Registration of ‘NE06545’ (Husker Genetics Brand Freeman) Hard Red Winter Wheat

Providing more productive wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars with broad adaptation in their target regions to wheat producers is a major goal of wheat-breeding programs. 'NE06545' (Reg. No. CV-1098, PI 667038) hard red winter wheat was developed cooperatively by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA-ARS and released in 2013 by the developing institutions. NE06545 was released primarily for its superior performance under rainfed conditions in Nebraska and adjacent areas of the Great Plains. NE06545 was selected from the cross KS92-946-B-15-1/'Alliance', where the pedigree of KS92-946-B-15-1 is ABI86*3414/'Jagger'//'Karl 92'. That cross was made in 2000. NE06545 was selected using a modified bulk breeding method as an F-3:4 line (F-3-derived line in the F-4 generation) in 2004, and in 2006 it was assigned experimental line number NE06545. It survives the winter, has acceptable disease reactions to many of the common diseases in its target area, and has acceptable end-use quality for bread making. After extensive testing, it was released in January 2013.