Developing Improved High Yielding

Winter Barley Cultivars for Maryland

University of Maryland, Dr. Vijay Tiwari

The overall objective of this proposal is to develop high-yielding winter barley varieties adapted to the Mid-Atlantic environment with increased resistance against Fusarium Head Blight (FHB). Plant breeding for a targeted trait is the most sustainable option and is needed to meet the challenges of changing and new pathogens and to increase the yield potential of winter barley. This research will deliver high-yielding winter barley cultivars under PVP. 

This year 50 new barley crosses were initiated. Out of the new crosses initiated in 2021, a total of 8 populations (top crosses) were advanced under speed breeding set up and the rest of the populations were cycled under traditional breeding cycle. A total of 20 new populations generated in 2019-2020 by combining FHB resistance, early flowering, higher biomass, and yield components, were advanced and planted in the head-rows in growing season 2020-2021. Selected advanced generations of these lines are already planted in the 2021-2022 cycle. Advanced generation head rows from these lines are grown in the field to select the better performing lines for developing improved cultivars. A total of 4 new improved Maryland barley lines are being tested under Maryland statewide trials for their critical evaluation for yield as well as other agronomic performances.

The Maryland Grain Producers are happy to fund this barley research with $15,000 for 2022!

Developing Improved High Yielding

Soft Red Winter Wheat Cultivars

University of Maryland, Dr. Vijay Tiwari

This year, the University of Maryland accomplished critical evaluations of advanced UMD germplasm for its suitability to release as Maryland cultivars and initiated a pipeline to develop new germplasm. A total of 32 advanced Maryland lines are being tested in the Maryland state trials. A total of 20 Maryland advanced breeding lines are being tested in the regional Mason Dixon trial (multi-location trials conducted in Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina). Seed increases are planted for 5 top-performing high-yielding, FHB tolerant Maryland lines, and based on this year’s data selection will be done to release superior Maryland cultivars. The UMD team developed useful germplasm by making new crosses and head rows of the germplasm that are currently being analyzed. Selected head rows derived from these populations will be harvested and the resulting lines will subsequently be evaluated in the yield trials at Wye, Clarksville, and Beltsville, Maryland.

Collaborating with regional breeding programs, 24 double haploid lines were selected that harbored multiple genes/QTL against FHB with enhanced resistance against leaf and stripe rust diseases and higher yield content. Seeds of these lines will be increased and used for evaluations for yield, disease resistance, and quality traits under state and regional trials. The best performing lines will be released as Maryland cultivars.

The Maryland Grain Producers have funded this research with $25,000 for 2022!

Making Data Available

The Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board has funded a new platform – Medius.Re – to allow producers to maximize their checkoff dollars by having the ability to analyze variety trial data for corn, wheat, and barley across time and space with their own customized criteria.

The mission of Medius Ag is to make agricultural data usable, and therefore valuable, to producers. Now, farmers can access this online platform to access years of Maryland research! For example, a producer can select a number of qualities that are a priority for their farm and find varieties that best fit with yield, weather, and location data.

To better understand how to utilize Medius.Re, check out these two support videos on maryland.medius.re/support. If you need technical assistance, you are welcome to email their team at support@mediusag.com or by calling 717-397-8635.

For more information and to directly access the online platform you can visit our website at marylandgrain.com/medius-re/.