ITEMS FROM YUGOSLAVIA

INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 'SERBIA'

Center for Small Grains, Save Kovacevica 31, Kragujevac 34000, Yugoslavia.

The properties of Maticaa new Yugoslav winter wheat cultivar.

M. Pavlovic, M. Kuburovic, D. Knezevic, M. Milovanovic, and V. Zecevic.

The winter wheat cultivar Matica was created by crossing cultivars `KG. V/3 / Nova Posavka' in 1984 at the Center for Small Grains Kragujevac. By gene recombination, a new wheat cultivar was obtained with high yield, good technological quality, a short stem, and ability to grow on different soils. Matica is a medium-early cultivar, resistant to low temperature and lodging. This cultivar was selected by the pedigree method and included in microtrials of the Federal Approval Commission.

Introduction. Increasing the yield and quality of wheat cultivars is a permanent task of the breeding process. Breeders also need to develop new wheat cultivars that are adaptable to different environmental conditions and have high grain yield and good bread-making quality. The combination of desirable yield and quality components is very difficult to realize in wheat breeding. An important base for successful breeding and developing new cultivars is the choice of potential parents to use for hybridization. This base also improves the genetic variability within the species.

At Kragujevac's breeding center, we aim to develop new cultivars with high grain-yield potential and the best technological quality components (Popovic 1989). Breeders also have succeeded in developing wheat cultivars resistant to lodging, low temperatures, and resistance to diseases and pests. Wheat production is the result of numerous factors, including genetics, environment, and their interaction. Breeders at the Center for Small Grains developed an intensive breeding program resulting in new wheat cultivars that are more adaptable and have more stable genotypes, higher grain yield potentials, and better technological quality.

Material and methods. The winter wheat Matica was created by crossing cultivars `KG V/3 / Nova Posavka' in 1984 at the Center for Small Grains Kragujevac. The source of the gene controlling resistance to low temperature (Vrn) is Bezostaya 1, which is the ancestor and a parent of both parental cultivars. The source of different genes controlling parameters of technological quality of grain, flour, and bread were parent cultivars KG. V/3, Nova Posavka, and Bezostaya 1. The parental cross was made in 1984. Hybrid material was grown by the pedigree method and used for plant selection. Phenotypically similar lines were selected in the F4. The selected lines were tested during 34 years of microtrials in experimental fields at Kragujevac. The best lines were tested in microtrials at different locations. Under the name KG-2336, Matica was included in a microtrial of the Federal Commission for plant cultivar approval in 1993. Matica was tested in microtrials during 1994-97 in five different locations and compared to check cultivars Jugoslavija and Partizanka. The cultivar Matica has white, smooth ears and red grain color. According to botanical classification, Matica belongs to T. aestivum ssp. vulgare var. lutescens. Matica is a medium-early cultivar with a strong stem, high lodging resistance, and tolerance to low temperature (Table 1). The resistance to low temperature was tested in controlled conditions by successively decreasing temperature to 15·C during a 24 h period. Analyses of the technological quality components of grain, flour, and bread by standard laboratory methods were made at the Technological Faculty in Novi Sad. The data obtained during the approval period at the Federal Commission for plant cultivar approvement were used in this paper.

Results and discussion. Grain yield is a very complex trait and dependent on many genetic and environmental factors. The yield components of wheat and other cereals cultivated for grain are number of spikes/unit area, number of grains/spike, and grain mass/spike. These three components are closely associated, i.e., an increase in one causes corresponding decreases in the others. Maximum yield is obtained when an optimum balance is achieved amongthem. Grain number and grain mass/spike are significantly affected by environmental factors. Thus, breeding for increased yield is a difficult and complex task (Borojevic 1981).

Spike productivity is directly associated with the number and mass of grains/spike. Number of grains/spike depends on the number of spikelets/spike, number of florets/spikelet and the success of pollination and seed set in florets (Kraljevic-Balalic 1978). Grain mass/spike also depends on leaf area duration and grain-filling period. These characters and their variability are fairly dependent on environmental factors and the sensitivity of morphogenesis of generative organs during the process of ontogenesis. These relationships not only make breeding for improvement of these traits difficult but also the expression of cultivar yield potential in production conditions. Traits that are associated with grain yield are resistance to pest and diseases, low temperature, lodging, and shattering and the ability to adapt in unfavorable environmental conditions (Milohnic, 1972). Wheat cultivars must be tested during several years and in different localities. The grain yield of Matica varied from 4.02 t/ha (Zajecar 1996) to 9.20 t/ha ( Zajecar 1995). Variation also occurred in the grain yield of the check cultivars. Matica has a significantly higher grain yield than check cultivars when averaged for all years and localities. The production potential of grain yield is 10 t/ha. The maximal grain yield of Matica (9.20 t/ha) was higher than that of both the checks (Table 1).

Technological traits. The 1,000-kernel weight of Matica was 41.2, which is 4.5 g higher than that of Jugoslavija and 8.5 g higher than that of Partizanka. Hectoliter mass of grain is an indicator of grain quality. A high hectoliter mass is characteristic of a high grain-quality cultivar and could be a reliable indicator of the biological plasticity of a cultivar and better resistance to high temperature during grain filling The hectoliter mass of Matica was similar to that of the checks. Crude protein content of Matica also was similar to that of the checks. Sedimentation volume was lower than that of both Jugoslavija and Partizanka. However, protein content can vary depending on the year and location and cause changes in the quality group. Sedimentation volume is correlated with gluten content and quality (Knezevic et al. 1994).

Water absorption in Matica was the same as in the check cultivars (about 60.0 %). The quality coefficient was lower in Matica than in both checks. Parameter values during the testing period in microtrials of the Federal Commission indicated that Matica belongs to C1 quality group.

Extensogram energy indicates quality of gluten and dough. A high value indicates better gluten quality and higher resistance of dough extensibility. In Matica, values for extensogram energy and the ratio of dough resistance extensibility were significantly lower than those of Jugoslavija and Partizanka. Important parameters are baking quality, loaf volume, and crumb value (Kovacev-Djolai et al. 1987). These quality parameters in Matica were similar or lower than those of the check cultivars. Matica had a higher flour yield and yield of bread/hectare than Partizanka, but slightly lower yields than Jugoslavija (Table 2).

Conclusion. The cultivar Matica was developed by crossing genetically divergent and highly productive wheat cultivars `KG. V/3 / Nova Posavka'. The winter wheat cultivar was approved by Federal Commission for Variety Approval in 1998. As a line KG.2336, Matica was tested in microtrials (5 x 5 m2) by the Federal Commission in different location between 1994 and 1997. The breeders are Drs. Miroslav Kuburovic, Milanko Pavlovic, Borislav Vulic, and Milivoje Milovanovic.

The spike is white, smooth, and awnless, with 2,123 spikelets. The grain is vitreous and red. Matica is medium-early, with very good resistance to lodging and low temperature and good resistances to leaf rust, stem rust, powdery mildew, and the leaf beetle. Shattering resistance is very good. The 1,000-grain weight is 41.2 g, and the hectoliter mass of grain is 80.1 kg. Matica belongs to C1 quality group and the 2nd technological group. Milling and baking quality is very good.

Matica is a high-yielding cultivar with a genetic potential of 10 t/ha. The average grain yield for all years and localities was 6.92 t/ha, significantly higher than that of the check cultivars. Matica's maximum grain yield of 9.20 t/ha was higher than maximum grain yields of both checks. Matica is adaptable to different environmental conditions.

References.

Borojevic S. 1981. Principles and Methods of Plant Breeding. Novi Sad.

Borojevic S and Potocanac J. 1966. Development of Yugoslav program on creation of high yielding wheat cultivars. In: Proc 5th Yugoslav Symp Sci Res Work Wheat, Novi Sad. Contemp Agric 11-12:7-35.

Knezevic D, Femic V, and Micanovic D. 1994. Relationship between endosperm proteins in wheat and quality parameters. Contemp Agric 42(3):161-164. Novi Sad (in Serbian).

Kovacev-Djolai M and Radoicki N. 1987. Quality of grain, flour and loaf in Somborka, Duga, Staparka and Apatinka wheat cultivars from Novi Sad. In: Wheat 6 Million tons. Novi Sad. Pp. 43-51.
Kraljevic-Balalic M. 1978. Inheritance of stem height and some components of yield in wheat ssp. Vulgare. Genetics, Belgrade. 10(1):31-42.

Milohnic J. 1972. Plant breeding. Zagreb (in Serbian).

Popovic A. 1989. 90-year activity on selection of cereals in Topcider and Institute for Small Grains in Kragujevac. In: Improvement of wheat production and other Small Grains. Kragujevac. Pp. 13-34 (in Serbian).