A total of 124 recent winter wheat accessions of European origin were screened for coleoptile length and plant height. Most of the accessions (74.2%) possessed a coleoptile length ranging between 5.00 and 7.00 cm. The German varieties Ebi, Pegassos, Flair without Rht genes had a coleoptile length of 9.08, 9.43, 9.56 cm and a plant height of 97, 95 and 98 cm, respectively. The Serbian variety Pobeda possessing Rht8 had a coleoptile length of 9.14 cm and a plant height of 71 cm. The varieties possessing Rht-B1b, Rht-D1b had a significantly shorter mean coleoptile length (5.45 cm) and mean plant height (84.5 cm) than the varieties without Rht genes (7.41 and 99.6 cm). The correlation between coleoptile length and plant height was medium (r = 0.613, p < 0.01) when the calculation excluded the varieties from Central and Southern Europe. The similar plant height, but not coleoptile length of the varieties possessing different dwarfing factors enables development of novel varieties with desirable height and coleoptile length from the European winter wheat germplasm.

BACKGROUND: The current study aimed to estimate the effects of organic and conventional production systems and four winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) bread cultivars on the technological properties of grain, flour, dough and bread, to increase current knowledge regarding the interactions of the technological properties of winter wheat and assess the cultivars for their suitability for organic production systems. RESULTS: All the technological properties winter wheat which were investigated were significantly affected by the agricultural production system and cultivars, and some of them, mostly grain quality parameters, by the harvest year. Grain from organic winter wheat had significantly lower protein and gluten contents, lower sedimentation and flour water absorption values, shorter dough stability time and lower loaf volume, but higher values of starch content and stronger gluten, compared with grain from the conventional wheat. For both production systems significant positive correlations of protein content with gluten content, sedimentation value, dough stability time, loaf volume, farinograph water absorption, and negative with starch content, gluten index were determined. CONCLUSIONS: Statistically significant differences between agricultural production systems were found. The cultivars Ada and Alma had better technological properties that make them more suitable for the organic production system, compared to Širvinta 1 and Zentos. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry

Resistance to common bunt is a highly desirable trait in wheat cultivars suitable for organic growing. Over 1000 germplasms were analysed for common bunt resistance during 2006-2008. In 2007, none of the 474 genotypes tested was found to be highly resistant, while 8 accessions were resistant. Investigations in 2008 showed two accessions to be highly resistant and 28 resistant out of the 714 modern germplasms tested. Among the tested genotypes with the known resistance Bt1-15,Z genes, only two single resistance genes conferred complete effectiveness in cultivars 'PI 554120' and 'Yayla 305' possessing Bt8 and in 'Eryth-5221' possessing Bt14. The other single resistance genes considered as effective (infection up to 10.0%) were Bt5,9,11,12,13,15, Z. Among the most resistant modern cultivars, none was free from infection during both years. Cultivars characterized as at least moderately resistant during both years were 'Sana' , 'Penta' and 'Sj05-15' with the 0.0-8.5% infection level. The most susceptible cultivars ' Azimut' and 'Champion' were infected up to 99.0% on average, and in some replications infection was as high as 100.0%. Infection range from 0 to 100% proved that the infection of cultivars was adequate for the characterization of the test genotypes by resistance to common bunt. More than 800 breeding lines were tested during the two screening years. Only five lines were infected no more than 10% during both years.

Two new waxy winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, Eldija and Sarta, were developed at the Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry and released in Lithuania in 2021. The cultivars were developed using waxy wheat material from Nebraska, the United States of America. The mean yield of Eldija and Sarta at five locations over three testing years was 7.56 and 7.21 t/ha or 79.63 and 75.95%, respectively, compared to the yield of the standard cultivars. Eldija and Sarta should be grown under high input conditions due to the relatively low resistance to leaf spot diseases and Fusarium head blight and medium tolerance to lodging. An amylose content of 0.68% and 0.36% of Eldija and Sarta, respectively, a very low falling number (about 60 s), a lower flour yield and higher water absorption compared to common wheat and the reaction to iodine staining (brown colour) characterised the new cultivars as fully waxy wheats. These cultivars are intended for the potential demand from commercial companies for special use in the food industry.

For the present study, samples of cleistothecia were collected in Central Lithuania and Southern Ukraine. To characterize the virulence, complexity and diversity of powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici) populations, 80 isolates were derived from single ascospores, 40 isolates from each population. Pathotype analysis was conducted on 16 differentials with known Pm genes. According to the proposed nomenclature, 32 pathotypes were identified in the Lithuanian powdery mildew population and 30-in the Ukrainian population. The most frequent phenotype in Lithuania was NGDE (7.5%), and in Ukraine it was NGKE (15%). The Ukrainian powdery mildew population was more complex and contained more virulence genes per isolate. The virulence test was carried out by inoculation on detached leaves of 26 common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) differentials with known Pm genes and 12 resistant winter wheat breeding lines and cultivars. The frequencies of virulence to these differentials ranged from 0% to 100%, and most of them had high level of virulence. No virulence was found to Pm20 and Pm25+3a genes, cultivar 'Lastivka odeska' and breeding lines CN 89/16 and PI 170911 in both populations, whereas the frequencies of virulence were more than 50% to Pm1a,

Low energy electrons (electron treatment), aerated steam (thermal treatment) and a bacterial product Cedomon containing Pseudomonas chlororaphis (bacterial treatment) were selected for the trial as the most popular seed treatment methods in Western and Northern Europe. This trial was aimed to evaluate the effect of treatments on seed sanitation, crop and disease development and yield parameters. Two spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars 'Luokė' and 'Alisa DS' were investigated during 2014-2015 under the conditions of Central Lithuania. Low energy electron treatment was found to exert a negative effect: the mean yield decrease was 20% compared to the control. The yield reduction resulted from the inefficient seed sanitation and reduced field emergence compared to the control. Thermal treatment increased the yield by an average of 35%, viz. in 2014 by 58% and in 2015 by 13%. The yield increase was influenced by very efficient seed sanitation in the first year but not in the second year. Bacterial treatment with Cedomon increased the yield by an average of 3%. This treatment improved neither seed health nor crop stand density in 'Luokė'; however, it had a positive effect on the seeds of 'Alisa DS' in both experimental years. Improved seed health increased grain yield in 'Alisa DS', while poor seed health decreased yield in 'Luokė'. None of the seed treatment methods tested showed consistent and unquestionable results. The yield increase depended mainly on the improved seed health, thus the main strategy to produce stable yield is seed health testing of the lots intended for use in organic agriculture.Please use the following format when citing the article: Liatukas Ž., Supronienė S., Ruzgas V., Leistrumaitė A. 2019. Effects of organic seed treatment methods on spring barley seed quality, crop, productivity and disease incidence. Zemdirbyste-Agriculture, 106 (3): 241-248.

Please use the following format when citing the article: Ruzgas V., Liatukas Ž., Razbadauskienė K., Koppel R., Brazauskas G. 2017. The new winter wheat cultivars 'Kena DS', 'Gaja DS','Sedula DS' and 'Herkus DS' for increased yield stability. Zemdirbyste-Agriculture, 104 (4): 291-298 DOI 10.13080/z-a.2017.104.037 ISSN 1392-3196 / e-ISSN 2335-8947 Zemdirbyste-Agriculture, vol. 104, No. 4 (2017), p. 291-298 DOI 10.13080/z-a.2017 The new winter wheat cultivars 'Kena DS', 'Gaja DS', 'Sedula DS' and 'Herkus DS' for increased yield stability AbstractThe new cultivars of winter wheat 'Kena DS', 'Gaja DS', 'Sedula DS' and 'Herkus DS' were developed at Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry. The cultivars are well adapted to the temperate climate conditions with occasionally low temperatures in the winter season. The mean winter hardiness of the cultivars was evaluated by 7.8, 7.3, 8.2 and 7.3 scores, respectively and surpassed the well adapted and previously widely grown check cultivar 'Zentos' (6.8 scores). The cultivars exhibit good resistance to sprouting in ears, which is important in regions with high humidity during the harvesting period. They can be grown under sustainable and high input growing conditions. The mean grain yield of cultivars 'Kena DS', 'Sedula DS', 'Gaja DS' and 'Herkus DS' in high input fields during 2011-2016 was 8.7, 8.6, 9.9 and 9.1 t ha -1 , respectively. The grain yield of the high yielding check cultivar 'Skagen' was 8.6 t ha -1 . The mean protein content of cultivars 'Kena DS', 'Sedula DS', 'Gaja DS' and 'Herkus DS' was 14.3, 13.3, 13.6 and 13.3 %, sedimentation value -61.2, 49.2, 34.5 and 49.3 ml, respectively. The dough stability of the new cultivars determined by a Brabender's pharinograph was 12.7, 6.0, 7.3 and 6.9 min, volume of bread baked from 300 g of flour was 1600, 1650, 1700 and 1520 cm 3 , respectively. The total baking value index of the cultivars 'Kena DS', 'Sedula DS', 'Gaja DS and 'Herkus DS' was evaluated by 700, 725, 750 and 660 scores respectively, where the excellent bread-making cultivar 'Ada' attained 670 scores. The new cultivars exhibit good resistance to powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis DC), acceptable resistance to tan spot (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis Died.), take-all (Gauemanomyces graminis Sacc.), Septoria glume blotch (Phaeosphaeria nodorum E. Müll) and Septoria leaf blotch (Zymoseptoria tritici (Desm.) The cultivars are included in the Lithuanian National List of Plant Varieties and EC Common Catalogue of Cultivars of Agricultural Plant Species.

Response of Lithuanian Winter Wheat Advanced Lines to Common Bunt (Tilletia tritici (BJERK.) WINT) The study was carried out at the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture in an artificially inoculated nursery during 2006-2007. Resistance to common bunt in 2006 was tested for 71, in 2007 for 118 breeding lines of Lithuanian winter wheat from the competitive trial nursery. Additionally, 148 promising lines were selected and tested from the check nursery, which possessed some resistance in their pedigree ancestors. The average disease incidence in 2006 and 2007 was 80.9 and 63.5%, respectively. The very high infection level highlighted the genotypes with the most effective resistance under conditions highly favourable for common bunt. There were no lines without infected ears. Among the 29 breeding lines tested in the two years, two lines Bill/Aspirant and Dream/Lut.9329 were infected the least, 17.2% and 1.9% in 2006 and 18.5% and 7.8% in 2007, respectively. Most of the breeding lines were highly susceptible. Lines with disease incidence over 50% accounted for over 90% in 2006 and 80% in 2007 of the total lines tested. The most resistant lines had in their pedigrees the following resistance sources: genotypes Bill, Lut.9329, Strumok, Lut.9313, Lut.9358, Tommi as well as Dream, Haldor, 91002G2.1, 96/101, Bezenchiukskaya380.