The
North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station has released three
new, improved varieties developed by the
North Dakota State
University corn breeding program.
The three new varieties are
NDBSK(HI-M)C3, NDBS11(FR-M)C3 and NDBS1011.
"Selection for local adaptation to North
Dakota's environments is essential for successful and
sustainable corn production in the state, as well as for a good
state corn-ethanol relationship," says Marcelo Carena, leader of
the NDSU corn breeding program. "These varieties are the result
of a cost-effective program that allows the selection of elite
late- temperate and tropical genetic materials for local
adaptation to North Dakota and maximizes the genetic improvement
at a minimum cost.
"This specific release is the result of
screening more than 22,000 plants per variety at a rate of a
year per cycle through stratified mass selection, one of the
cheapest and most successful ways of selecting for local
adaptation," he says. "With only three years of selection, corn
has become more than a week earlier in flowering."
Each of the new varieties has unique
features and are, for the first time, adapted to North Dakota
conditions.
NDBSK(HI-M)C3 is an earlier
version of BSK(HI)C11 (developed and improved at Iowa State
University (ISU) from the Krug Yellow Dent variety). It is
released as an improved early maturing germplasm source for the
development of new and diverse inbred parents for early
maturity, high quality and yielding corn hybrids. This improved
population was consistently the best North Dakota improved
population for grain yield performance, even though it had 6.9
percent less grain moisture at harvest than the original
improved version brought to North Dakota.
NDBS11(FR-M)C3 is an earlier
version of BS11(FR)C13 (developed and improved at ISU). It is
released as an improved germplasm source for the development of
new and diverse inbred parents for early maturity and
high-yielding corn hybrids. It also is an elite parent for early
maturing maize population hybrids. This improved population was
consistently the best North Dakota improved population for grain
moisture at harvest of all newly adapted populations (8.5
percent less moisture than the original improved version).
NDBS1011 is a cross between
BS10(FR)C13 and BS11(FR)C13, both developed and improved at ISU.
The original cross was made at NDSU and later improved for
adaptation to North Dakota. It is a genetically diverse source
of elite inbred lines.
"These releases are possible due to the
continuous support of the North Dakota Corn Utilization Council,
North Dakota Corn Growers Association, industry partners, corn
grower partners, Agronomy Seed Farm, Oakes Irrigation Research
Site and Research Extension Centers in Langdon, Carrington,
Minot, Williston, Hettinger and Sidney, Mont," Carena says.
Hand-pollinated germplasm lots of 200
kernels are available from Carena by writing to the Department
of Plant Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
58105.
Germplasm lots cost $500, but one lot of
germplasm will be supplied at no cost to breeders from public
institutions. For more information on the program, go to