Home :: Forums :: Breeding methods

Wheat Breeding - Home Gardener

Posted May 22nd, 2008 by beachside

I planted some Red Fife in my small garden this last Oct and it is now putting out spiketes (May 20+). Can someone give me some instructions as to how to hand pollenate between different plants without having to pull up all the other plants? I want to see if I can breed a shorter, more wet tolerant plant for the West Coast of British Columbia, Canada.

I am new to all this and don’t even know the anatomy of wheat at this point. Pictures would really help.

Thanks, Beachside

Shorter Wet Tolerant

On May 27th, 2008 Eli Rogosa says:

Hi Beachside,

You may be interested to visit the GRIN website to request samples of wheats that have evolved in wet climates to screen, select and evaluate.

See: http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/acc/acc_queries.html

I am also seeking instructions for manual cross pollination. Suggestions welcome.

Eli Rogosa
Heritage Wheat Conservancy
growseed.org

Hybridization of Crop Plants, other plant breeding texts - .pdf

On June 20th, 2008 John H says:

THE reference for hybridization (“making crosses”) is “Hybridization of Crop Plants” Fehr and Hadley, ASA-CSSA 1980. Fortunately for all, Dr. Walter Fehr provides this text of 52 chapters on the Iowa State University, Department of Agronomy, Raymond F. Baker Center for Plant Breeding’s web site at:

http://www.agron.iastate.edu/faculty/fehr/FehrHOCP.aspx

Eli and Beachside, Chapter 51 is for Wheat but the first eight chapters are essential for everyone.

Note also that there are 2 other excellent plant breeding texts (Vegetable Breeding, and Principles of Cultivar Development) available at:

http://www.agron.iastate.edu/faculty/fehr/FehrTexts.aspx

These texts are key references for plant breeders, and they are available online.

Eli and Beachside...interpret the instructions and perhaps produce your own, with color pictures, if you think you could make it clearer...and others could do the same with their favorite crops, much like Dr. Robinson’s amateur potato breeding manual.

Best
John

wheat crosses

On June 29th, 2008 raoulrob says:

Hi Eli and Beachside,

My apologies for the delay in replying; I have been in Mexico where wonderful things are happening.

The standard method of crossing wheat is to wait until the anthers are extruded; they are then cut off with scissors, taking the tips of the bracts as well. If you need these anthers for pollen, let then fall into a suitably sized tube. Shortly after cutting, the stigmas will emerge. Insert the entire head into a tube containing the appropriate pollen and give it a little shake. Then cover the head with a small brown paper bag and label with date, and parent names/numbers.

But remember, using male gametocides in Brazil, Beek got a couple of million crosses with half a morning’s work.

raoulrob