Winter wheat variety evaluations at Western Triangle Ag. Research Center

Principle Investigator: Gadi V.P. Reddy, Superintendent and Associate Professor of Entomology/Insect Ecology, Western Triangle Ag Research Center

Personnel: John H. Miller, Research Associate and Julie Prewett, Research Assistant WTARC, Conrad, MT, and Phil Bruckner and Jim Berg, MSU Plant Science Dept., Bozeman, MT.

Cooperators: Bradley Farms, north of Cut Bank, MT Brian Aklestad, north of Devon, MT Aaron Killion, east of Brady, MT Inbody Farms, northeast of Choteau, MT

Objectives: There are diverse cropping environments within the area served by Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center. Each off station location has its own unique environment and soils. Producers in the various locations are interested in variety performance in the local area.

To this end the objective is to evaluate winter wheat varieties under the local conditions with respect to yield, test weight, plant height, and seed protein. The environmental conditions at the off station nurseries can vary greatly from those at WTARC. The research center strives to provide growers of the western triangle area unbiased information of various winter wheat varieties.

Methods: On station plots consist of the Intrastate, Advanced and Preliminary A nurseries. Off station winter wheat nurseries consist of 25 entries replicated three times, seeded with a four row plot seeder on one foot spacing. All plots were planted on no-till chemical fallow. Plots were trimmed, measured for length, and then harvested with a Hege 140 plot combine. Winter wheat seed was cleaned prior to collecting data. Orange wheat blossom midge pheromone traps were installed at each off station plot.

Results: All winter wheat plots started the spring looking spotty, all recovered well with the exception of the plots at Choteau and Devon. On station winter wheat data are presented in tables 1 thru 4, off station plots were harvested at Choteau, Cut Bank, Devon, and the ‘Knees’. Data for Choteau and Devon are not presented as the stands were very poor. The data are presented in Tables 5 thru 7.

The soils were generally dry at the surface when seeding winter wheat during the fall of 2014. The precipitation in September and October was below the 29 average, with a cooler September and a warmer October, and November was significantly much cooler than normal.

Overall, the crop year temperatures where close to the 29 year average at the research center with the exception of 2.5 inches less moisture than the 29 year average. The winter temperature was close to average, with the exception of November being 8 degrees cooler than usual. March was 7 degrees warmer than the normal. Also June was 4.6 degrees warmer compared to the 29 year average.

Soil temperatures at the station under chemical fallow stubble stayed under 40 degrees at a depth of eight inches until mid April. May was cool with slightly above average precipitation. Early in June we received 0.95 inches, then it warmed up and remained dry for about 30 days, during that time the winter wheat was running out of water as it was heading. With July having normal amounts of rain, but not enough to completely fill all the kernels in the heads.

Grain yields for the Intrastate nursery were about 12 bu/ac less than the six year average and test weights were down about a pound per bushel with respect to the six year average. Seed protein was 1.2 percent higher this year as compared to the six year average. The top yielding varieties were Denali, LCS Mint, and SY Wolf at 95.9, 95.2, and 90.8 bu/ac with each also having a test weight over 60 lbs/bu (Table 1).

Grain yields and test weights at the ‘Knees’ were 8 bu/ac higher and 1 lb/bu lower than the four year average. Seed protein at the ‘Knees’ was almost two percent lower than the four year average. There is no long term table for Cut Bank as the plot has been destroyed by hail and one spray accident the last three of 5 years. The plots in Devon and Choteau had very poor stands and the data was not conclusive to give adequate information for this year.

Top yielders at the ‘Knees’ include Montana State University experimental line MT1138, SY Wolf, Montana State University experimental line MTS1224 at 78.1, 72.5, and 71.6 bu/ac. At Cut Bank, the top yielding wheat’s were WB3768, Montana State University experimental line MT1257 and new Montana State University release Northern (2015) with yields of 65.1, 64.0,and 63.6 bu/ac.

No insect incidence (wheat stem sawfly or wireworms) was noticed in any of the winter wheat varieties. This is because of the high number of parasitoids of the wheat stem sawfly are present at the research center. Insignificant amount of adult of orange wheat blossom midge were found at the off station locations.

Summary: The data from the off station plots is supported by the local producers and advisory committee as well as the seed industry. It is planned to continue the off station variety plots at the same locations as the environmental conditions at each location is unique to the western triangle area. No insect incidence or damage was noticed in any of the varieties.

These data should be used for comparative purposes rather than using absolute numbers. Statistics are used to indicate that treatment or variety differences are really different and are not different due to chance or error. The least significant difference (LSD) and coefficient of variability (CV) values are useful in comparing treatment or variety differences. The LSD value represents the smallest difference between two treatments at a given probably level. The LSD at p=0.05 or 5 % probability level is usually the statistic reported, and it means that the odds are 19 to 1 that treatment differences by the amount of the LSD are truly different. The CV value measures the variability of the experiment or variety trial, and a CV greater than 15 % indicates a high degree of variability and less accuracy.

Funding Summary: Office of Special Projects will provide expenditure information. No other grants support this project.

MWBC FY2016 Grant Submission Plans: A similar project will be proposed for FY 2016. The continuation of on and off-station variety trials help elucidate researchers and farmers which varieties are better suited for that particular region in Montana.

Table 1. 2015 Intrastate winter wheat variety nursery, Western Triangle Ag. Research Center, Conrad, MT.

Planted: 9/29/14 on chemical fallow and harvested on 7/24/15.

Fertilizer, actual pounds/ac of N-P-K: 11-22-0 applied with seed and 40-0-20 broadcast at planting. 130 lbs/ac N as urea was broadcast on 3/3/2015.

Herbicide, Huskie at 11.0 oz/ac and Axial XL at 16.4 oz/ac applied on 5/14/2015.

*Solid stem score of 19 or higher is generally required for reliable sawfly resistance. CL = Clearfield System

Table 2. Six-year means, 2010 – 2015, Winter wheat varieties, Western Triangle Ag. Research Center, Conrad, MT.

• Solid stem score of 19 or higher is generally required for reliable sawfly resistance. HW = Hard White; CL = Clearfield herbicide system.

Winter hardiness: 5 = high, 1 = low.

Table 3. 2015 Advanced Yield Nursery, Western Triangle Ag. Research Center, Conrad, MT.

Table 3 Continued on next page

Table 3 Continued

Planted: September 29, 2014 on chemical fallow barley stubble and harvested on July 29, 2015. Fertilizer, actual pounds/ac of N-P-K: 11-22-0 applied with seed and 40-0-20 broadcast at planting. 160 lbs/ac N as urea was broadcast on 3/3/2015.

Herbicide: Preplant sprayed with Huskie at 11 oz/ac and Axial XL at 16.4 oz/ac. applied on 5/14/2015.

Table 4. 2015 Preliminary A Variety Nursery, Western Triangle Ag. Research Center, Conrad, MT.

Planted: September 29, 2014 on chemical fallow and harvested on July 29, 2015. Fertilizer, actual pounds/ac of N-P-K: 11-22-0 applied with seed and 40-0-20 broadcast at planting. 160 lbs/ac N as urea was broadcast on 3/3/2015.

Herbicide, Huskie at 11.0 oz/ac and Axial XL at 16.4 oz/ac applied on 5/14/2015.

Table 5. Off-station Winter Wheat variety trial located north of Cut Bank, MT. Glacier county.

Western Triangle Ag. Research Center, 2015.

Cooperator and Location: Bradley Farms, northern Glacier county. Planted 10/7/2014 on chem-fallow. Harvested 8/24/2015.

Fertilizer, actual lbs/a: 11-22.5-0 with seed at planting, topdressed with 163-0-20 on 3/9/2015. Sprayed with Huskie at 11 oz/ac and Axial XL at 16.4 oz/ac on 6/4/2015.

Precipitation: 4.20 inches

** = Solid stem sawfly-resistant (solid stem score of 19 or higher). * = Less preferred by sawfly (behavioral preference) in small plots. Conducted by MSU Western Triangle Ag. Research Center.

Table 6. Off-station Winter Wheat variety trial located near the Knees. Chouteau County. Western Triangle Ag. Research Center, 2015.

Cooperator and Location: Aaron Killion, western Chouteau County. Planted 10/1/ 2014 on chem-fallow. Harvested 8/6/15.

Fertilizer, actual lbs/ac: 11-22-0 with seed at planting, 40-0-20 broadcast while planting. Spring topdressing took place on 3/5/2015 with 65-0-0. For fertilizer rates a yield goal of 70 bu/ac was used. Pre-plant sprayed with Olympus @ 0.6 oz/ac on 10/1/2014. Precipitation: 1.75

Conducted by MSU Western Triangle Ag. Research Center.

Table 7. Five-year means, Winter Wheat varieties, Knees area, western Chouteau County.

2011-2015.

** = Solid stem sawfly-resistant (solid stem score of 19 or higher). Cooperator and Location: Aaron Killion, western Chouteau County. Conducted by MSU Western Triangle Ag. Research Center.