Germplasm: AKER_12157

AKER_12157

PI 655304

https://doi.org/10.15454/HNKA6Q

EL55 is derived from 12 legacy seedlots dated from 1961 through 1982, selected on the basis of their ability to germinate and grow healthy roots in 2000. The 12 seedlots were 61G1X03, 77B2-01, 77B18X01, 78B32-01, 78B32X02, 79B15X70, 79B29-1, 79B31X04, 80B11-016, 80B14-23, 82B66X02, and 82B66-S3. Each seedlot yielded a single root, with the exception of 78B32-01 (5 roots), and all of these were used as mother roots and intercrossed in the 2001 greenhouse and increased in Oregon in 2003.

EL55 is being released in the interest of improving seed quality and performance in sugar beet. From over 4,000 legacy seedlots produced between 1961 and 1989 stored in ambient (high humidity) conditions, only 523 emerged under field conditions at the Saginaw Valley Bean and Beet Farm in Saginaw, MI in 2000. Only 71 of these stored seedlots gave commercially adequate stands (ca. 50% of planted seed), however each of these good seedlots was produced after 1988. Roots from the 12 oldest seedlots (i.e. those stored the longest) were collected as mother roots, and seed was produced. Using an accelerated seed aging protocol, this seed demonstrated slightly improved seed longevity. The majority of this germplasm is derived from remnant seed generated during development of seed parents in the germplasm conversion to hybrid seed production conducted by George Hogaboam (USDA-ARS, deceased). Thus, this material is also expected to be useful for developing cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) parents for hybrid seed production. Reasonable to high levels of Aphanomyces blackleg and Cercospora leaf spot resistances is present in this material, as is customary of traditional East Lansing ARS germplasm.

United States of America