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Understanding Varietal Placement is One Key to Wheat Success
Greg Fox will be the first to tell you that some of the spring wheat varieties he develops have the promise to perform well in some locations, but don’t have a good fit in others.
And the Fargo-based spring wheat breeder with WestBred LLC says some of the varieties he’s developed need a higher level of management than others.
Understanding varietal placement – knowing what may work well in your location, and what might not – is a key factor in deciding what to plant next year. “Varieties having different
characteristics give the producer choices and allow him to select varieties that fit on his acres and style of management,” says Fox.
The following table details an example of varieties that respond to placement. WestBred LLC and Dakota Growers Pasta Agronomy Group have cooperated on Variety Focus Trials along U.S. Hwy. 2
(N.D. northern tier) for a number of years.
Fox points out that these results for hard red spring wheat in 2004 and 2005 show that Trooper, a newly released semi-dwarf, has performed quite well in this particular region.
Trooper’s early heading and excellent standability make it a good companion for Granite, Fox says. He points out that these trials suggest that Trooper responds to the cooler, northern
environments with higher yield.
Rush is a new hard red spring semi-dwarf Fox is developing that is earlier than Granite, but has protein similar to Granite and improved general disease resistance. This variety is
under increase by WestBred for general release in 2007.
WestBred variety comparisons from test sites1 in northern and central North Dakota along U.S. Highway 2.
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Heading
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Height
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Test Weight
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Protein
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Yield
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Variety
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Origin
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n
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(days after
6-1)
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(in)
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(lb/bu)
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(%)
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(bu)
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2004
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Trooper
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WestBred
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20
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39.5
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30.2
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62.4
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14.1
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86.8
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Knudson
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Agripro
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20
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42.6
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32.2
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61.5
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13.9
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79.5
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Granite
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WestBred
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20
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44.5
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32.8
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63.2
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15.3
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77.8
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Rush
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WestBred
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20
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39.2
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32.9
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62.7
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15.0
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73.1
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Alsen
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NDSU
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20
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42.0
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33.8
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61.7
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15.0
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71.4
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2005
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Trooper
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WestBred
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23
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30.7
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28.6
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61.3
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14.1
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63.1
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Knudson
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Agripro
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23
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34.6
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31.3
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60.8
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14.2
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63.0
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Rush
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WestBred
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23
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30.2
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31.1
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61.8
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15.1
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55.4
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Alsen
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NDSU
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23
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32.9
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32.0
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62.1
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14.9
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55.3
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Granite
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WestBred
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23
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35.2
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31.2
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62.0
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14.7
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55.1
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1Cooperative testing with Dakota Growers Pasta Agronomy Group.
2004 test sites: Garrison, Westhope, Carrington, Leeds and Langdon, ND.
2005 test sites: Garrrison, Ray, Westhope, Carrington, Leeds and Langdon, ND.
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