Malheur Experiment Station Information for Sustainable Agriculture

Eric P. Eldredge, Russ S. Karow, Clinton C. Shock, Ernie Marx, and Lamont Saunders

Cereal grain varieties were evaluated using furrow irrigation, typical of crop production in Malheur County. The trials included varieties that are in development, newly released, or commercially available. Information from these trials helps local growers learn the performance of new varieties in comparison to standard varieties. Cereal breeders gain site-specific performance information for advanced lines and new releases. Four cereal grain variety trials were conducted at the Malheur Experiment Station in the 1998-1999 crop year, as one of the OSU statewide cereal variety testing locations. The trials were a winter and a spring barley trial and a winter and a spring wheat and triticale trial. In addition, several planting rates, seed treatments, and variety combinations were planted for spring and fall planted wheat.

The grain trials followed sweet corn; the cornstalks were flailed, and the field was disked. The field was deep ripped, plowed, and groundhogged to prepare the seedbed. No preplant fertilizer was applied. The field was corrugated into 60-in beds and measured and marked for plots. All trials were planted using randomized complete block designs with three replications. Each plot was planted on a 60-in wide bed with seven rows spaced 6 in apart on the bed. Plot length was 20 ft, with 3.5-ft alleys cut between tiers of plots before harvest.

Winter Wheat, Triticale, and Barley Variety Trials. Winter grain trials were planted November 5, at a standard rate of 30 seeds/ft². All seed was treated with fungicide and Gaucho insecticide. The Winter Barley Trial included four 6-row feed types and two dual use feed or malting 6-row varieties. The Winter Wheat and Triticale Trial included 21 soft white varieties, 5 club wheats, 1 hard red wheat, 2 hard white winter wheats, 1 durum wheat and 1 triticale.

Spring Wheat, Triticale, and Barley Variety Trials. The spring barley and spring wheat trials were planted March 16, 1999, in the same field beside the winter trials. The standard seeding rate was 30 seeds/ft². All seed was treated with fungicide and Gaucho insecticide. The Spring Barley Trial included 6 feed-barleys, 4 malting barleys, and 6 lines being tested for malting potential. The Spring Wheat and Triticale Variety Trial included 17 soft white types, 5 hard white wheats, 5 hard red spring wheats, 1 triticale, and 1 unspecified market class.

Wheat Planting Rate, Variety Mixture and Seed Treatment Trials. Several planting rates, seed treatments, and variety combinations were tested for selected varieties of spring and fall planted wheat. Stephens winter wheat was planted at 20, 30, and 40 seeds per square foot (104, 156, and 207 lb/acre) with Gaucho fungicide. Stephens was planted also without Gaucho. Stepens was compared with Madsen and with a 1-1 mixture of Stephens and Madsen. Penawawa spring wheat was planted at 20, 30, and 40 seeds per square foot (88, 135, and 177 lb/acre) with Gaucho fungicide. Alpowa spring wheat was treated with Gaucho, no Gaucho, and a Novartis experimental seed treatment.

Soil sampling March 3 found 66 lb N/acre in the top 2 ft of soil in the spring grain trial area, pH 7.7, 1.1 percent organic matter, and 18 ppm extractable phosphorus. Soil sampling March 3, 1999, found 76 lb N/acre in the top 2 ft of soil in the winter grain trial area. Nitrogen fertilizer, in the form of urea prills, was broadcast March 9 at 74 lb N/acre on the spring grains and 92 lb N/acre on the winter grains. The grain trials were furrow irrigated on April 28, June 1, June 15, and June 29.

All the trials were harvested July 22, and the grain from each plot was bagged and tagged. Entries in all trial were evaluated for yield, test weight, protein percentage, thousand kernel weight, date of 50 percent heading, and plant height at maturity at the OSU Department of Crop and Soil Science Hyslop Farm, Corvallis, and the results were tabulated and posted at www.css.orst.edu/cereals.

Winter Barley Variety Trial. Winter barley yields may have been reduced by the late planting date and by dry winter weather causing slow seedling development and thin stands in spring, along with dry, cool, windy weather in spring (Table 1). No disease or insect problems developed, and no lodging occurred in any variety. The winter barley variety ORW10 had severe feeding damage from redwing blackbirds in mid-June. Scio had the highest yield and the lowest test weight, but the performance differences were not statistically significant.

Spring Barley Variety Trial. Variety yields ranged from 5,537 lb/acre for Xena, a two-row feed type, to 3,502 lb/acre for Bancroft, a two row malting type (Table 2). Test weights ranged from 57.1 lb/bu for MT920073 to 53.4 lb/bu for Tango. Protein content ranged from 13.4 percent for Orca to 10 percent for Tango. Xena and WA9504-94 were the earliest spring barleys, with 50 percent heading at May 28, while Baronesse and Bancroft were the latest, reaching 50 percent heading 3 weeks later on June 21. Lodging did not occur.

The Winter Wheat and Triticale Variety Trial. Yield ranged from 129 bu/acre for Hiller to 70 bu/acre for Gene (Table 3). Test weight ranged from 60.6 lb/bu for OR939515 to 50.2 lb/bu for Rod. Protein content ranged from 10.7 percent for Stephens, OR939526, and Rod to 9.6 percent for OR908387 and Quantum 7817. Heading was delayed by prolonged cool weather in spring this year, with 50 percent heading dates ranging from June 1 for the triticale variety Bogo to June 17 for Coda. Plant height ranged from 44 in for ID86-10420A down to 33 in for Gene. No varieties lodged in this trial.

The Spring Wheat and Triticale Variety Trial. Yields of soft white spring wheats ranged from 86 bu/acre for IDO526 to 57 bu/acre for WPB BZ 692-108 (Table 4). Test weight of the soft white spring wheat varieties ranged from 64.8 lb/bu for Alpowa to 60.7 lb/bu for Treasure. Soft white protein content ranged from 11.4 percent for Whitebird to 8.2 percent for Wawawai. Date of 50 percent heading ranged from May 30 for Yecora Rojo to June 6 for WA7850, Pomerelle, and Treasure. Plant height ranged from 44 in for the triticale variety M94-4393 to 22 in for Yecora Rojo. Among the soft white wheats, plant height ranged from 36 inches for OR942889 to 28 inches for Alpowa and WPB BZ 692-108. Lodging was not observed in this trial.

Wheat Planting Rate, Variety Mixtures, and Seed Treatment Trials. A blend of Madsen and Stephens yielded 127 bu/acre, similar to the yield of the average of the two varieties planted alone (Table 5). Stephens yielded 126 bu/acre when planted at the standard rate of 30 seeds/ft² (156 lb/acre), 130 bu/acre when planted at the rate of 40 seed/ft² (207 lb/acre), and 106 bu/acre when planted at the rate of 20 seed/ft² (104 lb/acre).

Alpowa spring wheat treated with an experimental seed treatment from Novartis yielded 40 bu/acre, compared to 61 bu/acre when treated with Gaucho and 59 bu/acre when treated with fungicide alone (Table 6). Penewawa yielded 70 bu/acre when planted at the standard rate of 30 seed/ft² (135 lb/acre), compared to 59 bu/acre at 40 seed/ft² (177 lb/acre), and 58 bu/acre at 20 seed/ft² (88 lb/acre).

Table 1. Winter barley yield, test weight, percent protein, date of 50 percent heading and plant height at maturity, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, Oregon, 1999.

¹DOY, day of the year starting with January 1 = 1.

Table 2. Spring barley yield, test weight, protein percentage, 50 percent heading date, and plant height at maturity, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, Oregon, 1999.

¹DOY, day of the year starting with January 1 = 1.

Table 3. Winter wheat and triticale yield, test weight, protein percentage, date of 50 percent heading, and plant height at maturity, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, Oregon, 1999.

¹DOY, day of the year starting with January 1 = 1.

Table 4. Spring wheat and triticale yield, test weight, protein percentage, date of 50 percent heading, and plant height, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, Oregon, 1999.

¹DOY, day of the year starting with January 1 = 1.

Table 5. Winter wheat seeding rates, blended varieties, and seed treatments, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, Oregon, 1999.

Variety	Market class	Yield	Test weight	Protein	Heading date	Height
		bu/acre	lb/bu	%	DOY1	in
Madsen	SW	120	56.5	10.3	157	37
Madsen+Stephens	SW	127	59.9	10.0	157	37
Stephens, 156 lb/acre	SW	126	58.6	10.2	155	37
Stephens, 104 lb/acre	SW	106	55.9	10.7	156	35
Stephens, 207 lb/acre	SW	130	58.1	10.7	155	36
Stephens - no Gaucho	SW	111	59.0	10.2	155	36
Mean		120	58.0	10.4	156	36
LSD (0.05)		19	NS	NS	na	na

¹DOY, day of the year starting with January 1 = 1.

Table 6. Spring wheat seeding rates and seed treatments, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, Oregon, 1999.

Variety	Market class	Yield	Test weight	Protein	Heading date	Height
		bu/acre	lb/bu	%	DOY1	in
Alpowa (Novartis)	SW	40	64.4	8.7	156	28
Alpowa (Gaucho)	SW	61	64.8	9.0	155	28
Alpowa (no Gaucho)	SW	59	64.4	9.1	155	30
Penawawa, 177 lb/acre	SW	59	63.7	9.0	155	29
Penawawa, 135 lb/acre	SW	70	63.7	9.2	156	31
Penawawa, 88 lb/acre	SW	58	63.8	8.9	156	29
Mean		58	64.1	9.0	156	29
LSD (0.05)		26	NS	NS	NA	NA

¹DOY, day of the year starting with January 1 = 1.

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Last updated  Tuesday July 30, 2002 .