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 Jamie Sherman and Liz Elmore, MSU PSPP 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 the variety performance in the local area. To this end the objective is to evaluate spring barley varieties under the local conditions with respect to yield, test weight, plant height, plump seed, thin seed 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 spring barley varieties.

 

Methods: Barley was separated into malt/feed and hull-less varieties. On station nurseries consist of dryland and irrigated intrastate malt/feed barley, 49 entries, and dryland and irrigated hull-less barley, 16 entries. Off station barley nurseries consist of 16 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, then harvested with a Hege 140 plot combine. Spring barley seed was cleaned prior to collecting data.

 

Results: Table 1 and 2 are data from the dryland intrastate malt/feed barley trial. Tables 3 and 4 are for the irrigated intrastate malt/feed barley nursery. Tables 5 thru 14 are for off station barley nurseries and tables 15 and 16 are for the dryland and irrigated hull-less intrastate nurseries.

Table 17 contains soil test values.

 

At the research center, this years’ overall crop year temperatures were slightly higher than the 30 year average at the research center, being 1.2 degrees warmer than normal. With November being 0.9 degrees warmer that the 30 year average. December and January average temperatures were very close to the long term average. February was exceptionally warmer, with the temperature being 11.4 degrees warmer than the 30 year average. March and April were also warmer by 4.6 and 2.4 degrees above the 30 year average. May temperatures were cooler than the average by 1.6 degrees. June was also above average by 1.9 degrees. With July and August being slightly cooler than normal by 2.1 and 2.7 degrees.

 

Precipitation at the research center was surprising with 5.18 inches more moisture than the 30 year average. We received above average moisture the fall of 2015, resulting in good soil moisture at planting. September was 1.82 inches above the 30 year average. October through December were 0.5 inches of precipitation above normal. January was ahead of the average with 2.1 inches more than the normal precipitation. February was exceedingly dry reporting no moisture for the month. With March close behind only receiving 0.2 of inch. April brought some much needed moisture with about an inch above the 30 year average, while May was only slightly above the 30 year average. June precipitation was 2.3 inches below normal. July received 1.4 inches over the 30 year average for precipitation.

 

Yields for the dryland intrastate malt/feed nursery ranged from 74.2 to 116.4 bu/ac with an average test weight of 52.8 bu/ac. Plump average was 98.5 % with an average of 9.8 % seed protein (Table 1). Irrigated intrastate malt/feed nursery had a range of 85.1 to 136.3 bu/ac with an average test weight of 51.7. The nursery averaged 97.8% plump and 9.9 % seed protein (Table 2).

 

The hull-less dryland barley intrastate nursery had an average yield of 56.5 bu/ac with an average test weight of 58.0 lbs/bu and 11.4 % grain protein. Yields in the hull-less dryland barley ranged from 23.4 bu/ac for Purple Prairie and 69.9 bu/ac for the Montana State University entry MT110061 (Table 15). Irrigated hull-less barley trial had an average yield of 68.1 bu/ac and an average test weight of 57.1 lbs/bu and 12.3% average seed protein. Yields in the hull-less irrigated barley ranged from 39.0 bu/ac for Purple Prairie and 83.5 bu/ac entry X0626-T22 (Table 15).

 

Yields for the irrigated off station spring barley nursery, averaged 104.4 bu/ac, with an average kernel plumpness of 95.7%, a mean protein of 9.6%, and an average test weight of 50.3 lb/bu (Table 5). Four year means for the irrigated off station nursery are tabulated in Table 6.

 

Grain yields averaged 75.2 bu/acre at the Knees, 56.6 bu/ac north of Devon, 71.4 bu/ac at the Choteau site, and 75.1 bu/ac at the site north of Cut Bank. Kernel plumpness averaged 88.3 % and test weight averaged 48.6 lbs/bu at the Devon site while kernel plumpness averaged 70.8% and test weight averaged 42.5 lbs/bu at the Knees. Choteau kernel plumpness was 80.7 % and test weight averaged 46.7 lbs/bu. The nursery at Cut Bank averaged 49.6 lb/bu, 95.5% plumps, with 14.2 % seed protein (Tables 7 thru 14).

 

Top yielding varieties at the Knees were Conrad, Hays, and Hockett, yields were 98.0, 95.6, and 85.0 bu/ac. Whereas the top yielding barleys north of Devon were Champion, Conrad, and Hays they yielded 64.3, 61.7, and 59.9 bu/ac. Yielding highest at the Choteau site were Champion, the Montana State University experimental entry MT124555, and Hays with yields of 83.0, 77.8 and 77.7 bu/ac. High yielding varieties at Cut Bank were Champion, 99.4 bu/ac, Moravian 115, 91.8 bu/ac and the Montana State University experimental entry MT124555, 86.0 bu/ac (Tables 7 thru 14).

 

No insect incidence (wheat stem sawfly or wireworms) was noticed in any of the barley varieties, on or off station. Insignificant amount of adult of wheat 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 Sponsored Programs will provide expenditure information. No other grants support this project.

 

MWBC FY2017 Grant Submission Plans: A similar project will be proposed for FY 2017. The continuation of on and off-station variety trials help to elucidate researchers and farmers which varieties are better suited for that particular region in Montana.