Winter Cereal forage cultivar evaluations for the Western Golden Triangle area of Montana

Project Title: Winter Cereal forage cultivar evaluations for the Western Golden Triangle area of Montana

Principal Investigator: Gadi V.P. Reddy, Professor of Entomology/Ecology, John H. Miller, Research Scientist, MAES, Western Triangle Ag Research Center, Conrad, MT.

Personnel: Julie Prewett, Research Assistant, MAES, WTARC, Conrad, MT, and Pat Carr and Simon Fordyce, MSU/MAES, Central Ag. Research Center, Moccasin, MT.

Objectives: The objective is to evaluate winter cereal forage varieties under the local conditions with respect to yield, test weight, plant height, and seed protein. The research center strives to provide growers of the western triangle area unbiased information of various winter cereal forage varieties.

Methods: Plots were seeded with a four row plot seeder on one foot spacing and planted on no- till chemical fallow barley stubble. Plots were trimmed, measured for length, and then harvested with a Wintersteiger Classic plot combine. Forage samples were harvested and wet weight and dry weight were recorded. Winter wheat seed was cleaned prior to collecting data.

Results: A winter cereal forage trial was seeded the fall of 2017. Grain harvest data are presented in Table 1. Grain yields ranged from 41.7 bu/ac for T1310-219 to 55.6 bu/ac for Flex. Of the top three seed yielding varieties two were Montana State University experimental lines. Seed yield was 55.6 bu/ac for Flex, 55.6 bu/ac for MTF1432 and 53.7 bu/ac for MTF1631.

Table 2 is the soil test results from each location.

Overall, the crop year temperatures where cooler than 32 year average at the research center, May, when we could have used some cooler temperatures, was 5.2 degrees warmer than the average. But the overall average temperature for the year from September to August was 3.8 degrees cooler than the 32 year average. The winter temperature, from September to March was well below average, with February being 15.5 degrees colder than the 32 year average. March and April were 9.6 and 7.1 degrees colder than the 32 year average. May was the only month that had a temperature that was above the average with a temperature 5.2 degrees. September through March were at or above the average precipitation for those months. Then May through August were drier than the 32 year average. Overall, precipitation was average for the year with respect to the 32 year average.

The winter cereal forage plots were seeded into soil that had good soil moisture storage from the late summer and fall moisture in 2017. A warmer and dryer May and lack of summer moisture probably affected yield, test weight, and seed protein.

Summary: The data for the winter cereal forage plots are supported by the local producers and advisory committee as well as the seed industry. It is planned to continue the winter cereal variety plots at WTARC.

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 probability 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.

Table 1. 2018 Winter Cereal Forage, Western Triangle Ag Research Center, Conrad, MT.

Planted: 10/9/2017 on chemical fallow Grain harvested 8/16/2018.

Fertilizer: actual pounds/ac of N-P-K: 11-22.5-0 applied with seed and 30-0-20 side shot during planting. 180 lbs N/ac as urea was broadcast on 4/27/2018. For fertilizer rates, a yield goal of 70 bu/ac was used.

Herbicide: Huskie at 11.0 oz/ac and Axial XL at 16.4 oz/ac applied 6/3/2018.

Conducted by MSU Western Triangle Ag. Research Center.

Table 2. Soil test values for off-station and on-station plots, 2018.

1Nitrogen soil samples were to a depth of four feet in one foot increments. All other soil tests were for zero to six inches in depth.

WTARC- Western Triangle Ag. Research Center