2019 Winter Wheat Off-Station Variety Trials

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North Central Montana Off-Station Winter Wheat Variety Performance Evaluations

Principal Investigator:  Peggy Lamb, Research Scientist, Northern Ag Research Center, Havre

Project Personnel:      

Phil Bruckner, Breeder/Geneticist, Winter Wheat, Bozeman
Jim Berg, Research Associate, Winter Wheat, Bozeman
Kyla McNamara, Research Associate, Havre
Tyler Lane, Chouteau County Extension
Julianne Snedigar, Blaine County Extension

Cooperators:               

Max Cederberg, Landowner, Turner
Kendrick McKeever, Landowner, Loma

Objectives

Diverse cropping environments exist within the five‑county area most closely served by Northern Agricultural Research Center.  Winter wheat, spring wheat, barley, durum and oat production together in the five counties (Blaine, Chouteau, Hill, Liberty and Phillips), represents just over 28 percent of the 2014-2018 statewide cereal production totals (42 percent for winter wheat and 27 percent for spring wheat).  Producers are keenly interested in variety performance data generated under local conditions.  It is our objective, within budget and other resource limitations, to evaluate small grain variety performance, over time, under conditions representative of specific areas of northern Montana, yet differing from that of the Research Center.  Growers are provided reliable, unbiased, up-to-date information to make comparisons among improved winter wheat varieties.  This report provides producers in north central Montana the information necessary to select varieties best suited for their specific area and growing conditions.

Methods

Standard off‑station winter wheat variety performance trials were conducted on minimal tillage during 2019 in two northern Montana counties. 

Dryland Winter Wheat Trials:

1. Cederberg Farm, Blaine County                                S13-T36N-R25E
2. McKeever Farms, Chouteau County                         S29-T27N-R10E

Both winter wheat trials consisted of 25 entries and were seeded in replicated, 3‑row, 22‑foot plots on a 12‑inch row spacing, utilizing a self‑propelled cone seeder with Atom Jet paired row openers.  All rows of each plot were trimmed to a harvest length of approximately 17 feet with a three-point rototiller.  Plant height was measured from the soil surface to the top of the head, excluding awns, and percent sawfly cutting was visually estimated for each plot immediately prior to harvest.  A ‘Wintersteiger Classic’ plot combine, funded in part by the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, was used to harvest each 3-row plot.  Seed was cleaned prior to measuring plot weight for yield determination.  Protein, test weight and moisture content were determined using a Foss Infratec 1241 near infrared analyzer.  Falling number was determined using a Perten FN1700 according to the FGIS Directive 9180.38.  Other variables specific to each individual trial are listed with the current year data tables.

Please note that research trial yield results recorded under wheat stem sawfly pressure are likely much higher than a producer should expect.  Small plot variety trials are managed to assess maximum yield potential and are harvested in such a way that all stems and heads are picked up by the combine, regardless of lodging or cutting due to sawfly.  Pickup guards coupled with an extremely slow ground speed and an exceptionally low cutting height help researchers collect all heads in order to assess seed yield potential.  If you are a producer in a wheat stem sawfly environment, although hollow stemmed varieties may be high yielding in research trials in your area, we strongly recommend against growing those hollow stemmed varieties.  Please be aware that if you seed hollow stemmed varieties with wheat stem sawfly present, you are only creating a breeding ground for future generations of sawfly in your area and not helping combat the pest population.

Results

Following a cooler than normal summer that was scattered with timely precipitation, winter wheat yields at Turner averaged 61 bu/ac (Table 1).  ‘Yellowstone’, released by Montana State University in 2005, was the highest yielding entry at 74.7 bu/ac.  The 2019 MSU wheat stem sawfly tolerant release ‘Bobcat’ and experimental line ‘MT 1683’ also produced yields statistically equal to that of Yellowstone.  Test weights of all entries averaged 59.2 lb/bu.  Sawfly cutting was almost non-existent in the winter wheat at Turner.  Plant height, yield, test weight, protein, falling number and sawfly cutting data for the 2019 Turner dryland winter wheat trial are summarized in Table 1.

Comparable averages are calculated using a standard check variety when not all entries are present in a specific trial for all years.  Variety means are adjusted by multiplying the actual check mean by the ratio of the individual variety mean compared to the check mean for the same years as tested.  All varieties are then directly comparable to each other when in the same nursery.  A minimum of three years of data is necessary to be included in the comparable average calculation.  Eight-year comparable averages for seed yield and test weight at Turner are summarized in Table 2, while eight-year comparable averages for sawfly cutting are summarized in Table 3. 

Loma winter wheat yields averaged just over 60 bu/ac with ‘SY Monument’, a hollow-stemmed, release from Syngenta in 2015, producing the highest yield at 74.2 bu/ac (Table 4).  Solid-stemmed Bobcat, along with breeding line ‘MT 1642’, produced seed yields statistically equal to SY Monument.  Stem cutting by sawfly was high this year in the small plot scenario at Loma, with cutting in the winter wheat trial averaging 40 percent.  Plant height, yield, test weight, protein, falling number and sawfly cutting data for the 2019 Loma dryland winter wheat trial are summarized in Table 4.  Ten-year comparable averages for seed yield and test weight at Loma are summarized in Table 5, while ten-year comparable averages for sawfly cutting are summarized in Table 6. 

Summary

Above average precipitation throughout northcentral Montana in the fall of 2018 made for very good winter wheat establishment conditions for those seeding early and recharged soils to set up a favorable cropping environment.  However, fall seeding was delayed in many areas where it was too muddy to return to the field for several weeks following the rain.  Overall, the growing season started out cooler and dryer than average with many crops showing drought stress during early June.  Heavy rainfall was spotty during the latter part of June and into early July.  Precipitation coupled with prolonged cooler temperatures in July allowed for a longer period of grain fill, resulting in better than anticipated crop yields in several areas.  The Loma location was seeded into chemical fallow ground that had been minimally tilled to eliminate potential weed issues.  That location suffered from lack of precipitation from May through July resulting lower than average winter wheat yields.  The Turner location was seeded into ground that had been minimally tilled to eradicate rolling dunes of soil that accumulated over a period of extreme wind and dust storms in the summer of 2017.  The Turner area received timely precipitation resulting in higher than average winter wheat yields. 

This work has been strongly supported by producers near each of the off-station locations, and by the Northern Agricultural Research Center Advisory Council.  With budget and other resources allowing, it is planned to continue off‑station cereal variety investigations in the five‑county area.  The Blaine County location near Turner is entering its tenth year of winter wheat testing, while the Chouteau County location, between Big Sandy and Loma, has been used for various trials since 1998.

Recognition

This research would not have been possible without the assistance of the following seasonal employees:

Tawnya Brown, Wylee Brown, Eleri Haney, Abbey Morse and Tracey Reed.

Table 1. Dryland Fallow Winter Wheat Cultivar Evaluation Nursery Grown Off-Station at the Max Cederberg Farm, Turner. Northern Agricultural Research Center. Havre, Montana
2019. (Exp# 19-3851-WW)

1/ Volumetric yields are based on plot weights adjusted to uniform 13 percent grain moisture and 60 lbs/bu as the standard test weight for wheat.
2/ Protein values are adjusted to 13 percent grain moisture.
3/ FN is the falling number value reported in seconds adjusted to 14 percent flour moisture.
4/ Sawfly rating is reported as the percentage of cut stems.
Bold* indicates highest value with a column.
Bold indicates varieties with values equal to highest variety within a column based on Fisher's protected LSD 9p=0.05).

Management Information (19-3851-WW)

Seeding Date    September 26, 2018
Harvest Date    August 30, 2019
Fertility             125-20-10-10 side banded
System              Tilled
Herbicide          Bromac-16 oz/ac, Affinity-0.6 oz/ ac
Insecticide        none
Previous Crop  Minimun Till- Durum
Precipitation    2.98" April to Harvest Maturity

TABLE 2. Eight-Year Yield and Test Weight Summary of Selected Entries from Dryland Fallow Winter Wheat Variety Nurseries Grown Off-Station at the Max Cederberg Farm, Turner. Northern Agricultural Research Center. Havre, Montana. 2011-2019.
(Exp# 3851-WW).

Check variety is Yellowstone.
1/ See MCES Bulletin 1098 or the Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology website at http://plantsciences.montana.edu/ for evaluation of other important variety performance
characteristics to include protein, quality, winter hardiness, disease resistance, etc. before making cultivar selecton decisions.
2/ P = Private Variety, + = Protected Variety, ++ = PVP Title 5 Pending, CL = Clearfield Tolerant, HW = Hard White.
3/ Only the most recent 5 years shown, but summary calculations include all years noted. No harvest in 2014 due to hail.
4/ Percent of Yellowstone yield or test weight for the same data years as those in which a given entry was tested.
5/ 8-Yr Comparable Average = (x/y) * z where x = average yield or test weight of a given entry for years tested, y = average yield or test weight for Yellowstone for the
same years, and z = 8-Yr average yield or test weight for the check variety Yellowstone.
6/ April 1 to 14 days prior to harvest maturity.

TABLE 3. Eight-Year Sawfly Summary of Selected Entries from Dryland Fallow Winter Wheat Variety Nurseries Grown Off-Station at the Max Cederberg Farm, Turner. Northern Agricultural Research Center. Havre, Montana. 2011-2019. (Exp# 3851-WW)

Check variety is Yellowstone.
1/ See MCES Bulletin 1098 or the Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology website at http://plantsciences.montana.edu/ for evaluation of other important variety performance characteristics to include protein, quality, winter hardiness, disease resistance, etc. before making cultivar selecton decisions.
2/ P = Private Variety, + = Protected Variety, ++ = PVP Title 5 Pending, CL = Clearfield Line, HW = Hard White.
3/ No harvest in 2014 due to hail.
4/ Percent of Yellowstone sawfly rating for the same data years as those in which a given entry was tested.
5/ 8-Yr Comparable Average = (x/y) * z where x = average sawfly rating of a given entry for years tested, y = average sawfly rating for Yellowstone for the same years, and z = 8-Yr average sawfly rating for the check variety Yellowstone.
6/ April 1 to 14 days prior to harvest maturity.

TABLE 4. Dryland Fallow Winter Wheat Cultivar Evaluation Nursery Grown Off-Station at McKeever Farm & Seed, Inc., Loma. Northern Agricultural Research Center. Havre, Montana. 2019. (Exp# 19-3853-WW)

TABLE 5. Ten-Year Yield and Test Weight Summary of Selected Entries from Dryland Fallow Winter Wheat Variety Nurseries Grown Off-Station at McKeever Farms and Seed Inc., Loma. Northern Agricultural Research Center. Havre, Montana. 2010-2019.
(Exp# 3853-WW)

Check variety is Yellowstone.
1/ See MCES Bulletin 1098 or the Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology website at http://plantsciences.montana.edu/ for evaluation of other important variety performance characteristics to include protein, quality, winter hardiness, disease resistance, etc. before making cultivar selecton decisions.
2/ P = Private Variety, + = Protected Variety, ++ = PVP Title 5 Pending, CL = Clearfield Line, HW = Hard White.
3/ Only the most recent 5 years shown, but summary calculations include all years noted.
4/ Percent of Yellowstone yield or test weight for the same data years as those in which a given entry was tested.
5/ 10-Yr Comparable Average = (x/y) * z where x = average yield or test weight of a given entry for years tested, y = average yield or test weight for Yellowstone for the same years, and z = 10-Yr average yield or test weight for the check variety Yellowstone.
6/ April 1 to 14 days prior to harvest maturity.

TABLE 6. Ten-Year Sawfly Summary of Selected Entries from Dryland Fallow Winter Wheat Variety Nurseries Grown Off-Station at McKeever Farm and Seed Inc., Loma. Northern Agricultural Research Center. Havre, Montana. 2010-2019. (Exp# 3853-WW)

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Check variety is Yellowstone.
1/ See MCES Bulletin 1098 or the Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology website at http://plantsciences.montana.edu/ for evaluation of other important variety performance characteristics to include protein, quality, winter hardiness, disease resistance, etc. before making cultivar selecton decisions.
2/ P = Private Variety, + = Protected Variety, ++ = PVP Title 5 Pending, CL = Clearfield Line, HW = Hard White.
3/ Percent of Yellowstone yield or test weight for the same data years as those in which a given entry was tested.
4/ 10-Yr Comparable Average = (x/y) * z where x = average sawfly rating of a given entry for years tested, y = average sawfly rating for Yellowstone for the same years, and z = 10-Yr average sawfly rating for the check variety Yellowstone.
5/ April 1 to 14 days prior to harvest maturity.