The laboratory specialises in cereals
and delivered 11,000 dihaploid lines, in the form of seeds, to
breeders in 1994. The techniques are well mastered at present,
and the laboratory offers its services to outside breeders. The
main advantages are reduction of time and increased ease of breeding.
Production of HYNO-PRECIA was scaled
up significantly in 1994. This hybrid variety was multiplied
with the use of our Chemical Hybridizing Agent (CHA), Croisor,
on 10 fields. This represents a total area of 12 hectares (female
part only). Good sterility was obtained with an average purity
level of 98.2 %. (The average gross F1 seed yield/hectare
was 5 tons).
In 1995, production of this hybrid
will surpass 100 hectares. Two other varieties that have entered
into second-year registration also will be multiplied. To reach
our development goals, we have reinforced our production team,
which now comprises four production technicians.
HYNO-PRECIA's registration, on October
19, 1994, has allowed us to sell 700 doses of 750,000 grains each.
Commercialization of hybrid seed for 1994 constituted our first
market test. It should help us define more precisely our market
position next fall.
All development work is carried out
in close relationship with agricultural cooperatives and private
seed companies, which contribute their know-how and industrial
equipment. Overall, 20 French companies are backing HYBRINOVA's
project.
HYBRINOVA has achieved, this year,
a new level in its development with the registration of hybrid
wheat varieties and the beginning of a marketing strategy. Hybrid
seed multiplication has begun and will increase in the following
years to assume its rightful place in the business.
HYBRITECH SEED INTERNATIONAL, INC.
5912 N. Meridian, Wichita, KS, 67204 USA.
REORGANIZATION: The entire company
has been reorganized to focus more clearly on our business objectives.
We have moved to a team-based environment, with three teams devoted
to specific market class objectives, i.e., Hard Winter, Soft Red
Winter, and White Winter, and one Resource and Support Team for
administration, business, and technical support functions. A
realignment of people and resources was done to reflect the relative
hybrid market potential of each of the market classes. Each market
class team has Technology (breeding and CHA research), Marketing,
and Production components.
New technology.
John Erickson -
Wichita, KS, USA.
A new emphasis was initiated to incorporate
new technology to assist in achieving greater efficiency in breeding,
hybridization systems, and hybrid seed production. Current activities
relate to incorporating molecular marker systems into the breeding
program, new hybridization systems, end-use quality traits, and
hybrid seed quality. The introduction of new traits from the
Monsanto biotechnology program is also a focus.
Hal Lewis and Steve Scherer -
Corvallis, OR, USA.
The white winter project to develop
hybrids for the Pacific Northwest is being expanded to meet anticipated
market potential. New facilities were acquired in western Oregon.
Hybrid yield testing was initiated
with several public cooperators. Soft white winter hybrids have
been entered in the USDA Regional Trial for the past 3 years and
performed the best over all locations each year, exhibiting broad
yield stability.
Gordon Cisar, Jack Berg, Jamie Bobula,
Chris Davis, Roger Leafgren, and Rollin Machtmes -
Lafayette, IN, USA.
We are continuing to develop several
hybrid wheat candidates for entry into the soft red winter wheat
marketplace. The goals for commercial release are to have a 10
bushel per acre advantage over an average of four competitive
check varieties and to have hybrid seed production yields of 40
bushels per acre for any candidate hybrid. Current data indicate
that each of these commercial candidates approaches or exceeds
these targets.
Hybrid testing of approximately 1,800 to 2,200 entries continues on an annual basis. We have made some attempts to monitor intra- and inter- gene pool heterosis and appear to be making some progress in driving the gene
frequencies in these pools apart. These pools are designated as the X, Y, and Z gene pools. Inter- and intra-pool heterosis for the earliest and latest 5-year periods are given below:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Intra-pool Heterosis Inter-pool Heterosis
-XX- -YY- -ZZ- -XY- -XZ- -YZ-
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Average best-
parent heterosis 102.6 107.6 104.8 103.0 105.1 102.4
(First 5 years)
Average best-
parent heterosis 104.2 105.8 105.0 105.6 106.5 105.0
(Last 5 years)
Net change + 1.6 - 1.8 + 0.2 + 2.6 + 1.4 + 2.6
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Seed production of experimental hybrids
in our crossing block nursery continues to average approximately
half the yield of our elite line trial planted on the same farm.
The standard deviation for the seed yield distribution has a
long-term average of approximately 9 bushels per acre.
Long-term seed yield average: 29.0 bushels per acre
Long-term average, elite line trial:
58.8 bushels per acre
Dennis Delaney - Lafayette, IN, USA.
We have over 100 on-farm hybrid comparisons
planted throughout Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio for harvest in
1995 of two hybrids proposed for release -
Quantum 707 and Quantum 708. This will give us an opportunity
to see our hybrids on a larger field scale and to collect and
receive grower input.
Quantum 707 and Quantum 708 are both
awnletted, soft red winter wheat hybrids, developed from HSI pure-line
parents, and tested for 4 years in replicated yield trials at
multiple locations throughout the Corn Belt. Both have excellent
standability and winterhardiness, resistance to stem rust (Puccinia
graminis), soilborne mosaic virus, and good tolerance to
leaf rust (Puccinia recondita), common in the SRWW
region. They express good tolerance to leaf blights and moderate
tolerance to powdery mildew (Erysiphe graminis).
Quantum 707 is approximately 2 days earlier in maturity than
Cardinal, whereas Quantum 708 heads 1 day earlier.
These hybrids have demonstrated good
soft wheat milling and baking quality, being equal to or better
than most soft red winter wheat cultivars currently grown.
Another benefit of the hybrids has
been good yield stability across locations over several years
in the Corn Belt.
The following is a 4-year multilocation yield summary:
___________________________________________________________
Northern Southern Test
Entry corn belt corn belt weight
___________________________________________________________
QUANTUM 707 95.8 78.2 AVE
QUANTUM 708 98.8 81.0 GOOD
CARDINAL 82.7 69.8 AVE
PIONEER 2548 83.7 70.6 AVE
___________________________________________________________
We are also conducting further agronomic
and management studies including: seeding rate, seed treatment,
tillage, planting date, and fertility trials. These are being
done at our research locations and in cooperation with several
regional universities and our marketing/distribution partners.
To market our products, we are in the
process of setting up partnerships with several organizations.
This will allow HybriTech Seed to utilize existing strengths
-
our own research and technical program, plus those strengths already
in our target markets, that is, sales and distribution networks.
Our partners are:
Illinois - GROWMARK
Indiana - Beck's Hybrids
Ohio - AGRA: The Andersons, and Wellman Seeds
-
Vigoro
We are fortunate to have the opportunity
to work with these established organizations, and look forward
to a promising future.
Steve Kuhr, Jerry Wilson, Randy Rich,
Gary Greer, and Tony Ruder -
Wichita, KS, USA; and Dudley Leaphart -
Billings, MT, USA.
In general, 1994 was a good year for
testing; we lost only three sites to adverse weather conditions.
Because of frequent showers, we were late planting the nursery
at Hereford, TX. Because the soil was sticky, the furrows were
insufficiently covered and emergence was poor. Two sites in Montana
were lost to blowing soil.
HybriTech entries in the SRPN performed
well, with hybrids H1706 and H1693 looking especially strong across
a wide area. However, because both are susceptible to leaf rust,
their potential commercial areas would be somewhat smaller.
A number of experimental hybrids in
our preliminary, intermediate, and advanced trials looked quite
promising. The actual number of hybrids making it into our advanced
trials has been decreasing over the last 4 years, because we have
been tightening up the selection criteria.
Walter Bates -
Mount Hope, KS, USA.
This year we have four hybrids proposed
for release in the grower introduction phase of our testing program.
Quantum 566, 579, 558, and 547. On-farm trials for Quantum 566
are being conducted in northwest Kansas, northeast Colorado, South
Dakota, and Nebraska. Quantum 579 on-farm trials are being conducted
in south-central and southwest Kansas, southeast Colorado, Oklahoma,
and Texas. Quantum 558 on-farm trials are being conducted in
New Mexico (high elevation), and Quantum 547 on-farm trials are
being conducted in Montana. The size of the on-farm trials ranges
from 1 to 20 acres.
Two experimental hybrids (XH 1706 and
XH 1520) are being confirmed and positioned throughout the Hard
Red Winter Wheat region. This fall, eight experimental hybrids
will be advanced to our confirming and positioning program.
Agronomic and management studies include:
seeding rate, seed treatment, planting date, and fertility trials.
These trials are being conducted at HybriTech research locations
and in cooperation with universities, Collingwood Grain, and our
partners.
Dennis Dunphy and Brett Sowers - Lafayette, IN, USA;
Kent Baker and Kevin Jackson - Perryton, TX, USA;
Richard Evans - Corvallis, OR, USA; and
Sally Metz -
St. Louis, MO, USA.
Monsanto received an Experimental Use
Permit for the GENESIS hybridizing agent for the 1994 season.
GENESIS was used on commercial-scale production fields in both
the hard red winter and soft red winter production regions to
produce seed of several precommercial hybrids. Seed production
in both regions was very successful, with excellent yields of
high quality seed being produced. Seed that was produced in 1994
has been distributed to growers for field evaluation.
HybriTech expects to treat additional
acreage with GENESIS during the 1995 season, and we anticipate
that full, unrestricted use of GENESIS will be approved in 1996.
We will be working during the next 2 years to establish both
production and marketing capability for QUANTUM hybrids.