Division Of Agriculture Trials Aid Growers In ‘Critical’ Wheat Variety Selection

SARAH CATO

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS

In an industry as unpredictable as farming, it’s important for growers to control what variables they can. With wheat production, variety selection can help account for the many unknowns a growing season may bring.

Wheat cultivars offer a variety of benefits and potential risks, all of which should be weighed carefully according to Jason Kelley, wheat and feed grains extension agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

“Variety selection is very critical in wheat production and there are many aspects to consider when choosing a variety,” Kelley said. “Agronomics, yield, quality, disease resistance, maturity timing, these are all things to take into account when choosing a variety.”

One of the most important aspects of variety selection is disease resistance, said Terry Spurlock, extension plant pathologist for the Division of Agriculture.

“Wheat disease management in Arkansas typically deals with three diseases, Fusarium head blight, stripe rust and Septoria tritici blotch,” Spurlock said. “However, much of our disease pressure is driven by weather, so disease severity is never really known until we are in the crop year itself. For this reason, we want to do as much as we can to prepare for these ‘big three’ prior to putting a seed in the ground.”

Choosing a variety with resistance to common diseases will save growers money in the long run in more ways than one, Kelley said.

“If you have a variety that’s susceptible to disease, you will likely have to spray a foliar fungicide, costing you money,” he said. “And it probably won’t yield as much as a disease-tolerant variety. We want to look for varieties that have high yields and disease resistance.”

Division tries before you buy

How do growers know which variety best suits their needs? Each year, the Arkansas Wheat Variety Testing Program plants commercially available and experimental lines from companies in five locations across Arkansas, testing for yield performance, agronomic characteristics and disease reaction. The results from commercially available varieties are summed up in the annual Arkansas Wheat Update publication.

“The Arkansas Wheat Variety Testing Program under the direction of John Carlin is the best, and really the only unbiased data to test these varieties in Arkansas,” Kelley said. “Most varieties get tested for two to three years, giving us multiple years of good data. All of this is summed up in the Wheat Update, providing a one-stop shop for growers to assess the different aspect of each variety.”

In addition to yield and agronomics, varieties are also rated for their reactions to ‘the big three” diseases as well as other diseases.

“One can grow a productive wheat crop with varieties not listed in the Wheat Update,” Spurlock said. “Still, choosing a tested variety and planning for ‘the big three’ in advance of planting can help increase the likelihood of a more profitable one.” ∆

SARAH CATO: University of Arkansas