Funded by Saddle Hills County
Objective
To offer impartial information to producers in Saddle Hills County regarding the agronomic performance of various Wheat varieties under local environmental and soil conditions, aiding them in selecting the most suitable varieties for their county.
Methods
The project was carried out in 2023 at Conrad Dolen’s farm located at the junction of Hwy 725/TR 814 in Fourth Creek, AB. Site soil information from the surface soil (0-6" soil depth) before seeding: pH=6.3, organic matter = 6.7, electrical conductivity = 0.38 dS/m, while the nutrient analysis of the soil gave N = 11 ppm, P = 17 ppm, K = 283 ppm and S = 5 ppm. Soil base saturation was 87.0% (Ca 58.5%, Mg 20.7%, Na 3.7%, K 1.1%).
The previous crops on the site were Pea (2022) and Barley (2021). The trial was a randomized complete block design with four replications on small plots measuring 8 m x 1.14 m. Eleven (11) Wheat varieties were tested (see Table 1). Seeding was carried out using a 6-row Fabro Plot Drill equipped with disc-type openers on 23 cm row spacing complete with mid-row banding.
Observations
Aside from the widespread grasshopper pressure experienced in the Peace Country in 2023, no other pest related issues such as fungal, bacterial, or viral diseases were noted in the plots.
Results
The results for the Wheat variety trial are shown on Table 2 below.
Plant Height and Lodging
Plant height ranged from about 53 cm to 72 cm with the following varieties AAC Redberry, AAC Hodge and Parada growing as tall > 70 cm in height. AAC viewfield (58 cm) and AAC Penhold (53 cm) were the shortest varieties. No lodging was recorded among the varieties.
Wheat Yield
Wheat yielded about 40 bu/ac on average with a range of 30 - 51 bu/ac. AAC Wheatland followed by AAC Hodge were the high yielding varieties with 51 and 47 bu/ac respectively. Tracker, an awnless variety, yielded only 30 bu/ac.
Wheat Bushel and TKW
The bushel weight varied between 44 and 66 lbs/bu, with Tracker notably having a significantly lower bushel weight. TKW ranged from 26 - 38 g/1000 seeds with Tracker again coming in with a rather low TKW of 26 g/1000 seeds.
Wheat Quality
Wheat protein values narrowly ranged between 15% and 16% with no significant differences between tested varieties (data not shown).
Conclusion
Average yields for Wheat were generally low, reaching approximately two-thirds of the 5-year average yields for Risk Area 18, which includes Fourth Creek (AFSC 2023). This year, AAC Wheatland and AAC Hodge emerged as the top performers, each achieving over a 20% grain yield advantage compared to the AAC Viewfield check variety. Tracker the awnless wheat variety, had the lowest yields. These yield advantages will be monitored in 2024 and 2025.
References
AFSC (2023). Yield Alberta 2023. Agriculture Financial Services Corporation.
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