Registration of ‘Alliance’ Wheat

'Alliance' (Reg. no. CV-799, P1 573096) is a hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) developed cooperatively by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDAARS. It was jointly released to seed producers in 1993 by the developing institutions and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. The name was chosen to honor the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Nebraska Wheat Development, Utilization, and Marketing Board; the 40th anniversary of the founding of Nebraska Wheat Growers' Association; the support of Nebraska Crop Improvement Association and the Nebraska Foundation Seed Division; and the interdisciplinary and interstate cooperative research efforts needed to develop this cultivar. Alliance was selected from the cross 'ArkanV 'ColtV/'Chisholm' sib (made in 1982 by Dr. J.W. Schmidt). Alliance is an F3-derived line that was selected in the F4, given an experimental line number in 1988, and tested as NE88595. Alliance was released primarily because of its high yield potential and resistance to diseases and insects in its area of adaptation. Alliance is an awned, white-glumed cultivar. The foliage is green, with a waxy bloom at anthesis. The spike is middense and tapering. The glume is short to midlong and narrow to midwide. The glume shoulder is narrow and oblique to square. The beak is very short to short. Kernels are red colored, hard textured, and ovate. The kernel has no collar, rounded cheeks, midsize germ, large brush of medium length, and a narrow and shallow crease. Alliance was tested in Nebraska yield nurseries starting in 1989, in the Southern Regional Performance Nursery starting in 1991, and in the Northern Regional Performance Nursery in 1993. In 4 yr of testing (18 location-years) in the Nebraska Intrastate Nursery, Alliance (3070 kg ha") was 5, 7, 8, and 17% higher yielding than 'Redland', 'Vista', 'Arapahoe', and TAM 107', respectively. In 2 yr of testing (1992 and 1993) in the Nebraska Fall Sown Cereal Variety Trials (22 locationyears), Alliance (3720 kg ha~') was 8% higher yielding than Arapahoe and TAM 107, and 4% higher yielding than Redland and Vista. In 2 yr of testing in the Southern Regional Performance Nursery (53 location-years), Alliance (3510 kg ha") was 4% lower yielding than TAM 107. However, in the northern High Plains region (southwestern and western Nebraska, northwestern Kansas, and northeastern Colorado; 8 location-years), Alliance (3290 kg ha") was 8% higher yielding than TAM 107. The recommended growing area for Alliance is western Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota. Alliance is a semidwarf cultivar that is 4 cm taller than TAM 107 and 12 cm shorter than 'Scout 66', a conventional height wheat. It is similar in plant height to Arapahoe and Redland, but taller than Vista, and has moderate straw strength. The straw strength of Alliance is less than Redland, Siouxland, TAM 107, 'Abilene', and Thunderbird'. Alliance has a short coleoptile (66 mm) compared with TAM 107 (80 mm) and Scout 66 (105 mm). Given the short coleoptile, care must be taken to avoid planting Alliance too deep in dry soils, to prevent seedling emergence difficulties. The winterhardiness of Alliance is adequate for Nebraska growing conditions, superior to 'Vona', TAM 200', and 'Rawhide', and similar to Scout 66. Alliance is a medium-early cultivar, 1.5 d later than TAM 107 and 1.5 d earlier than Arapahoe and Redland. Alliance has exhibited moderate resistance to stem rust (caused by Puccinia graminis Pers.: Pers.) and carries the Jr77gene (which is no longer effective) and other, unidentified genes. In field tests by the USDA Cereal Rust Laboratory, St. Paul, MN, the adult plant reaction of Alliance to stem rust is lower infection than TAM 107, which is adequate for Nebraska conditions. Alliance has a heterogeneous reaction to the Great Plains biotype of Hessian fly [Mayetiola destructor (Say)], which may indicate that it contains the MarquilloKawvale gene for resistance or is heterogeneous for H3 from Arkan. Alliance is susceptible to leaf rust (caused by Puccinia recondita Roberge ex Desmaz.) and soilborne wheat mosaic virus. Its reaction to wheat streak mosaic virus needs further testing; however, under artificial inoculation in greenhouse evaluations, it appears to be less susceptible than many Nebraska cultivars: similar to Redland and less tolerant than Vista. When crown rotting diseases [caused by Bipolaris (syn. Helminthosporium) spp. and Fusarium graminearum Schwabe] are present, Alliance appears to have more tolerance than many Nebraska cultivars. The grain volume weight of Alliance is similar to Arapahoe, less than Siouxland, and superior to Redland. The milling and baking properties of Alliance were determined by the Nebraska Wheat Quality Laboratory using composite samples from 5 yr of testing with Arapahoe and Scout 66 as check cultivars. The average wheat and flour protein content of Alliance was lower than Arapahoe and similar to Scout 66. The dough mixing properties were similar to Arapahoe and stronger than Scout 66. While the baking absorption of Alliance was less than Arapahoe and Scout 66, average loaf volumes were greater than for these two check cultivars. The external appearance and internal attributes of the baked bread loaf indicated generally acceptable quality characteristics. Breeder seed of Alliance will be maintained by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station for at least 5 yr. Alliance will be submitted for registration and for U.S. plant variety protection under Public Law 91-577 with the certification option.