Assessment of hard red winter wheat F₂ and F₃ hybrids for the Nebraska panhandle^*

Abstract

Although hybrid wheat [Triticum aestivum (L.)] has shown yield superiority over pure-line cultivars across the Nebraska Panhandle, concerns about additional costs to attain that superiority remain. The use of ‘farmer-saved’ seed from hybrid generation seed has been suggested to reduce production costs. F₁ and derived F₂ and F₃ hybrid generations along with 11 pure-line cultivars of hard red winter wheat were grown in the Nebraska Panhandle in 1991–1993 to evaluate the performance of F₂ and F₃ hybrids in the region. Grain yield of F₁ hybrids was 10% higher than yield of the cultivars, but yield of F₂ and F₃ hybrids were 12% and 6% lower than the yield of the cultivars, respectively, and yield differences between F₁ and F₂ and between F₁ and F₃ were equivalent, respectively, to 22% and 6% of the cultivar-group mean. Segregation for male sterility in the F₂ generation might be responsible for the greater decline in yield in F₂. Test weight of F₂ and F₃ hybrids were 2% and 1% lower than the observed value for the cultivars, respectively. Compared to pure lines, protein concentration was 2% and 1% higher in the F₂ and F₃ hybrids, respectively, and differences between F₁ and F₂ and between F₁ and F₃ were in both cases equivalent to more than 6% of the cultivar-group mean. The results indicate that production of advanced generation hybrid wheat in the Nebraska Panhandle should not be recommended.

^*University of Nebraska Agric. Res. Div. J. Series No. 12977.

Acknowledgments

Authors express their gratitude to Dr. Kent Eskridge for his assistance in the statistical analyses of the results.

Notes

^*University of Nebraska Agric. Res. Div. J. Series No. 12977.