Technology Description ‘Norwest 553’ is best adapted to the high rainfall and irrigated regions of eastern Oregon and Washington (blue areas). A secondary area of adaption is the low-to-medium rainfall regions of eastern Oregon and Washington (red areas). ‘Norwest 553’ is awned, short stature, mid-season maturity, with superior straw strength. In addition, ‘Norwest 553’ has superior yield potential, especially in high yield environments. It is resistant to stripe rust and moderately resistant to Cephalosporium stripe, Fusarium crown rot, Septoria leaf blotch, and powdery mildew. Another exceptional feature of ‘Norwest 553’ is its good milling and baking quality. As it has excellent grain protein content, superior gluten strength and dough mixing properties for bread-making.
Features & Benefits
Applications
Background of Invention Oregon State University, in cooperation with Nickerson U.K and USDA-ARS has developed a novel high yielding Hard Red Wheat in ‘Norwest 553’ with exceptional milling quality. With the Pacific Northwest being a geographic location primary for soft white wheat production, a hard red wheat is a unique opportunity for our growers, millers, and end use customers. ‘Norwest 553’ has grown to be the leading hard red winter wheat variety for the PNW with exceptional yield potential and excellent end use quality. For more information, contact the OSU Wheat Breeding Program at: Bob Zemetra, Ph.D. , OSU Wheat Breeder