Merit 57

Barley

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'Merit' and 'Harrington'

Summary: 'Merit 57' has denser pubescence on the blade of the flag leaf than 'Merit'. The anthocyanin colouration of the flag leaf auricles of 'Merit 57' is weaker than 'Merit'. The spike emergence of 'Merit 57' is earlier than 'Merit'. 'Merit 57' has a different collar shape than 'Merit' and 'Harrington'. The tips of the lemma awns of 'Merit 57' have weaker anthocyanin colouration than 'Harrington'. 'Merit 57' has a laxer spike than 'Merit'. The spike of 'Merit 57' is shorter than 'Merit' and 'Harrington'. 'Merit 57' has a stronger curvature of the first segment of the rachis than 'Merit'. 'Merit 57' has a stronger spiculation of the inner lateral nerves of the dorsal side of the lemma of the kernel than 'Merit' and 'Harrington'. The basal marking on the kernel of 'Merit 57' is horseshoe shaped while it is transverse creased in 'Harrington'. 'Merit 57' has a longer kernel than 'Harrington'. 'Merot 57' has better scald resistance than 'Merit'.

Description:

PLANT: two row, spring malt barley, erect juvenile growth habit, green coleoptile, absent or very weak pubescence on sheaths of lower leaves, intermediate growth habit

FLAG LEAF: sparse to medium pubescence on the blade, sparse pubescence on the sheath, no anthocyanin colouration of the auricles, very sparse to sparse pubescence on the auricle margins

SPIKE: mid-season emergence, saucer shaped collar, weak anthocyanin colouration of the tips of the lemma awns, semi-erect attitude, strong glaucosity, parallel shape, medium density, divergent attitude of the sterile spikelet, medium to long length of first segment of rachis at ripening, weak to medium curvature of first segment of rachis at ripening, the length of the glume and awn relative to grain of the median spikelet is equal, lemma awns are longer relative to spike, lemma awns are rough

KERNEL: whitish aleurone layer, husk present, long rachilla hair, weak to medium spiculation of inner lateral nerves of dorsal side of lemma, absent or very sparse hairiness of the ventral furrow, clasping disposition of lodicules, horseshoe shaped basal markings, medium to long length, medium width, good malting quality

AGRONOMY: poor to fair resistance to lodging, good resistance to shattering, fair to good tolerance to straw breaking, neck breaking and drought

Origin & Breeding History: 'Merit 57' is derived from a backcross made in 1996 in Fort Collins, Colorado. The female parent was 'Merit' and the male parent was 'Merit' / 2B94-5744, where 2B94-5744 is an experimental line from the BARI breeding program with the pedigree B1215 // B1215 / Seebe (TR621). Seebe is a line from the Alberta Agriculture Program in Lacombe, Alberta that has scald resistance. The recurrent female parent 'Merit' is a BARI cultivar which has a pedigree of Manley / 2B80-350. The BC1F1 generation was grown in the winter of 1996/97 in a greenhouse as a population of 200 seeds. The BC1F2 generation was grown in Irricana, Alberta in 1997. The F3 generation was grown in a greenhouse in Fort Collins, Colorado by single seed descent (98 seed) during the fall/winter of 1997/98. In the spring of 1998, 88 F4 rows were grown in Brooks, Alberta of which 22 rows were selected on visual appearance and NIR whole grain scores for protein, predicted extract etc. The line was initially derived as a single F5 observation row in a counter-season increase in Christchurch, New Zealand during the winter of 1998/99. This row was assigned the mother-line designation 2B99-2657 and first entered into yield trials in 1999 as an F5:6 and subsequently tested at multiple locations in the USA and Canada from 1999-2005. Selection criteria included yield, height, maturity, kernel size, foliar disease scores and malting qualities.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials were conducted during the summers of 2006 and 2007 in Neapolis, Alberta. Plots consisted of 5 rows per variety, with a row spacing of 23 centimeters and a row length of 5 meters. There were 3 replicates arranged in an RCB design.

Comparison table for 'Merit 57' with reference varieties 'Merit' and 'Harrington'

Spike length (cm)

Click on image for larger view

Barley: 'Merit 57' (left) with reference varieties 'Harrington' (centre) and 'Merit' (right)