AAC Wildfire hard red winter wheat

Abstract

AAC Wildfire is a hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar eligible for grades of Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) wheat. It was developed using a modified pedigree breeding method. AAC Wildfire was evaluated across western Canada for four years in the Western Winter Wheat Cooperative registration trials, where it yielded significantly more grain than all of the checks (Radiant, CDC Buteo, Flourish, Moats) and expressed very good winter survival, relatively late maturity, medium height straw with very good lodging resistance, large kernels, acceptable end-use quality, and disease resistance appropriate for the western region of the Canadian prairies. AAC Wildfire was resistant to the prevalent races of stripe rust, moderately resistant to Fusarium head blight and common bunt, showed improved leaf spot reaction, and tolerance to the original biotype of Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia Mordvilko) in North America. In the absence of effective fungicides, production of AAC Wildfire in the eastern Prairies is not recommended due to stem rust susceptibility.