Sprouting tolerance and falling number in South African hybrid bread wheat cultivars and their parent lines

The aim of this study was to measure tolerance to sprouting in bread wheat hybrids and their parental lines over two consecutive seasons. Sprouting scores obtained from a rain simulator at physiological maturity and then at 7, 14 and 21 days after maturity as well as Hagberg Falling Number (HFN) were used as criteria. Sprouting score at 14 and 21 days after physiological maturity gave reliable and consistent data. Hybrids generally had much higher sprouting scores and lower HFN values than conventional cultivars. The male genepool, from which the hybrids were compiled, mainly contributed to the poor sprouting tolerance of the hybrids. Female lines had sprouting tolerance equal to that of conventional cultivars. HFN was strongly influenced by the season, and multi-year data should be used for effective selection. Grouping trends of genotypes for sprouting score and HFN were similar. Combining males and females with excellent sprouting tolerance should give highly tolerant hybrids.