Agricultural News
Gallagher Knocks Duster Off as the Top Wheat Variety for 2016 Oklahoma Wheat Crop
Thu, 03 Mar 2016 04:14:51 CST
Oklahoma State University (OSU) varieties continue to gain share in the Hard Red Winter Wheat plantings in the state of Oklahoma. USDA reports that the top four leading wheat varieties planted in the state were developed by OSU, but compared to the 2015 report, there were changes within the variety rankings. OSU bred Gallagher replaced OSU bred Duster as being the number one variety planted in the state. Duster still comes in second place, with the Ruby Lee and Endurance varieties following close behind. The roots of success continue to be firmly anchored with several other up-and-coming OSU varieties being used by Oklahoma wheat producers. Newer releases showing significant increases in acreage from last year were Iba and Doublestop CL Plus. This is according to the March 2016 "Oklahoma Wheat Variety Report" from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Gallagher the leading variety of all wheat seeded in Oklahoma, accounts for 14.3 percent of the state's 2016 planted wheat acres. The primary area of adaptation for the Gallagher variety is from the Northern regions of Texas to the Southern regions of Kansas throughout the Hard Red Winter wheat production area of southern, central and north central Oklahoma.
When you combine the percentages given in the USDA report, over 47% of the wheat acres planted last fall in the Oklahoma were likely planted to a variety developed by the Wheat Improvement Team at Oklahoma State University.
The most planted wheat variety in the state last fall, Gallagher, is an early maturing variety and is known best for its good grazing tolerance. It is resistant to Hessian fly and moderately resistant to tan spot and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus. It is resistant to wheat soilborne and wheat spindle streak mosaic viruses. Gallagher has great septoria leaf blotch resistance for no-till or high-residue systems. This variety also has the ability to exceed 12 percent grain protein with adequate fertilization
Duster has been a consistent top performer in OSU wheat variety tests for several years. It performs well in both grain-only and dual-purpose systems and has above-average tillering ability which allows it to recover well from grazing. It emerges well in hot, dry soil conditions and closes the canopy rapidly. These traits, along with good forage production and medium-late first hollow stem, make Duster a nice fit for dual-purpose production systems. Duster has effective resistance to several diseases common to Oklahoma, including leaf rust, stripe rust, powdery mildew, wheat soilborne mosaic, wheat spindle streak mosaic and barley yellow dwarf. Moderate susceptibility to tan spot and septoria means Duster should be monitored for these diseases in continuous no-till wheat production systems.
Duster is highly resistant to the Great Plains biotype of Hessian fly. This is of particular benefit to producers wishing to sow early to maximize forage yield or those who no-till wheat after wheat.
The Ruby Lee variety has Endurance as one of its parents with large seed size and outstanding milling and baking characteristics. The Endurance influence lends excellent forage production and recovery from grazing. On the other hand, Ruby Lee is highly responsive to intensive management with great top-end yield potential. Stripe rust and powdery mildew can restrict yield of Ruby Lee, so foliar fungicides are recommended when justified by yield potential. The Ruby Lee variety is Hessian fly resistant with good tan spot resistance for no-till systems. Ruby Lee is best suited for a soil pH of 5.5 and above. Ruby Lee has good drought tolerance and a wide area of adaptation throughout the Southern Plains but appears best fit for downstate Oklahoma.
Endurance wheat, a mainstay released by Oklahoma State University Wheat Improvement Team in 2004, has performed well in dual-purpose and grain-only systems throughout the state of Oklahoma and beyond. It shows an unusual ability to break winter dormancy consistently late from year to year yet will catch up on heading date relative to Duster. Still Endurance finishes relatively late and often benefits from moderate temperatures during May. Years of yield data indicate that Endurance has the ability to maintain good yield potential in a wide range of stress environments as well. Given these attributes, it should be no surprise that the OSU Wheat Improvement Team has used Duster and Endurance as a sturdy foundation for creating new, improved varieties.
For example, Gallagher now the number one planted variety in the state, a newer OSU variety with Duster parentage, has great forage production with improved yield and a disease resistance package similar to Dusters but with improved tolerance to leaf spotting diseases expected in no-till or high-residue systems. Gallagher is an early maturing wheat but has good grazing tolerance. The seed size is larger than Duster and has above average test weights. It also carries a key segment of a rye chromosome that lends greater yielding ability, but unlike so many varieties with this feature, Gallagher has provided above milling and baking quality.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...
