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Growing Demonstrations of UK Cereal landraces, landrace selections and early cultivars from the BBSRC Small Grain Cereal Collections

Background

There has been increasing interest over recent years in the status and use of old varieties and landraces of cereals grown in the UK. Whether as part of studies aimed at comparing the genetic diversity of the current genepool to that prior to modern plant breeding, or the dissecting of lineages of specific allelic variation through to interests from thatching an millers interested in authenticated UK material. The increased emphasis on sustainable agriculture has also resulted in renewed interest in older forms of the crop, which were typically cultivated under the lower input farming systems of former decades. Concerns have also been expressed over the lack of available UK material for traditional practices such as wheat straw for thatching raises the question as to what material is actually available.

A recent study conducted as part of a UK National Inventory of Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture commissioned by the DEFRA, involved the estimation of the in situ occurrence of cereal landraces in the UK, the extent of their current cultivation, uses and geographic location. Of the wheat landraces described by Percival (1934) very few were found to be still in cultivation and those that remain are grown primarily for their straw. The work on this project concluded in the summer of 2004.

From discussions within the project it became clear that the material currently grown around the UK represents a very limited proportion of the material that is available from earlier decades. Material registered within ex-situ collections remains overlooked or unrecognised and is not widely known to groups who may be interested in exploring variation within older wheat and barley material from the UK. The BBSRC Small Grain Cereal collections have reviewed the available holdings that relates to UK landraces, selections from landraces and early cultivars (pre-1940s), collated with a view to grow them out for further characterisation and evaluation. This growing demonstration is available for outside groups and individuals who have an interest in such material and requests for seed from these plots will be encouraged for those who wish to evaluate material it for their own purposes. The exercise is a two-way interaction as it is anticipated that information on traits and attributes learnt from people who actually farmed it in the past would provide additional notes for the associated records. This series of demonstration plots has now entered it’s sixth year.

Plans for 2011

The number of Demonstration plots sown in mid-October 2010 was increased to 60 accessions (Table 1). This includes a number of newly acquired or verified ‘Heritage’ lines. Each 1m² plot was sown at low density and the plots will be grown free of growth regulators and with minimal fungicides and reduced nitrogen. Characterisation of the material will be undertaken throughout the growing season along with an assessment of lodging.

Table 1. Growing Demonstration of Heritage wheats 2010/2011.

	ACC	CULT	Species
1	1022	Percival's Blue Cone	T. turgidum
2	508	Rampton Rivet	T. turgidum
3	1080063	Mirable	T. turgidum
4	987	Red Lammas	T. aestivum
5	997	Teverson	T. aestivum
6	990	Talavera de Belle Vue	T. aestivum
7	10034	Kentish Red Straw	T. aestivum
8	10033	Old Kent Red	T. aestivum
9	10032	Kentish Red Straw	T. aestivum
10	10031	Old Devon Rough Chaff	T. aestivum
10	3	Glendowe	T. aestivum
11	1130	Brooker's Double Standup	T. aestivum
12	1122	Solid Straw Velvet	T. aestivum
13	498	Hen Gymro	T. aestivum
14	10030	Thunstall	T. aestivum
15	1168	Old Burrel	T. aestivum
16	1003	Old Welsh April Bearded	T. aestivum
17	1012	Bearded Red	T. aestivum
18	5623	Red Standard	T. aestivum
19	511	Squareheads Master 13/4	T. aestivum
20	1157	Square Heads	T. aestivum
21	1091	Red Stettin 13	T. aestivum
22	260	White Fife	T. aestivum
23	253	Red Fife	T. aestivum
24	976	Benefactor	T. aestivum
25	1002	Chidham 1	T. aestivum
26	1001	Browick Old True	T. aestivum
27	492	Browick	T. aestivum
28	501	Little Joss	T. aestivum
29	517	Yeoman	T. aestivum
30	1126	Yeoman B 9425	T. aestivum
30	1035	Oxford Prize	T. aestivum
31	999	Prince Albert	T. aestivum
31	1123	Hunter's 2	T. aestivum
32	1128	Egyptian Mummy	T. aestivum
32	986	Hickling de Mars	T. aestivum
33	1151	Balwin Early Red	T. aestivum
34	1200	Brown's Winter Wheat	T. aestivum
35	431	Red Marvel	T. aestivum
36	1079	Webb's Universal	T. aestivum
37	994	Burgoygn's Fife	T. aestivum
37	1063	Marster's premier	T. aestivum
38	1206	Redfast	T. aestivum
39	1060	Sussex Stormproof	T. aestivum
40	1107	Stacey's Red Chaff Red Wheat	T. aestivum
41	1056	Red Chaffed Yeoman	T. aestivum
42	514	Victor	T. aestivum
43	1117	White Standup	T. aestivum
44	1143	Gartons Sixty	T. aestivum
45	490	Alpha	T. aestivum
46	1262	Ritchie	T. aestivum
47	988	Rouge d'Ecosse	T. aestivum
48	10036	Rouge d-Ecosse	T. aestivum
49	493	Defiant	T. aestivum
49	989	Sherriffs Epi Carre	T. aestivum
50	1075	Starling II	T. aestivum
50	10037	Epi Carre Veloute	T. aestivum
51	497	Golden Drop	T. aestivum
52	10035	GoldenDrop	T. aestivum
53	1036	Swann	T. aestivum
54	1080	New Harvester	T. aestivum
55	505	Milns N 59	T. aestivum
56	419	Marsters A1	T. aestivum
57	385	Cappelle Desprez	T. aestivum
58	2214	Aquila	T. aestivum
59	499	Holdfast	T. aestivum
60	4114	Maris Widgeon	T. aestivum

As previously, the plots will be available for viewing by prior appointment either as individual or group visits. In addition, an open day will be organised where interested parties will have the opportunity to view the plots with a view to identifying any material of potential interest that they might care to grow and evaluate for themselves. This initiative will be publicised in the farming and local press. Anyone interested is encouraged to contact us to arrange viewing and inspection of the material with a view to requesting small quantities for their own evaluation following harvesting and processing.

Lodging resistance

Lodging of each line is assessed at the point when the nodes are still green but the stems are turning yellow (nominal harvest time for thatching). While the same lines are not grown each year, there is a sufficient overlap of lines each year to make looking at the scores across years meaningful. The results have highlighted a higher than anticipated level of reproducibility in scores (Table 2). Clearly some years are more discriminating than others. 2009 was particularly good at drawing out the differences in performance whereas 2010 was more benign so no severe lodging was recorded. The lines that demonstrate a resistance to lodging can clearly be seen at the head of the table (acc. W511, W517 and W5623). The poorest performers falling to the bottom of the table include W3, W990 and W994. Care should be exercised when evaluating these results in that some of the lines are more spring types but were sown in the autumn so this might not reflect their performance at different times of year. Secondly, these are small unreplicated plots that were supported on the outside to facilitate viewing and observation. Nevertheless, despite these caveats, there is clear evidence of line variation in lodging scores. This analysis will be updated at the end of the 2011 season to enable judgements to be made as to risks associated with some of the material with respect to lodging.

Table 2. Lodging scores for a range of heritage bread wheats at nominal ‘harvesting time’. Lines ranked in ascending order of scores in 2009, 2010 and 2008. Scores 1 – 9 where 1= upright and 9= severely lodged. Green= 1 - 2, orange=3 - 5, Red=6 - 9. Grey boxes indicate the line was not grown in that year.

ACC	CULT	Ht at maturity	L 06	L 07	L 08	L 09	L 10
5623	Red Standard	120		1	1	1	1
511	Squareheads Master 13/4	130	1	1	1	1	1
517	Yeoman	112		1	1	1	1
1200	Brown's Winter Wheat	120			2	1	1
385	Cappelle Desprez	83				1	1
499	Holdfast	104				1	1
4114	Maris Widgeon	94				1	1
419	Marsters A1	110		2	1	2	1
505	Milns N 59	118		1	1	2	1
1123	Hunter's 2	115				2	1
1151	Balwin Early Red	105				2	1
501	Little Joss	122		3	1	3	1
1128	Egyptian Mummy	112				3	1
492	Browick	128				4	1
497	Golden Drop	135				4	1
976	Benefactor	120		1		4	1
1001	Browick Old True	138	2	1	1	5	1
1080	New Harvester	118		1	1	6	1
1012	Bearded Red	130		1	1	6	1
498	Hen Gymro	130		2	2	6	1
253	Red Fife	120	1	1	3	6	1
1126	Yeoman B 9425	123				6	1
1157	Square Heads	125	1	1	1	7	1
1091	Red Stettin 13	127		1	1	7	1
987	Red Lammas	130		3	6	7	1
989	Sherriffs Epi Carre	118				7	2
986	Hickling de Mars	137				7	3
997	Teverson	130			4	8	1
1002	Chidham 1	120		3		8	2
1003	Old Welsh April Bearded	125	3		3	8	3
988	Rouge d'Ecosse	148				9	1
1035	Oxford Prize	128		3		9	1
999	Prince Albert	134				9	1
260	White Fife	137		3	3	9	5
990	Talavera de Belle Vue	123			6	9	6
994	Burgoygn's Fife	126			2	9	7
3	Glendowe	148		3		9	7

Another useful analysis that can be performed is to explore the relationship between canopy height (height to the top the peduncle) at maturity and lodging. A graph of the data for 2009 (Fig 1) which showed a wide range of lodging scores, shows clearly that canopy heights below 120cm were resistant to lodging (scores 1 and 20 whereas heights above this were prone to lodge. Heights of around 130cm had the most variable scores but the data across years presented in table 2 suggests that some lines with canopy heights in this range might exhibit a degree of resistance to lodging. The same health warning on this analysis as applies to the lodging scores.

Figure 1. Lodging scores versus canopy height at maturity for lines grown in 2009. Lodging scores 1 – 9 where 1= upright and 9= severely lodged

For further information relating to the collections please contact: Mike Ambrose John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park Colney Lane, Norwich, NR4 7UH.
TEL: +01603 450630 EMAIL:mike.ambrose@bbsrc.ac.uk

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