Certified seed producers will be offering a new University of Minnesota wheat variety for 2021 spring planting.

The variety, “MN-Torgy,” features a good combination of yield, protein, straw strength and disease resistance, according to wheat researchers.

“MN-Torgy has shown its promise to perform well across the wheat growing region and its straw strength is better than most higher yielding varieties,” says Jim Anderson, U-MN wheat breeder, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics.

MN-Torgy has stood out in both state and regional trials, including the Uniform Regional trials where it has yielded near the top in multiple years of testing.

Jochum Wiersma, University of Minnesota Extension agronomist, says that MN-Torgy’s performance in U-MN field trials and North Dakota State University trials showcase the variety’s adaptability and highlight its value.

The new release is named in honor of Dave Torgerson, a familiar name for Minnesota wheat growers, who retired as executive director of both the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council and the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers in 2019.

“I was lucky to have worked for wheat growers who supported wheat research and the Minnesota wheat breeding program so strongly,” Torgerson says. “When growers see the name, it should remind them of Jim Anderson and the entire breeding team who work tirelessly to develop better varieties for them.”

The support of the Minnesota wheat organizations under Torgerson’s tenure has been instrumental in the release of other U-MN spring wheat varieties: MN-Washburn (2019), Lang-MN (2017), Shelly (2016), Bolles (2015), Linkert (2013) and Rollag (2011).

MN-Torgy has very good yields, above-average protein and good test weight. It is medium maturity with good straw strength and overall moderate disease resistance. In addition to a very good rating for bacterial leaf streak resistance and a good fusarium head blight rating, it also has resistance to preharvest sprouting.

Performance data and comparisons to other popular wheat varieties can be found on the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station website.

Prior to being formally named, MN-Torgy was tested as MN14105-7.

MN-Torgy will be distributed through Minnesota Crop Improvement Association members with seed available for planting in spring 2021.

Visit the MCIA website where a list of certified seed producers can be found, or contact MCIA at 1-800-510-6242.

Source: Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association, which are solely responsible for the information provided and are wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all of its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.