USG 3555 (Reg. No. CV1037, PI 654454) soft red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), developed and tested as VA02W555 by the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, was released in March 2007. USG 3555 was derived from the cross VA945260/Pioneer Brand 2643 //USG 3209. USG 3555 is a highyielding, moderately early heading, awnletted, short stature, semidwarf (Rht2), cultivar that is resistant to powdery mildew [Blumeria graminis (DC.) E.O. Speer], stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis Westend.), and stem rust (Puccinia graminis Pers.:Pers. f. sp. tritici Eriks. & E. Henn.). In Virginia average grain yield (2006 2008) of USG 3555 (6114 kg ha1) has been equal to that of the highestyielding cultivars. In USDAARS uniform nursery trials conducted at 27 locations in 2005 and at 26 locations in 2006, USG 3555 produced average grain yields of 5651 and 5530 kg ha1, respectively, in comparison to nursery mean yields of 4959 kg ha1 in 2005 and 4878 kg ha1 in 2006. Milling and baking quality of USG 3555 exceeds that of its parent USG 3209. On an Allis Chalmers Mill, grain of USG 3555 has higher break flour yields (305 vs. 283 g kg1), softer texture (lower endosperm separation index scores 9.98 vs. 10.62), lower sucrose solvent retention capacity (98.6 vs. 104 g 100 g1), and larger cookie diameters (17.1 vs. 16.8 cm).
