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

July 1, 1999

NDSU Releases Lebsock and Plaza, Two Durum Varieties

The North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station has released two new durum varieties, Lebsock and Plaza. Both varieties will be subject to the 1994 amendments of the Plant Variety Protection Act with the Title V option.

Lebsock and Plaza will likely replace acreage of Renville and Monroe in North Dakota, says Al Schneiter, chair of the Department of Plant Sciences at North Dakota State University. Assuming that the state's durum producers planted Lebsock and Plaza on 50 percent of the acreage they currently devote to those two older varieties, their annual income, based on current durum prices, would increase by $21.8 million. Schneiter says this financial gain would be due solely to the yield advantages of Plaza and Lebsock, as compared to the older varieties currently available.

Plant and cereal scientists from NDSU, its research extension centers and the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Fargo were involved in the agronomic, disease and quality evaluations of both Lebsock and Plaza, says Elias Elias, the NDSU durum breeder who developed the two varieties.

Named for Ken Lebsock, a former USDA-ARS durum breeder in Fargo, this variety is derived from a cross between Munich and an NDSU experimental line, Elias says. Lebsock's main attributes are its yield, test weight and semolina extraction. Averaged across all North Dakota locations, Lebsock has demonstrated a greater yield potential and heavier test weight than the other named varieties.

Lebsock is about equal to Renville in terms of scab tolerance, and it is resistant to both stem and leaf rust diseases, Elias says. In addition, Lebsock showed better resistance to tan spot and septoria than all the other durum varieties included in the evaluations.

Plaza, named after the community in Mountrail County, was selected from a cross between Plenty and an NDSU experimental line. Plaza's primary attribute is yield, Elias says. Based on an average derived from tests in North Dakota and Canada and other regional trials, Plaza, like Lebsock, has demonstrated a yield potential greater than the other named durum varieties.

A semidwarf variety with a late maturity, Plaza has a test weight similar to Munich and Vic but less than Ben and Maier. Plaza's leaf disease ratings for tan spot and septoria are lower than all other current durum varieties, and it has lower levels of scab infection than Belzer and Rugby. A strong gluten cultivar, Plaza has a semolina protein content similar to Lloyd, Elias says. Maier and Renville are the only cultivars possessing greater semolina extraction than Plaza.

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Sources: Al Schneiter (701) 231-8137 and Elias Elias (701) 231-8159

Editor: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136