MN 698 is a new cultivar developed by AmBev that resulted from a cross between the cultivars MN 599 and MN 635. MN 698 shows a grain yield potential higher than 4t ha-1, has early cycle and is moderately resistant to lodging. Its spike is uniform and produces around 20 grains well-distributed. MN 698 shows a medium tillering capacity (two to three per plant), and is characterized by the presence of anthocyanin in the culm basis, arists, and glumes. It is the national cultivar with the highest quality and represents an important advance for this cereal in Brazil, combining interests of both the producer and the industrial sector.
Hordeum vulgare; cereal breeding; barley genetic
