MAXWELL: THE WHEAT CULTIVAR THAT HAS OVERCOME THE YIELD BARRIERS IN SOUTHERN CHILE

Abstract

Maxwell is a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar. It was introduced in Chile in 2004 by the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) with the collaboration of the Saaten Union Research Company of France, and released in 2012. Maxwell was evaluated under the Wheat Plant Breeding Program of the INIA (Chile). This study was carried out in the main wheat production area of Chile under different soil types and climatic conditions. The results indicate that Maxwell was superior to commercial checks in terms of growth habit, plant height, precocity, disease resistance, yield and bread-making quality. It also showed better adaptability to early sowing in agro-climatic zones with long winters and humid springs. The adult plant reached a mean height of 90 cm, so that Maxwell can be classified as a semi-dwarf or dwarf wheat. The mean grain yield was higher than the control, reaching a value of 1.06 t ha-1 for the different locations and years of evaluation, and from an industrial point of view can be considered as a medium-quality wheat .