Armor was developed from the cross: 'Otee'/'Noble'//'Ogle'It originated in 1984 as a single panicle selection from a bulk F6 population acquired from the USDA-ARS oat breeding and research program located at The Pennsylvania State University Agricultural Experiment Station The original cross was made by Harold G. Marshall. Armor was reselected as 35 uniform panicles in the F10 generation in 1988. Progeny rows, selected for uniformity for plant type in 1989 and 1990 were bulked following the 1990 harvest to comprise breeder seed
Armor was evaluated under the designation OH1007 in statewide yield trials in Ohio from 1988 to 1991 and was evaluated in the Uniform Midseason Oat Performance Nursery in 1990 and 1991. In Ohio statewide yield trials, Armor exceeded Ogle, 'Porter', and Noble by an average of 4%, 13%, and 19%, respectively. It had an average test weight comparable to Ogle and Noble. Straw strength as measured by percent lodging is excellent. Armor is a midseason maturity cultivar averaging 1 d later than Ogle, 3 d later than Noble, and 2 d earlier than Porter. Armor is similar to Ogle in plant height and has averaged 96 cm in height in tests in Ohio. Based on Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) tolerance evaluations in 1990 at Brookings, SD, W. Lafayette, IN, and Urbana, IL. Armor, like Ogle, has moderate resistance to barley yellow dwarf virus; however, Armor is susceptible to prevalent races of the crown rust pathogen Puccinia coronata. Armor was evaluated for adaptation to the north central region of the USA, but will perform best in areas with reduced crown rust incidence.
Title V protection for Armor, under the provisions of the Plant Variety Protection Act, is pending. Production of foundation, registered, and certified will be permitted beyond breeder seed. Breeder seed of Armor will be maintained by The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, OH 44691-4096.