Annual Progress Report on Malting Barley Research March, 2002

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Huntley-dryland) with two replications per location. The top 75 percent of these lines
ware sent to the CCRU Malt Quality Lab in Madison, WI. From the PYT results, 60
lines are selected and advanced to an Early Yield Trial (EYT). The EYT is conducted at
four locations (Moccasin, Bozeman, Havre, and Sidney) with three replications per
location. Based on agronomic performance and malting quality, around 25 lines from
the EYT are advanced to our intrastate trials. The intrastate trials are conducted at 11
locations (six dryland and five irrigated) with three replications per location. Grain from
the Bozeman location of the intrastate yield trial is also analyzed by the CCRU Malt
Quality Lab. Agronomic performance is combined with this information to determine if
a line merits further evaluation for potential release.
Results
Malting Quality: The use of Baronesse in our breeding program since the early 1990’s
has greatly improved the agronomic performance of our lines. Two Klages x Baronesse
derivatives, MT970110 and MT970116, and a Manley x Baronesse derivative,
MT960101, were entered into the 2001 crop AMBA Pilot Scale Malting Evaluation
Program. MT960101 passed its first year of pilot scale tests in 2000. MT960101 and
MT970116 have exhibited higher malting quality than Harrington produced under
irrigation in the 2001 growing season (Table 1).
While only MT970116 surpassed the malt quality score of the Harrington Malt Standard,
we have several experimental lines in development with comparable quality to the
recommended malting varieties when grown in the same environment (Table 1). We are
now employing recurrent selection practices for further improvement of these lines. This
approach will allow us to accumulate the favorable traits and continually enhance our
germplasm base through recombination and selection.
Agronomic Performance: Based on multiyear averages, Baronesse has greater yield than
any of the experimental lines with high malting quality scores in the 2001 trial (Table 2).
MT960099 had the greatest yield, averaging 0.6 bu/A less than Baronesse, but had a
malting quality score of 31. Other lines of great interest include MT981091 yielding 2.8
bu/A less than Baronesse averaged over all locations and 2.5 bu/A less on irrigated plots
(Tables 2 and 3). This line had a quality score of 38 and appears to have a good
complement of agronomic and malting qualities. Based on the multiyear data,
MT970116 yields 5.8 bu/A less than Baronesse averaged over all locations and 6.2 bu/A
less for irrigated locations. MT970116 had the highest quality score of our experimental
lines.
In addition to our intrastate evaluation, three experimental lines were entered in the 2001
Western Regional Spring Barley Trials. Averaged over nine high moisture or irrigated
locations in 2001, Baronesse yielded 108.5 bu/A while MT960099, MT960228, and
MT970116 yielded 114.5, 110.0, and 110.6 bu/A, respectively. Under four dryland
locations, MT960099, MT960228, and MT970116 yielded 102.5, 108.9, and 102.6 bu/A,
respectively, relative to Steptoe at 94.9 bu/A and Hector at 96.7 bu/A.
Based our intrastate yield trials, Western Regional trials, and the malting quality
information, we anticipate MT970116 to be an outstanding line for both malting quality
and agronomic performance in our region. Crosses between our most promising lines