Crop Breeding and Applied Biotechnology - 20(4): e344920414, 2020 UTF 25 – Early bread wheat cultivar with white flour

: The wheat cultivar UTF 25 is recommended for wheat-growing regions 1 and 2 of Paraná and Santa Catarina states. It has a good disease resistance, early cycle, and high grain yield potential, with an average yield of 3.511 kg ha -1 . It is classified as bread wheat with white flour. VCU tests were conducted in several environments of the wheat-growing regions 1 and 2 of Paraná and Santa Catarina, ranging from 1.839 m to 1.035 m asl in Region 1 and between 688 m and 910 m asl in Region 2. In Region 1, the tests were conducted in Palmas-PR, Clevelândia-PR, Canoinhas-SC, and Campos Novos-SC. Region 2 tests were conducted in Pato Branco-PR, Renascença-PR, Abelardo Luz-SC, and Campo Erê-SC. The test locations were the same for the two years of evaluation. The experiments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The plots consisted of six rows with a row spacing of 0.17 m and row length of 5 m. Fertilization was applied according to the soil analysis of each environment, and pest and disease control was conducted according to recommended management practices (Comissão 2017). In the VCU tests, the evaluated traits were days from emergence to heading, days from emergence to maturity, plant height, lodging, soil aluminum sensibility, shattering resistance, and disease resistance. The total plot area was harvested, and the grain yield, 1000-grain weight, hectoliter weight, and pre-harvest sprouting were evaluated. The baking quality traits evaluated were gluten strength (W, 10 -4 J), falling number (FN, s), relative tenacity/extensibility ratio (P/L), yield stability (E, min), and flour color determined by the L ∗ a ∗ b ∗ system (lightness and chromaticity coordinates), according to the international standard for color measurements.


INTRODUCTION
Wheat is the second most produced cereal in the world, with a production of 763 million t year -1 (FAO 2020). In Brazil, the southern region is responsible for more than 85% of national wheat production, even though the domestic demand is higher than the production (CONAB 2019). Thus, wheat breeding programs are very important in the development of more adaptable and highyielding cultivars.
The development of high-yield genetics and improvements in management practices allowed increased grain yield from 700 kg ha -1 in the 1940s to more than 2.700 kg ha -1 currently (CONAB 2019). Beche et al. (2014) evaluated wheat cultivars released in Brazil between 1940 and 2009 and observed a genetic gain of 29 kg ha -1 year -1 (0.92% year -1 ). Similar results were presented by Bornhofen et al. (2018) and Woyann et al. (2019), indicating a significant genetic gain for this crop in Brazil. However, to meet food demand by 2050, the annual increase in food production needs to be on the order of 2.4% (Ray et al. 2013). To this end, the release of new, more productive cultivars is essential for increasing genetic gains.
The Federal University of Technology-Paraná (UTFPR) wheat breeding program began in 2006. The main objectives of the UTFPR wheat breeding program are the development of cultivars adapted to the southwestern region of Paraná and the western region of Santa Catarina and the training and mentoring of future plant breeders and scientists. Undergraduate and graduate students G Benin et al.
collaborate in conducting yield trials, emasculations, crosses, field experiments, and lab activities and evaluating segregating populations. Several studies were based on data obtained by this program, including dozens of monographs, 20 master's degree theses, and five doctoral dissertations.
The cultivar name, UTF 25, was chosen in honor of the 25 th anniversary of the Agronomy course at UTFPR-Pato Branco. The origin of UTFPR relied on the Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica do Paraná (CEFET-PR). In 2005, it was transformed into the first Brazilian Federal University of Technology. UTF 25 is adapted to wheat-growing regions 1 and 2 of Paraná and Santa Catarina states. It is an early high-yielding bread wheat cultivar with good disease resistance, white flour, and good baking quality; the aim is to supply farmer and industry needs. UTF 25 is an excellent option for wheat farmers in the southwestern region of Paraná and the western region of Santa Catarina owing to its good adaptation to these environments. More evaluations in other Value of Cultivation and Use (VCU) regions are being carried out to determine the expansion in the recommendation.

BREEDING METHODS
The new wheat cultivar UTF 25 was derived as an F 4:5 head row from a cross between wheat cultivars Ônix x Marfim. The cultivar Ônix, released in 2002, is classified as a bread wheat, and it has strong pre-harvest sprouting resistance. The bread wheat cultivar Marfim, released in 2007, has excellent baking quality, with high stability, and this cultivar has moderate resistance to rust. The cross was performed in 2009, and the F 1 plants were grown in the UTFPR greenhouse in 2010 and bulk-harvested. The segregant populations F 2 to F 6 were produced under field conditions at the UTFPR Research farm in Pato Branco (lat 26° 10' 34″ S, long 52° 41' 23″ W, alt 760 m asl). In 2011, the F 2 plants were selected for plant architecture and disease resistance, and later selected spikes were bulk-threshed following a modified mass method. A seed sample was used to establish the next generation. In the F 3 population, a bulk of plants with a higher number of spikes and proper spike length was selected. In 2013, individual F 4 plants were selected for the number and length of spikes, plant architecture, and disease resistance. Each plant was threshed individually, and an F 4:5 head row was originated. UTF 25 originated from one of the F 4:5 head rows evaluated in 2014. Subsequently, it was tested in UTFPR wheat yield trials from 2015 to 2016 and in VCU trials from 2017 to 2018. The cultivar UTF 25 was derived from the best yielding line (UTFT 141457) across years and locations.

TRAITS AND PERFORMANCE
UTF 25, previously tested as UTFT 141457, has been evaluated in UTFPR wheat yield trials since 2015 to 2016 at the UTFPR Research Farm in Pato Branco and in VCU tests in 2017 and 2018. It showed superior performance in yield trials compared with commercial checks (Table 1). VCU tests were conducted in several environments of the wheat-growing regions 1 and 2 of Paraná and Santa Catarina, ranging from 1.839 m to 1.035 m asl in Region 1 and between 688 m and 910 m asl in Region 2. In Region 1, the tests were conducted in Palmas-PR, Clevelândia-PR, Canoinhas-SC, and Campos Novos-SC. Region 2 tests were conducted in Pato Branco-PR, Renascença-PR, Abelardo Luz-SC, and Campo Erê-SC. The test locations were the same for the two years of evaluation. The experiments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The plots consisted of six rows with a row spacing of 0.17 m and row length of 5 m. Fertilization was applied according to the soil analysis of each environment, and pest and disease control was conducted according to recommended management practices (Comissão 2017).
In the VCU tests, the evaluated traits were days from emergence to heading, days from emergence to maturity, plant height, lodging, soil aluminum sensibility, shattering resistance, and disease resistance. The total plot area was harvested, and the grain yield, 1000-grain weight, hectoliter weight, and pre-harvest sprouting were evaluated. The baking quality traits evaluated were gluten strength (W, 10 -4 J), falling number (FN, s), relative tenacity/extensibility ratio (P/L), yield stability (E, min), and flour color determined by the L * a * b * system (lightness and chromaticity coordinates), according to the international standard for color measurements.
Cultivar UTF 25 showed superior grain yield performance to check cultivars in the two test years (2017 and 2018), with 7.6% and 5.5% higher grain yields than the average of checks in wheat-growing regions 1 and 2, respectively (Table  1). UTF 25 showed an average grain yield of 3.511 kg ha -1 , and that of the check cultivars was 3.290 kg ha -1 , representing a 6.7% better yield. Due to the good agronomic performance of cultivar UTF 25, it was indicated for cultivation in wheatgrowing regions 1 and 2 of Paraná and Santa Catarina states. Cultivar UTF 25 is registered by the Registro Nacional de Cultivares (nr. 44017) and protected (nr. 20200104).
For baking quality traits, cultivar UTF 25 was classified as a bread wheat (Table 2)

OTHER TRAITS OF IMPORTANCE
Cultivar UTF 25 has a semi-erect vegetative habit and pending or intermediate flag leaf position, with semi-long, semi-dense, and fusiform or oblong spikes. UTF 25 plant height is medium or high, with an average of 95 cm. The average cycle was classified as early, with 73 days from emergence to heading and 123 days from emergence to maturity, varying according to the sowing date and weather conditions. The mean hectoliter weight was 79.1 kg hL -1 , and the 1000-grain weight was 34.5 g. Despite the tall plant height, the lodging resistance of the cultivar is good, and it was classified as moderately resistant. Furthermore, UTF 25 showed moderate resistance to pre-harvest sprouting, shattering resistance, and tolerance to soil aluminum.
In the VCU trials in 2017 and 2018, the responses of cultivar UTF 25 to main wheat diseases were evaluated. UTF 25 was classified as moderately susceptible to glume blotch (Stagonospora nodorum), head blight (Fusarium graminearum), and barley yellow dwarf virus and moderately resistant to powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis tritici), leaf rust (Puccinia recondita tritici), and leaf spot (Bipolares sorokiniana and Drechslera tritici repentis). Thus, cultivar UTF 25 showed good disease resistance. G Benin et al.

SEED PRODUCTION
The UTFPR contracts seed companies for multiplication and trade of the cultivar, according to Brazilian law nr. 9456/97. Cultivar UTF 25 was released into the market in 2020, with an availability of nearly 500 40-kg bags of seeds for the 2021 winter season. For the 2022 winter season, a much higher seed volume will be available for farmers.