AAC Wesley

Oat

Variety Description

Varieties used for comparison: 'AC Morgan' and 'Summit'

Summary: At the 5 to 9 tiller stage, the lower leaf sheath of 'AAC Wesley' has dense pubescence whereas the pubescence is sparse to medium on the lower leaf sheath of 'Summit'. The pubescence on the lower leaf blade of 'AAC Wesley' is medium whereas it is absent to very sparse on the lower leaf blade of the reference varieties. At booting, the pubescence on the margins of the leaf below the flag leaf of 'AAC Wesley' is sparse whereas it is absent to very sparse for 'Summit'. The flag leaf of 'AAC Wesley' is shorter and narrower than that of 'AC Morgan'. The pubescence above and below the upper culm node on the stem of 'AAC Wesley' is dense to very dense while it is sparse to medium in density for 'AC Morgan' and absent or very sparse to sparse for 'Summit'. The plants of 'AAC Wesley' head earlier than the plants of 'AC Morgan'. After heading at the green stage, the plants of 'AAC Wesley' are shorter than the plants of 'AC Morgan'. The tendency of the lemmas to be awned on 'AAC Wesley' is medium whereas the tendency to be awned is absent to very weak for the reference varieties.

Description:

PLANT: spring hulled type, erect to semi-erect juvenile growth habit at 5 to 9 tiller stage, medium to high frequency of plants with recurved flag leaves at booting

STEM: dense to very dense pubescence above and below the upper culm node

LOWER LEAF: dense pubescence on sheath, medium pubescence on blade
LEAF: medium to dark green, sparse pubescence on margin of leaf below flag leaf, weak to medium glaucosity at green stage

PANICLE: equilateral/symmetrical to unilateral orientation, medium to dense, semi-erect to horizontal attitude of branches, 30 to 45 degree angle between rachis and dominant side branch
SPIKELET: two grains
LEMMA: small extent of lateral overlap on palea, white at maturity, absent to very sparse to sparse pubescence on lateral and dorsal surface, medium tendency to be awned

KERNEL (PRIMARY KERNELS FROM UPPER SPIKELETS): short basal hairs, cream colour
GROAT: sparse pubescence

Origin & Breeding History: 'AAC Wesley' (experimental designations OT2129 and 14P12-DM) originated from the cross made in 2014 between OT3076 and OT8004 at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Brandon Research and Development Centre in Brandon, Manitoba. It was selected using a modified bulk breeding strategy followed by a pedigree breeding method. After increasing the F1 seed near Leeston, New Zealand, the F2 seed was planted as a bulk plot in an artificial disease nursery in Brandon, Manitoba in 2015. The harvested F3 seed was increased in the winter nursery near Palmerston North, New Zealand in 2015-2016 and four hundred panicles were then selected from four rows based on resistance to naturally occuring diseases, maturity, plant height and lodging resistance. In 2016, two hundred F3:F4 panicles were planted in F4 hills and inoculated in the disease nursery in Brandon. Eighty selections were made based on the previous criteria and nutritional quality traits. The F5 generation was increased near Palmerston North, New Zealand in 2016-2017 followed by another year of selections in the disease nursery. Twenty-four F6 lines were tested in preliminary yield tests in Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia in 2017. In 2018, 9 selections from this population, including 14P12-DM, were advanced and evaluated in the 'B' Oat Yield Trial grown in western Canada. Selections were made for agronomic performance, disease resistance and nutritional quality traits. Six of the selected lines were entered into the 2019 Western Cooperative Oat Registration Test Canada and were evaluated for disease resistance, quality traits and agronomic perfomance. Three of the lines, including OT2129, were advanced to a second year of trials in 2020.

Tests & Trials: The comparative trials for 'AAC Wesley' were conducted at the Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Brandon Research and Development Centre in Brandon, Manitoba in 2020 and 2021. There were 4 replicates arranged in a RCB design. The size of the plots were 4.4 metres squared. Plots consisted of five 5 metre long rows with 0.177 metre inter-row spacing. The seeding density was 300 seeds per metre squared resulting in a minimum of 3834 plants per variety. The measured characteristics were based on a minimum of 20 measurements per variety per year. The mean differences were significant at the 5% probability level based on LSD values.

Comparison tables for 'AAC Wesley' with reference varieties 'AC Morgan' and 'Summit'

Flag leaf width (mm)

Flag leaf length (cm)

Days to heading (days from planting to when 50% of panicles are fully emerged)

Plant height (shortly after heading, culm plus panicle) (cm)

Click on image for larger view

Oat: 'AAC Wesley' (centre) with reference varieties 'AC Morgan' (top) and 'Summit' (bottom)