B)

Ames, IA

10,397

Crown Rust (202)

Ames, IA

1,650

Crown Rust (Pc59)

Ames, IA

1,859

Crown Rust (Mult. A)

Ames, IA

2,082

Crown Rust (Mult. B)

Ames, IA

2,122

Crown Rust (Mult. C)

Ames, IA

4,237

Crown Rust (Mult. D)

Ames, IA

1,975

Crown Rust (Mult. E)

St. Paul, MN

3,174

Greenbug

Stillwater, OK

4,889

Growth Habit

Aberdeen, ID

10,856

Heading Date

Aberdeen, ID

8,380

Hull Cover

Aberdeen, ID

10,895

Kernels/Spike

Aberdeen, ID

4,615

Kernel Weight

Aberdeen, ID

8,651

Lemma Color

Aberdeen, ID

8,480

Oil/Lipids

Urbana, IL

4,448

Panicle Density

Aberdeen, ID

8,584

Panicle Length

Aberdeen, ID

4,617

Panicle Type

Aberdeen, ID

8,570

Plant Height

Aberdeen, ID; Mesa & Maricopa, AZ

8,280

Protein

Madison, WI & Aberdeen, ID

5,381

Red Oat Classification

Aberdeen, ID

1,115

Shattering

Aberdeen, ID; Mesa & Maricopa, AZ

4,194

Spikelets Per Panicle

Aberdeen, ID

6,444

Straw Breakage

Aberdeen, ID; Mesa & Maricopa, AZ

6,569

Straw Color

Aberdeen, ID; Mesa & Maricopa, AZ

6,719

Straw Lodging

Aberdeen, ID; Mesa & Maricopa, AZ

8,372

Smut

St. Paul, MN

8,604

Test Weight

Aberdeen, ID

6,504

Yield

Aberdeen, ID

6,527

 

 

MINNESOTA

 

  

 

Oat Production and Research

 

D.D. Stuthman1, H.W. Rines1,2, R. Dill-Macky3, M. Carson2,3, J. Miller-Garvin1,

R. Caspers1, and R. Halstead1,2

 

1 Dept. of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota

411 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN  55108;

2 U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service;

3 Department of Plant Pathology, University of Minnesota

e-mail: stuth001@umn.edu

 

 

Minnesota Acreage and Production in 2003

 

The oat acreage harvested for grain in Minnesota in 2003 was estimated to be 265,000 acres, down about 7% from 2002.  The estimated yield of 71 bushels/acre was up 15 bushels/acre from 2002 and only 1 bushel/acre below the record set in 2000.  Minnesota had record yields of wheat and barley in 2003.  The growing season was nearly perfect for all small grains until just before harvest.

 

Varieties

 

Richard and Sesqui continue to do well and are thus popular with producers.  Leonard is the best yielding cultivar in our tests, but its bushel weight and groat % are only average at best.  All of the recent Minnesota cultivars beginning with Richard have good disease resistance packages.

 

Breeding Efforts

 

Durable disease resistance for crown rest, BYDV and smut continue at the top of our trait priority list.  As our breeding material continues to be moderately resistant to those three diseases, our confidence with regard to durability grows.  We have demonstrated the effectiveness of recurrent selection to provide reduced infection levels of both crown rust and BYDV in our breeding materials.  The best of these materials is now regularly entered into the Quaker International Oat Nursery.  We would also be happy to respond to requests for germplasm.

 

Personnel

 

Marcelo Pacheco, a Ph.D. student from Porto Alegre, Brazil, is in the final stages of completing his Ph.D. studies and will return to Brazil early next year.

 

Martin Medina, a M.S. student from Uruguay is near finishing his thesis research that addresses the genetic variability and performance of the cross that has thus far produced Sesqui, Wabasha, and Leonard as well as a number of other high yielding lines.  He will use both traditional and molecular approaches in his analysis.

 

Mario Gaggero just arrived from Uruguay to begin his M.S. studies.  He will study the inheritance of BYDV tolerance in sister crosses of Wabasha, Sesqui and Leonard as well as backcrosses to each parent.

 

Jenni Taller has recently joined Howard Rines’ lab as a USDA-ARS biological technician.  She received her M.S. degree in May from the University of Minnesota where she did research evaluating different germplasm sources in corn in the lab of Rex Bernardo.

 

 

 

 Oat Rusts in the United States in 2002

 

D. L. Long, M. L. Carson, M. E. Hughes, G. E. Ochocki and L. A. Wanschura

Cereal Disease Laboratory, USDA-ARS, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108

 

davidl@umn.edu, mcarson@umn.edu, markh@umn.edu, jerryo@umn.edu and lucyw@umn.edu

 

Oat stem rust.  In early April in the southern Texas nursery at Uvalde, an overwintering site of oat stem rust was found on the cultivar Harrison.  Stem rust infections at 5% severity were found on the sheath of the oldest tiller in this plot.  In mid-April, stem rust was light in plots in Uvalde and College Station, Texas.  In late April, traces of oat stem rust were found in central Texas plots.  In early May, significant amounts of oat stem rust were observed in southern Texas plots at Uvalde.  TAM 397 and Horizon were severely rusted and in tests done in previous years stem rust was not observed on these two varieties.  In seed production fields of TAM 397 near Castorville, Texas, large stem rust pustules were found on oat plants throughout the field.  Many of the plants still were green because of regrowth after freeze damage in March.  These late developing tillers were the best places for the stem rust to develop.  Almost every year in Texas, oat stem rust has developed late in the season on later maturing plants.  By mid-May, oat stem was severe in oat plots and fields in central Texas.

 

During the third week of April, oat stem rust had increased in plots at Baton Rouge, LA, where moisture and temperature conditions were ideal for stem rust development.  By the first week of May, overwintering foci of oat stem rust were found in central Louisiana, northeastern Louisiana and west central Mississippi varietal plots.  Severities in the middle of the foci ranged from 20-60%, while a meter from the center severities were trace-1%.

 

In 2002, oat stem rust development in the southern U.S. was heavier than normal and these locations provided rust inoculum for susceptible oat growing farther north.

 

In late June, trace amounts of oat stem rust were found in fields in northwestern Iowa and south central South Dakota.

 

During the third week in July, trace to 20% severities of oat stem rust, were found in fields and plots at the late berry maturity growth stage throughout southern Minnesota.  By late July, trace to 40% severities, were reported in spring oat plots and in Foster County in central North Dakota.

 

Oat stem rust was more scattered than 2001 throughout the northern oat-growing area.  Inoculum arrived from locations further south with frequent rains.  The hot temperatures were good for rust development.  Most current oat cultivars are not resistant to stem rust.  Losses to oat stem rust occurred in many fields in the northern oat growing area (Table 1).

 

In early May, severe oat stem rust was found in plots in the central coast region of California.

Race NA-29 (avir/vir formula: 9,13,16,a/1,2,3,4,8,15) was the predominant race identified in 2002 (Table 2) comprising 53% of the total isolates.  NA–29 was first identified in 1998 from a nursery collection made in South Dakota.  In 2001, it comprised 56% of the total isolates.  NA-67 (16,a/1,2,3,4,8,9,13,15) and NA-27 (9,13,15,16,a/1,2,3,4,8) were the next most common races identified, comprising 24 and 21 percent of the total isolates, respectively.  Race NA-10 (1,4,8,9,13,16,a/2,3,15) from a collection in California was the only other race identified in the 2002.

 

Oat crown rust.  In early February, crown rust was found in fields in southern Texas.  By early April, oat crown rust was severe in plots in a central Texas nursery at Giddings.  In mid-April, crown rust was light in nurseries at College Station and McGregor, Texas, but severe on roadside oat (common and Avena fatua) throughout central Texas.  By late April, crown rust was severe in plots at Giddings where some lines approached 100 S.  In early May, trace amounts of crown rust were found in varietal plots in north central Texas.

 

In mid-March, crown rust was set back by the cold weather and was hard to find in southern Louisiana plots.  During the first week in May, 60% severities were observed in varietal plots in central Louisiana and east central Mississippi while traces were found in west central Alabama.  In fields in central Louisiana 20% severities were observed.

 

In mid- June, traces of crown rust were found in a field in southeastern Iowa.

 

By the last week in June, trace to 5% severities were observed on lower leaves of oat in south central Minnesota.  In fields in northwestern Iowa and southeastern South Dakota trace to 20% severities were found at the early berry stage.  By late June, oat crown rust had developed very slowly in the upper Midwest.

 

During the third week in July, trace to 60% oat crown rust severities were found in fields and plots at the late berry maturity growth stage throughout southern Minnesota.  Conditions were good for crown rust development throughout much of the oat growing area in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  However, since the initial rust inoculum from the south was less than normal and the rust developed slower than normal on the alternate host buckthorn in the northern areas crown rust infections were less than normal throughout the northern oat growing area.  In general, economic losses to oat crown rust were less than normal in the northern oat-growing area (Table 2).

 

In mid-May, light crown rust was found in a San Joaquin Valley, California field.

 

Buckthorn.  During late April, buds on buckthorn, the alternate host for oat crown rust, were just beginning to break in the buckthorn nursery at St. Paul, Minnesota.  This was much later than normal, due to the prolonged cool temperatures in April and May.  By the third week in May, aecia were found on the 10% of the leaves that had emerged from buckthorn, at the St. Paul, Minnesota nursery.  Despite the slow leafing out of the buckthorn due to the prolonged cool temperatures in April and May the appearance of aecia was near the average date observed.

 

In late May, crown rust aecial infections were moderate to severe at the St. Paul buckthorn nursery.  Uredinial infections were observed on oat in spreader rows in the nursery on June 3.  The good moisture and warm temperatures were ideal for infection.  The buckthorns at the University of Minnesota Experiment Station at Lamberton had more crown rust infections than observed in recent years.  Relatively light aecial infections were found on buckthorn bushes at Red Wing, MN and Grantsburg, WI in late May and early June, respectively.

 

Relatively few isolates of crown rust were obtained from oat in 2002; 44 were collected from Texas and Louisiana, 29 from Midwestern states (MN, IA, and ND), four from Alabama, and only two each from Florida and Georgia.  Frequencies of virulence to Pc38, and Pc64 increased in both Texas and the Midwest compared to mean values for 1991 through 2000, while frequencies of virulence to Pc51 declined in both areas (Table 3).  Virulence to Pc39, Pc48, Pc61, and Pc71 increased in the Midwest, but not in Texas.  Virulence to Pc39 and Pc71 are closely associated.  Virulence to Pc67 declined in the Midwest, but not in Texas.  Virulence to Pc50 has declined in Texas, but not in the Midwest.

 

Oat crown rust races were identified according to the nomenclature of Chong et al, 2000.  There were 29 races identified among the 44 Texas isolates and 21 races among the 29 Midwestern isolates from 2002.  From a total of 81 isolates from the U.S. in 2002, 42 races were represented by a single isolate.  Only two races were found occurring in more than a single region.  Race LQCG was found in Alabama as well as in Iowa and Minnesota.  Race LQBB was found in Texas, and in Iowa and Minnesota.  In 2002 the most common race groups in Texas and Louisiana were LL-- (17), LB-- (10), and LQ-- (7), and the most common race groups in the Midwest were LQ-- (10) and LS-- (2) (Table 4).

 

reference:

 

Chong, J., Leonard, K.J., and Salmeron, J.J.  2000.  A North American system of nomenclature for Puccinia coronata f.sp. avenae.  Plant Disease 84:580 585.

 

Table 1.  Estimated losses in oat due to rust in 2002

 

 

 

 

Losses due to:

 

 

 

 

Stem rust

Crown rust

State

1000 acres

harvest

Yield in

Bushels

per acre

Production

in 1000

of bushels

Percent

1000

bushels

 

Percent

1000

bushels

AL

NA1

NA

NA

0.0

0.0

 

0.0

0.0

AR

NA

NA

NA

T2

T

 

T

T

CA

27

80.0

2,160

T

T

 

T

T

CO

8

58.0

464

0.0

0.0

 

0.0

0.0

GA

25

60.0

1,500

0.0

0.0

 

T

T

ID

25

70.0

1,750

0.0

0.0

 

0.0

0.0

IL

50

69.0

3,450

0.0

0.0

 

T

T

IN

14

62.0

868

0.0

0.0

 

T

T

IA

175

76.0

13,300

T

T

 

T

T

KS

60

52.0

3,120

0.0

0.0

 

T

T

ME

29

90.0

2,610

0.0

0.0

 

0.0

0.0

MI

65

64.0

4,160

0.0

0.0

 

T

T

MN

285

56.0

15,960

1.0

162.9

 

1.0

162.9

MO

35

48.0

1,680

T

T

 

T

T

MT

55

49.0

2,695

0.0

0.0

 

0.0

0.0

NE

55

43.0

2,365

T

T

 

T

T

NY

55

66.0

3,630

0.0

0.0

 

1.0

36.6

NC

35

57.0

1,995

0.0

0.0

 

T

T

ND

290

44.0

12,760

2.0

263.1

 

1.0

131.5

OH

60

61.0

3,720

0.0

0.0

 

0.0

0.0

OK

30

37.0

1,110

0.0

0.0

 

T

T

OR

35

88.0

3,080

0.0

0.0

 

0.0

0.0

PA

115

61.0

7,015

0.0

0.0

 

0.0

0.0

SC

30

43.0

1,290

0.0

0.0

 

0.0

0.0

SD

100

45.0

4,500

T

T

 

T

T

TX

160

44.0

7,040

1.0

73.3

 

3.0

220.0

UT

5

90.0

450

0.0

0.0

 

0.0

0.0

WA

10

65.0

650

0.0

0.0

 

0.0

0.0

WI

250

60.0

15,000

T

T

 

T

T

WY

15

54.0

810

0.0

0.0

 

0.0

0.0

Total of above

2,098

56.8

119,132

 

499.3

 

 

551.0

U.S. % Loss

 

 

 

0.42

 

 

0.46

 

U.S. Total

2,098

56.8

119,132

 

 

 

 

 

1NA = Not Available, therefore not included in loss totals

2T = Trace










 

  

 NORTH DAKOTA

 

State Report

 

Michael S. McMullen and Douglas C. Doehlert

 

Department of Plant Sciences

North Dakota State University

Fargo, ND 58105-5051

E-mail michael.mcmullen@ndsu.nodak.edu

 

USDA-ARS, WQL

Harris Hall - NDSU

Fargo, ND 58105

E-mail Douglas.doehlert@ndsu.nodak.edu

                                                                                                 

Production

            The North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service estimated North Dakota oat production in 2002 was 12.76 million bushels from 290 thousand harvested acres for an average grain yield of 44 bu/acre. The 2002 oat grain yield was well below the previous 5-year average of 56 bu/acre.  Temperatures during May were unusually cold which limited plant development early in the season.   Dry soil conditions along with unusually high day and night temperature later in the season, particularly during grain filling, severely limited grain yield in many areas of North Dakota.  Because of the dry conditions in western North Dakota, a larger than normal proportion of the oat crop was harvested as forage to replace dwindling hay supplies resulting in lower acreage harvested for grain.

 

Diseases

            Crown rust developed relatively late in the season and did not have a large affect on grain yield or quality.  Crown rust infection on plots of  ‘AC Assiniboia’ with large susceptible pustules was observed  at the Casselton site in eastern ND.  This is the first incident of virulence on Pc-68 observed in ND. 

            Environmental conditions favored development of stem rust to the extent that crown rust was overwhelmed by stem rust.  Some late-planted fields in northern ND suffered considerable damage due to stem rust.  In breeding nurseries at Fargo, lines with Pg-13 were susceptible to pathotypes present in naturally occurring inoculum.  This suggests NA67 became the prevalent race by the end of the season.  Lines with pg-a and those with a putative source of resistance derived from Amagalon exhibited resistance to the prevalent pathotype while those with Pg-13 appeared fully susceptible.

 

Breeding and Research

            Two cultivars, HiFi and Morton, were released in 2001 and are described in another section of the Oat Newsletter.  ND960736  (ND900677/’Paul’), a naked line with improved grain yield potential, was increased for potential release in 2003.  Environmental problems prevented production of an adequate level of increase so ND960736 will be increased again in 2003 for potential release in 2004.  ND951394 (ND891126/ND914832) is being increased for potential release in 2005.  ND951394 appears to be well adapted to western ND and produces large, plump, white kernels with high test weight and high groat oil content.  It may be released to provide a cultivar for processors specializing in the horse feed market.

            Development of breeding lines with resistance to stem rust race NA67 has been emphasized in our breeding program.  We have used pg-a and a putative source of stem rust resistance from Amagalon to provide resistance to NA67 in much of our breeding material.  Angela Sebelius, a M.S. student is studying the inheritance of stem rust resistance from Amagalon-derived lines.  Her data suggest a single recessive gene plus a dominant gene are necessary to confer this resistance.  She is evaluating the relationship between pg-a and Amagalon stem rust resistance that was suggested by Australian workers.

 Paul and ‘Jud’ possess stem rust resistance conferred by pg-a.  Our records indicate the pedigree of Jud was ‘ Ogle’/’Riel’, but the crown rust and stem rust reaction of Jud is unlikely to have been derived from this pedigree. At the time we selected Jud (ND880107), it was one of the few genotypes that was resistant to crown rust pathotypes that were virulent on Pc38 and Pc39.  Since then, its crown rust resistance is no longer effective.  Originally ND880107 was heterogeneous for stem rust and crown rust resistance and the stem rust resistant individuals were susceptible to recent crown rust isolates.  ND880107 is quite similar to derivatives of ND821456 that is resistant to NA67 and possesses pg-a. The likely pedigree of Jud is the same as ND821456.  The pedigree of ND821456 is CI9221/'Otee'//RL3038/'Dal'/ 3/MN78142.  Our seedling tests suggest that Jud has pg-a but lacks Pg-13.  Since Jud has been used as a parent in other programs as a source of stem rust resistance, this clarification of the pedigree may be useful.

Work with breeding populations suggests a critical component of the pg-a complex is linked in repulsion with a gene conferring crown rust resistance in Morton.  The crown rust resistance of Morton appears to be related to low groat oil concentration.  The pg-a complex appears to be linked to a gene that confers the hulless phenotype.  Diego Vilaro is studying these relationships as part of his Ph.D. program.

Lines selected from HiFi were evaluated for variation in groat beta-glucan concentration in replicated trials.  Most of the 33 lines tested produced higher levels of beta-glucan (bg) than HiFi , and  considerable variation in bg content was observed among the reselections the BG concentration of two lines higher than 90 g kg-1. 

A collaborative study with Dr. D. Meyer to compare the forage quality of Dw-6 dwarf lines with conventional height cultivars suggested the dwarf lines produce lower lignin forage than conventional cultivars.

 

 

 

III.              NEW CULTIVARS

 

                         HiFi

 

 

Michael S. McMullen and Douglas C. Doehlert

 

Department of Plant Sciences

North Dakota State University

Fargo, ND 58105-5051

E-mail michael.mcmullen@ndsu.nodak.edu

 

USDA-ARS, WQL

Harris Hall - NDSU

Fargo, ND 58105

E-mail Douglas.doehlert@ndsu.nodak.edu

HiFi

 

            ‘HiFi’ was developed at the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station in cooperation with USDA-ARS and released by the Agricultural Experiment Station – North Dakota State University in 2001.  It was designated ND9508252 during development and testing.  HiFi was developed from a series of crosses with the pedigree Amagalon/M23//RL3038//’Otana’/3/’Froker’/RL3038//RL3038/’Hudson’/5/MN78142/4/W80-20/3/Hudson/’Lang’//’Dal’ with the final cross made in 1993.  The Amagalon line used in this cross was a selection from a synthetic hexaploid developed by P.G. Rothman. The Amagalon source in this pedigree was designated 801441 by Rothman.  Amagalon contributed Pc-91 that confers crown resistance in HiFi.  A portion of the HiFi plants possesses an uncharacterized source of stem rust race NA67 that was putatively derived from Amagalon.  RL3038 was provided by R.I.H. McKezie.   MN78142 is a high yielding experimental line developed at the University of Minnesota with the pedigree Otter’/3/’Garland’/PI267989//MN836/’Avon’. 

            HiFi has been evaluated for grain yield in North Dakota since 1995, and in the Uniform Midseason Oat Performance Nursery (UMOPN) in 2000 and 2001.  Based on 20 location/years in North Dakota and 23 location/years in the UMOPN, HiFi is high yielding and flowering averages 4 days later than ‘Jerry’.  In North Dakota, its average grain yield was 16% higher than Jerry and test weight was 1% less than Jerry.  HiFi has low hull content and high experimental milling yield.  In ND, HiFi was similar in height to Jerry, and exhibited similar lodging resistance.  HiFi possesses Pc-91 plus other unknown genes that together confer excellent resistance to prevalent crown rust pathotypes in ND. It posses Pg-13 that confers resistance to many sterm rust pathotypes and a portion of the plants possess resistance to stem rust NA67 that is likely conferred by factors contributed by Amagalon.  HiFi has moderate tolerance to barley yellow dwarf virus tolerance.  HiFi was released to provide a crown and stem rust resistant cultivar, with high grain yield potential and higher groat beta-glucan or soluble fiber concentration than other available cultivars. 

Culms and leaf margins of HiFi are glabrous and ligules are present.  It has equilateral panicles with ascending branches.  Spikelet separation occurs by fraction and floret separation by heterofracture.  Lemmas are glabrous and basal hairs are absent.  Kernels of HiFi are white, fluorescent, medium to large, and midplump.  Awns are absent, but weak awns develop under some environmental conditions. 

 

 

 

 

 

             Morton

 

Michael S. McMullen and Douglas C. Doehlert

 

Department of Plant Sciences

North Dakota State University

Fargo, ND 58105-5051

E-mail michael.mcmullen@ndsu.nodak.edu

 

USDA-ARS, WQL

Harris Hall - NDSU

Fargo, ND 58105

E-mail Douglas.doehlert@ndsu.nodak.edu

 

Morton

 

            ‘Morton’ spring was developed at the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station in cooperation with USDA-ARS and released by the Agricultural Experiment Station – North Dakota State University in 2001.  It was designated ND941119 during development and testing.  Morton was developed from a series of crosses with the pedigree RPB120-73/RL3038//’Noble’/3/’Otter’/’Diana’//RL3038/’Dal’/4/’Riel’/5/IA B-605X with the final cross made in 1991.   RL3038 contributed a stem rust resistance gene Pg-13 to Morton.  RPB120-73 is an experimental line of unknown pedigree provided by David Thompson of Rothwell Plant Breeding.

            Morton has been evaluated for grain yield in North Dakota since 1995, and in the Uniform Midseason Oat Performance Nursery (UMOPN) in 1998.  Based on 36 location years in North Dakota and 23 location/years in the UMOPN, Morton is high yielding and flowering averages 2.5 days later than ‘Jerry’.  In North Dakota, its average grain yield exceeded  ‘Newdak’ and test weight was 11% higher than Jerry.  Morton exceeded all other cultivars evaluated for test weight with the exception of ‘Hytest’.  Morton has low hull content and high experimental milling yield.  In ND, Morton was 10 cm taller than Jerry, but has superior lodging resistance.  It possesses genes for resistance to crown rust derived from IA B-605X, and possesses Pg-13 that confers resistance to stem rust.  The crown rust resistance genes in Morton are currently effective in conferring resistance to pathotypes prevalent in ND.  Morton has moderate tolerance to barley yellow dwarf virus.  Morton was released to provide a crown and stem rust resistant cultivar, with high grain yield potential and stable, high test weight, that is adapted to North Dakota and adjacent regions of South Dakota and Minnesota. 

            Culms and leaf margins of Morton are glabrous and ligules are present.  It has equilateral panicles with ascending branches.  Spikelet separation occurs by fraction and floret separation by heterofracture.  Lemmas are glabrous and basal hairs are absent.  Kernels of Morton are white, fluorescent, medium to large, and midplump.  Awns are absent, but weak awns develop under some environmental conditions.