The North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station has released six elite inbred lines developed by the North Dakota State University corn breeding program.

The six new lines are ND2001, ND2002, ND2003, ND2004, ND2005 and ND2006.

""These lines are the result of an extensive pedigree selection methodology, including thousands of lines and more than four years of nursery line screening,"" says Marcelo Carena, leader of the NDSU corn breeding program. ""We've done testing at several eastern and western North Dakota locations through the years and have used many industry testers. Several traits are included in the new lines, including cold and drought tolerance."

Each of the new varieties has unique features, Carena says.

• ND2001: Produces early maturing hybrids with high grain yield and very good stalk lodging resistance
• ND2002: Produces early maturing hybrids with high grain yield, especially when using irrigation
• ND2003: Produces early maturing hybrids with very good grain yield. ND2003 had the highest performance rankings in the northern Corn Belt 2006 trials
• ND2004: Produces early maturing hybrids with high grain yields and has excellent root and stalk lodging resistance
• ND2005: Produces very early maturing hybrids with average grain yield, very good stalk lodging resistance, fast dry down and high grain quality with above-average test weight
• ND2006: Produces very early maturing hybrids with average grain yield, very fast dry down and high test weight, and has excellent grain protein content

""All of the new lines are meant for use in the northern Corn Belt,"" Carena says. ""NDSU has been doing corn breeding research for more than 75 years. The NDSU corn breeding program is unique because it is one of the only North American public programs developing very early maturing drought-tolerant corn lines and hybrids while actively training the next generation of breeders.

""These releases are possible due to the continuous support of the North Dakota Corn Utilization Council, North Dakota Corn Growers Association, industry partners, corn grower partners, Agronomy Seed Farm, Oakes Irrigation Research Site and Research Extension Centers in Langdon, Carrington, Minot, Williston, Hettinger and Sidney, Mont,"" he adds.

For more information, go to the NDSU corn breeding Web site at http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/plantsci/breeding/corn.

NDSU Agriculture Communication