GA071518-16E39: A new adapted soft red winter wheat cultivar to Georgia and the US Southeast Region

The production of soft red winter wheat (SRWW) (Triticum aestivum L.) in the US southeast (SE) region is important. However, wheat production faces many challenges including many stresses resulting in substantial losses in yield and quality. To address these challenges, developing new cultivars with high yield potential with resistance to major pests in the region and good quality is warranted. The SRWW breeding programs ate the University of Georgia (UGA) and the regional institutions including the Southern Universities GRAINS (SUNGRAINS) programs aims to solve these problems. The release of ‘GA071518-16E39’ (Reg. no. CV-1210, PI 698826) SRWW in 2019, is among many adapted cultivars developed and released by the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. GA071518-16E39 has broad adaptation to the US SE region, but specifically well fit to the Georgia environments. It is a high yielding cultivar with excellent resistance to most dominant diseases including leaf (caused by Puccinia triticina Erikss.) and stripe (caused by P. striiformis Westend.) rusts, Soil-borne wheat mosaic virus, and Hessian fly insect [Mayetiola destructor (Say)] including major prevalent biotypes (B, C, O, and L) in the region. GA071518-16E39 is moderately resistant to powdery mildew (caused by Erisyphe graminis) and moderate susceptible to Fusarium head blight (caused by Fusarium graminearum Schwabe) which is reflected in relatively lower levels of disease severity and Deoxynivalenol toxin. GA071518-16E39 has excellent grain volume weight and milling and baking quality as a SRWW.