2001 SMALL grain variety trials

Malheur Experiment Station

Information for Sustainable Agriculture

2001 SMALL GRAIN VARIETY TRIALS

Eric P. Eldredge, Clinton C. Shock, Russ S. Karow, John P. Bassinette,

and Lamont D. Saunders

Malheur Experiment Station

Oregon State University

Ontario, OR

Introduction

Malheur Experiment Station (MES) provides one location for the statewide cereal grain variety trials that are planted at several sites across Oregon every year. The MES location provides a furrow-irrigated site for comparing cereal grain variety performance. Plant breeders gain information on the field performance of advanced lines in varied production regions. Growers can compare yields of newly released varieties to the current standards, and also see how some of the varieties in different market classes of wheat, barley, and triticale perform.

Methods

2001 Winter Grain Variety Trials

The grain trials followed sweet corn. The corn stalks were flail mowed on September 8, 2000, then the field was disked and preplant fertilizer was broadcast at 50 lb N/acre and 100 lb P/acre. The soil was deep ripped, plowed, and groundhogged to prepare the seedbed. The field was corrugated into 30-inch rows. Seeds were planted October 30, 2000 with a plot seeder, in plots 5 x 20 ft, then the field was recorrugated.

Eight club wheats, 1 durum wheat, 4 hard white winter wheats, 3 hard red winter wheats, 18 soft white winter wheats, 3 triticales, 1 oat, 1 rye, and a 50/50 blend of 2 soft white wheats were planted in the winter cereals trial. Seed of all varieties was treated with Raxil fungicide and Gaucho insecticide. Grain was planted at 30 live seeds/ft², which corresponds to a seeding rate of approximately 110 lb/acre.

The winter barley trial was comprised of eight six-row barleys, treated with Raxil fungicide and Gaucho insecticide, and planted at 30 live seeds/ft². The winter cereals trial and the winter barley trial were both replicated three times. A soil sample was taken from the field on February 26, 2001. The soil analysis showed ammonia and nitrate forms of N in the top 2 ft of soil totaled 121 lb N/acre, 30 ppm extractable P, 260 ppm K, pH 6.8, and 1.2 percent organic matter.

On April 27, just before the first irrigation, urea prills fertilizer was broadcast over both winter trials to apply N at 47 lb/acre. Broadleaf weeds were controlled with Bronate at 1qt/acre applied April 18. The field was furrow irrigated for 24 hours on April 27, May 24, and June 13. Alleys 3.3 ft wide were cut with a sicklebar mower on June 22. Grain samples were harvested on July 23 with a Hege plot combine.

2001 Spring Cereals Variety Trials

The 2001 spring wheat trial was divided into two separate trials; a hard wheat variety trial and a soft wheat variety trial, in order to allow nitrogen fertilizer to be applied to only the hard wheats to promote optimum protein content. The spring grain trials were in the same field alongside the winter grain trials, and had the same field preparation and fertilizer of 50 lb N/acre and 100 lb P/acre applied in the fall. The field was corrugated into 30-inch beds and left through the winter. On March 20, 2001, preplant fertilizer was broadcast and incorporated to supply 93 lb N/acre, 32 lb SO₄/acre, 4 lb Zn/acre, 1 lb Cu/acre, and 1 lb B/acre.

Seeds were planted on March 23 with a plot seeder, in plots 5 x 20 ft. Broadleaf weeds were controlled in the spring grain trials with Bronate at 1 qt/acre applied May 18. The field was recorrugated on 30-inch rows immediately after planting, and received the first irrigation on April 27. The field was furrow irrigated for 24 hours on April 27, May 24, and June 13. The spring hard wheat trial received an extra 45 lb N/acre before anthesis (the beginning of flowering). Immediately before the May 24 irrigation, urea prills were placed in each irrigation furrow at the top end of every plot in the hard spring wheat trial to provide water-run nitrogen fertilizer.

The spring hard wheat variety trial was comprised of 13 hard red spring wheats, 9 hard white spring wheats, and 2 soft white spring wheats as checks. The spring soft wheat variety trial was comprised of 13 soft white wheat varieties, with 1 club, 1 hard red, and 1 hard white wheat included as checks. The spring barley trial was comprised of four two-row malting varieties, five two-row feed varieties, one two-row feed or malt variety, two six-row feed varieties, four six-row dual use feed or malting varieties, one six-row malt barley variety, and three hull-less oat varieties. Seed of all spring grain was treated with Raxil fungicide and Gaucho insecticide. Plots were replicated three times in both of the spring wheat trials and in the spring barley trial.

Alleys 3.3 ft wide were cut with a sicklebar mower on June 25. Grain samples were harvested in the spring cereal trials on July 24 with a Hege plot combine. All of the grain samples from the winter and spring variety trials were taken to the Oregon State University Cereals Lab at Corvallis where they were cleaned and weighed. Moisture, test weight, and protein were measured. Data were analyzed and tabulated, and data from each location of the statewide cereal trials were posted on the internet at www.css.orst.edu/cereals as they were completed.

Results

At the Malheur Experiment Station in 2001, the summer was warm and sunny, with few evening windstorms, and no hailstorms; consequently all the cereal trials grew very well, with some lodging in the winter grain trials, and no lodging in the spring grain trials. Grain maturity was less uniform than normal, possibly due to unusual temperature fluctuations in April and May.

Winter Cereals Trial

'OR939526', at 148 bu/acre, 'Stephens' at 138 bu/acre, 'Malcolm' at 137 bu/acre, 'ID52814A' at 130 bu/acre, 'WA7853' at 130 bu/acre, 'ID-B-96' at 129 bu/acre, 'Brundage' at 128 bu/acre, 'ID17113A' at 128 bu/acre, 'Weatherford' at 128 bu/acre, and 'OR 939528' at 128 bu/acre were the soft white winter wheat varieties that yielded well (Table 1). 'Malcolm', 'ID-B-96', 'Weatherford', 'OR941044', and 'Hubbard' all showed some lodging. A 50/50 mix of 'Madsen'/'Stephens' yielded the same as 'Madsen' alone, 123 bu/acre, which was not significantly less than 'Stephens' alone.

For varieties of hard red winter wheat, 'Declo' produced 137 bu/acre, 'ID517' 125 bu/acre, and 'Boundary' yielded 120 bu/acre. 'Rhode' club wheat yielded 142 bu/acre, with 'Hiller', 'Bruehl', and 'Temple' not significantly different. 'Coda', a club wheat, and 'IDO550', a hard white, had 63 and 100 percent lodging, respectively, which contributed to their reduced yields. 'Bogo' triticale yielded 143 bu/acre, 'KFT31' triticale yielded 133 bu/acre, and 'Alzo' triticale yielded 111 bu/acre.

Winter Barley Trial

In the winter barley variety trial 'Scio' at 5,754 lb/acre, and 'Stab-113' at 5,163 lb/acre were among the highest yielding (Table 2). Lodging was present in all of the winter barley varieties in this trial, indicating that the nitrogen fertilizer was excessive.

Spring Hard Wheat Trial

Yields of hard white spring wheats were 'WA 7901' at 120 bu/acre, 'WA7899' at 113 bu/acre, 'Lolo' at 112 bu/acre, 'WA7900' at 111 bu/acre, 'Sunco' at 109 bu/acre, and 'IDO 560' at 105 bu/acre (Table 3) . In the hard red market class, the varieties with yield higher than 100 bu/acre were 'Jefferson' at 114 bu/acre, 'IDO 545' at 112 bu/acre, 'OR 4910028' at 111 bu/acre, 'Yecora Rojo' at 107 bu/acre, 'OR 4920002' at 104 bu/acre, and 'IDO 377S' at 102 bu/acre.

Among the hard reds, 'Yecora Rojo' at 14.1 percent protein, 'IDO 557' at 14.5 percent protein, 'WPB-936' at 14.3 percent protein, and 'Tara' at 14.6 percent protein, all attained the minimum standard of protein (14 percent) the hard wheats require for acceptable milling and baking quality in their customary uses. Protein among the hard white spring wheats ranged from 11.2 to 12.6 percent.

Among the highest yield in the spring hard wheat trial was 'Winsome' hard white wheat with 124 bu/acre, when planted at 45 seeds/ft² (for a seeding rate of approximately 143 lb/acre) (Table 3). 'Winsome' planted at the standard rate of 30 seeds/ft² (95 lb/acre seeding rate) yielded 123 bu/acre, and 'Winsome' at 20 seeds/ft² (64 lb/acre seeding rate) yielded 116 bu/acre. 'Penawawa' soft white spring wheat, included in this hard wheat trial as a check, produced 124 bu/acre, equal to 'Winsome' at the high seeding rate.

There was no lodging in the spring hard wheat trial, indicating the nitrogen supply (121 lb N/acre from the soil test, plus 93 lb N/acre applied preplant, plus 45 lb N/acre water-run pre-anthesis, for a soil system total of 259 lb N/acre) could have been higher. With a higher N fertilizer level, weaker-strawed varieties such as 'IDO377S' and 'Lolo' might show some lodging, and stronger-strawed varieties such as 'Yecora Rojo' and 'Hank' might increase in yield and protein content. The difficulty is in predicting how much mineralized N will be available to be taken up by the crop in the growing season. Based on the trial average yield of 108 bu/acre, and a "rule-of-thumb" total nitrogen requirement for irrigated hard spring wheat of 3.5 lb N/bu, the system total N would have been 378 lb N/acre, suggesting 119 lb N/acre was mineralized N.

Split applications of nitrogen fertilizer, or an application of nitrogen at, or just before, anthesis, have not reliably increased hard wheat protein levels in irrigated cropping systems to 14 percent and above. Hard wheats grown in dryland conditions usually have acceptable protein content, but the low grain yields typical of dryland systems would be economically unacceptable for growers in our area, compared to the productivity of irrigated soft wheats.

Spring Soft Wheat Trial

The trial average yield was 103 bu/acre, and there were no differences in yield at the 5 percent level of statistical probability (Table 4). 'WA 7884' and 'Challis' each produced 114 bu/acre. Protein content ranged from 9.5 percent for 'Challis' to 11.1 percent for 'Zak'. There was no lodging in the spring soft wheat trial.

Spring Barley Trial

Spring barley yield reached 6,000 lb/acre for the two-row feed variety 'Farmington', with 'Stab-113' at 5,541 lb/acre, and 'Tango' at 5,097 lb/acre also among the highest yielding spring barleys (Table 5). The highest yielding hull-less oat variety was 'Cayuse' at 3,182 lb/acre, with 16.3 percent protein. There was no lodging in the spring barley trial.

Table 1. Winter wheat and triticale yield, test weight, protein percentage, height at maturity, and date of 50 percent heading, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, OR, 2001.

	Market		Test
Variety	class*	Yield	weight	Protein	Height	Heading	Lodging
		bu/acre^†	lb/bu	%	in	day	%
Rohde	Club	122	53.7	10.3	39	May 30	0
Rely	Club	109	57.3	10	41	June 3	30
Coda	Club	106	58.8	10.7	37	June 6	63
Hiller	Club	105	55.3	10.2	40	June 3	20
WA7855	Club	105	56.3	10.2	41	June 6	0
Temple	Club	96	59.2	10.4	38	May 29	0
Edwin	Club	85	57.9	11.1	42	May 31	33
Bruehl	Club	56	48.2	10.7	41	June 4	0
Connie	Durum	120	63.1	11.7	37	May 26	0
Declo	HR	137	61.4	11.2	39	June 1	0
ID517	HR	125	61	10.6	36	May 27	10
Boundry	HR	120	60.5	11.1	40	May 30	0
OR 850513-19	HW	126	62.3	10.3	39	May 30	0
OR 850513-8	HW	122	60.1	10.3	39	May 30	0
OR 941904	HW	111	59.9	10.4	41	June 5	0
ID550	HW	89	59.6	10.4	45	May 30	100
Kolding oat	Oat	46	38.7	16.7	52	June 12	63
Rifle	Rye	101	55.6	9.1	43	May 21	20
OR 939526	SW	148	59.5	10	42	May 29	0
Stephens	SW	138	58.8	10.9	39	May 28	0
Malcolm	SW	137	60	10.4	41	June 1	10
ID52814A	SW	130	59.4	9.5	43	June 6	0
WA7853	SW	130	60.1	9.8	44	June 5	0
ID-B-96	SW	129	57.9	9.6	39	June 6	10
Brundage	SW	128	62.3	9.7	36	May 25	0
ID17113A	SW	128	58.6	10	38	May 31	0
Weatherford	SW	128	58.1	10	42	June 7	15
OR 939528	SW	128	58.4	10.3	43	May 30	0
Madsen/Stephens	SW	123	60.3	9.8	39	May 29	0
Madsen	SW	123	59.7	9.8	38	June 6	0
OR 941044	SW	123	62.1	10.3	42	June 4	10
Rod	SW	119	59	10.1	40	June 6	0
OR 943560	SW	117	59.7	10.3	42	May 30	0
Hubbard (ID10420A)	SW	116	60.7	10.2	44	June 2	10
OR 941899	SW	115	59	10	42	June 6	0
Yamhill	SW	102	57.6	9.8	43	June 4	0
Foote	SW	96	57	8.3	42	May 30	0
Bogo	Triticale	143	57.9	11.1	46	May 27	0
KFT31	Triticale	133	59.7	11.6	47	May 25	0
Alzo	Triticale	122	58	11.2	48	May 29	0
Mean		116	58.3	10.5	41	June 1
LSD (0.05)		24	6	1.2

*HR = hard red, HW = hard white, SW = soft white.

^†Adjusted to 10% moisture, 60 lb/bu.

Table 2. Winter barley yield, test weight, protein percentage, height at maturity, date of 50 percent heading, and lodging percentage, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, OR, 2001.

Market Test Heading

Variety class* Yield weight Protein Height day Lodging

lb/acre lb/bu % in %

Scio 6RF 5,754 51 12.5 40 May 25 35

Kold 6RF 3,919 51.7 12.4 41 May 24 57

Strider 6RF 3,051 53.7 11.6 39 May 23 70

Stab-113 6RF/M 5,163 53.3 11.9 40 May 22 30

Stab-7 6RF/M 4,352 52.6 12.2 41 May 20 65

Stab-47 6RF/M 3,632 52.7 13.3 46 May 18 33

Kab-37 6RF/M 3,162 52.6 11.5 41 May 25 17

88Ab536 6RM 3,498 53.2 13.7 43 May 18 80

Mean 4,066 52.6 12.4 41 May 22 48

LSD (0.05) 1,301 ns 1.1

*6RF = six-row feed, 6RF/M = six-row feed or malt, 6RM = six-row malt.

Table 3. Spring hard wheat yield, test weight, protein percentage, height at maturity, and date of 50 percent heading, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, OR, 2001.

	Market		Test			Heading
Variety	class*	Yield	weight	Protein	Height	day
		bu/acre^†	lb/bu	%	in
Jefferson	HR	114	61.1	13.2	38	June 5
IDO 545	HR	112	60.5	12.3	39	June 3
OR 4910028	HR	111	59.7	12.2	35	June 2
Yecora Rojo	HR	107	62.2	14.1	26	June 1
OR 4920002	HR	104	61	13.5	30	June 5
IDO 377S	HR	102	61.3	13.4	39	June 4
Iona	HR	99	61.8	13.4	40	June 2
WA 7839	HR	99	59.9	13.8	37	May 29
Hank	HR	98	59.8	13.8	34	June 1
IDO 557	HR	97	60.9	14.5	35	June 1
WPB-936	HR	97	60.3	14.3	33	June 2
Scarlet	HR	91	60.2	13.6	40	June 5
Tara (WA 7824)	HR	88	60.8	14.6	40	May 30
Winsome (45 seeds/ft²)	HW	124	60.7	11.2	35	June 4
Winsome	HW	123	60.1	11.3	35	June 6
WA 7901	HW	120	61.7	12.1	40	June 6
Winsome (20 seeds/ft²)	HW	116	61.2	11.5	34	June 7
WA 7899	HW	113	62.5	12.4	36	June 1
Lolo (IDO 533)	HW	112	61.7	12.4	38	June 4
WA 7900	HW	111	62.8	12.6	37	June 4
Sunco	HW	109	60.7	11.9	32	June 7
IDO 560	HW	105	59.6	11.8	36	June 6
Penawawa	SW	124	61.4	11.3	37	June 7
Alpowa	SW	111	60.7	11.8	37	June 5
Mean		108	60.9	12.8	36	June 4
LSD (0.05)		14	1.4	0.8

*HR = hard red, HW = hard white, SW = soft white.

^†Adjusted to 10% moisture, 60 lb/bu.

Table 4. Spring soft white wheat yield, test weight, protein percentage, height at maturity, and date of 50 percent heading, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, OR, 2001.

	Market		Test			Heading
Variety	class*	Yield	weight	Protein	Height	day
		bu/acre^†	lb/bu	%	in
WA 7902	Club	107	58.9	10.3	36	June 3
Jefferson	HR	96	64.2	11.9	37	June 2
Winsome	HW	108	62.4	11.2	36	June 6
WA 7884	SW	114	62.9	10.2	40	June 4
Challis	SW	114	61.6	9.5	37	June 1
Treasure	SW	111	62	10.1	38	June 4
IDO 526	SW	109	62.1	10.5	35	June 3
Penawawa	SW	108	63.7	10.2	36	June 2
Zak	SW	103	62.3	11.1	37	June 5
Whitebird	SW	101	61.9	10.2	39	June 4
Alpowa (untreated)	SW	101	63.6	10.6	36	June 1
Alpowa	SW	100	63.5	10.3	36	June 2
Alpowa (no Gaucho)	SW	98	63.1	10.1	37	June 2
Jubilee (IDO 525)	SW	97	62	11	38	June 3
Wawawai	SW	92	60.5	11.2	40	June 3
Rene-98	SW	84	56.7	11.7	41	June 2
Mean		103	62	10.6	37	June 3
LSD (0.05)		ns	2	1.1

*HR = hard red, HW = hard white, SW = soft white.

^†Adjusted to 10% moisture, 60 lb/bu.

Table 5. Spring barley yield, test weight, protein percentage, height at maturity, and date of 50 percent heading, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, OR, 2001.

Market Test Heading

Variety class* Yield weight Protein Height day

lb/acre lb/bu % in

Farmington 2RF 6,000 53.5 12.7 28 June 9

Xena 2RF 4,657 55.5 12.6 34 June 9

Orca 2RF 4,577 55.1 14 34 May 27

H3860224 2RF 4,046 55.9 13.7 35 June 7

Valier 2RF 3,952 55 13.4 33 June 5

BCD-47 (Othello) 2RF/M 4,877 53.7 13.2 27 June 1

Chinook 2RM 4,310 55.9 13.8 33 June 10

Harrington 2RM 4,057 54.6 14.3 31 June 9

Garnet 2RM 4,044 55.2 13.6 30 June 6

Bancroft 2RM 3,159 55.8 14.3 29 June 7

Tango 6RF 5,097 53.4 11.6 32 May 30

Steptoe 6RF 3,155 53.1 12.8 36 May 29

Stab-113 6RF/M 5,541 54 11.3 34 June 4

Stab-7 6RF/M 4,263 49 13.1 33 June 7

Stab-47 6RF/M 4,202 53.9 13.9 36 May 29

WA 8682-96 6RF/M 3,403 55.6 13.3 35 June 8

Morex 6RM 2,891 54.4 13.8 40 May 27

Cayuse H Oat 3,812 33.8 16.3 40 June 10

Lamont H Oat 2,018 41.1 22.9 40 June 13

Provena H Oat 1,940 45 23.5 39 June 10

Trial Mean 4,000 52.2 14.4 34 June 5

LSD (0.05) 979 1.4 1