Research Brings Old Wheat Lines Back

Research Brings Old Wheat Lines Back CROPS Miscellaneous Stephen Jones is reintroducing old wheat varieties with improved stand yield and disease resistance along with new varieties designed for specialty production and use The varieties the University of Washington wheat breeder has developed have attracted interest from home bakers artisan bakers and chefs “Adults and even kids who come through our lab taste samples of bread and they pick up different flavors like nutmeg or fruit or chocolate ” says Jones “Wheat flavors can vary by the soil water and climate of where it’s raised ” Jones is using that knowledge to develop improved wheat varieties for different areas of the state His department has released 6 varieties including Bruehl the most widely grown soft wheat They have rediscovered an older high gluten line called Red Russian and reintroduced Canus an older Canadian line with a very high micronutrient content “We are working on wheat lines for the home baker or artisan bread baker who grinds wheat fresh and bakes with it ” says Jones “Commercial wheat lines weren’t developed for stone milling and other features home bakers want They produce a dependable consistent commercial flour with a standard taste Fresh ground flour is more lively and unpredictable with lots of flavor ” Checking out the quality of the baked product is part of the job for Jones His lab has a full-time baker and baking ovens to test the wheat varieties as they are developed Jones has grown every variety planted in Washington since the 1840’s testing them for a wide variety of qualities Some had disease problems while others had stand problems and still others simply didn’t make good bread “These older types of wheat have beautiful names and stories behind them and can look beautiful in the field ” says Jones “But some don’t do well All of them were improved at one time Our strategy is to continue improving the ones that do well ” While he is working with Washington state growers and bakers Jones says individuals can do similar work in their own areas He points out that almost every state grew wheat varieties developed for their soils and growing conditions Many of those old wheat lines still exist “Check with your university extension researchers and ask for old wheat lines grown in your area ” says Jones “If they don’t have seed the USDA may have it You may only get a few grams of a particular variety but you can grow it out in your garden collect the seed and see how it does ” Jones says even a small plot can tell you a lot If it does well save the seed and replant to get a larger supply He encourages growers to try cross breeding to improve the line “Growers can develop a cross themselves to generate the variation they want ” says Jones “Mixing varieties in the same field lets one do better if the other doesn’t do as well ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Dr Stephen Jones WSU Research and Extension Center 16650 Washington 536 
Mt Vernon Wash 98273 ph 360 416-5210; joness@wsu edu

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.