NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

April 8, 1999

NDSU Releases Parshall, Hard Red Spring Wheat Variety

The North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station announces the release of Parshall, a conventional-height hard red spring wheat variety. Parshall is available to North Dakota county crop improvement associations and the North Dakota Agricultural Association for increase during the 1999 growing season.

Named after the town in Mountrail County, Parshall is best adapted to western North Dakota, where it is expected to replace Amidon and Keene, says Al Schneiter, chairman of the Department of Plant Sciences at North Dakota State University. If Parshall were to replace only one-half of the current acreage of those older varieties in the western half of the state, producers' annual income in that area could increase by $1 million, based on current wheat prices and Parshall's yield advantage compared to Amidon and Keene.

Parshall resulted from a cross between Keene and experimental line ND674, says Richard Frohberg, NDSU's hard red spring wheat breeder. ND674 is a cross between Glupro and Grandin. The development of Parshall began in 1989.

An awned variety, Parshall has a maturity one day earlier than Keene, and Parshall has better lodging resistance than Kulm and Butte 86, Frohberg says. Parshall's protein content is greater than that of Grandin and Butte 86. In addition, Parshall has a high test weight and a greater yield potential than both Trenton and Keene.

Frohberg says Parshall's milling and baking qualities are acceptable. Parshall is susceptible to common root rot, moderately susceptible to Fusarium head blight (scab), resistant to the Upper Midwest races of leaf rust and stem rust, and moderately resistant to tan spot and septoria.

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Source: Al Schneiter (701) 231-8137

Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136