Is the harvested product for milling? For ethanol production? As an ingredient in feed rations? Knowing the answers to these questions will help farmers select not only a variety that will perform on their farm but be suitable for the planned end-use.

CDC Falcon transition delayed

The Canadian Grain Commission plans to move CDC Falcon, Manitoba’s most popular variety, from the Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) class to the Canada Western General Purpose (CWGP) class as of August 1, 2014. This one-year delay will allow farmers more time to evaluate possible replacement varieties if their planned end-use markets need a milling type wheat.

Please note that CDC Kestrel, CDC Clair, CDC Harrier and CDC Raptor (varieties not commonly grown in Manitoba) will be moved from the CWRW class to the CWGP class as of August 1, 2013, a year earlier than CDC Falcon.

Updated long-term data

To assist with variety decisions, MCVET (Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Team) is publishing performance data collected in 2012, and updated variety descriptions.

Farmers should look at long-term data and select those varieties which perform well not only in their area but across locations and years. Long-term data can be found in the 2012 Winter Wheat Variety Descriptions Table. The "Yield % Check" column provides an indication of how the listed varieties performed compared to the check CDC Falcon. Remember that only direct comparisons can be made between CDC Falcon and the variety chosen to compare it to. The more site-years, the more dependable the data. If farmers want to choose their own check, the website www.seedinteractive.ca gives them that ability.

Flourish and Moats, possible CWRW replacements for CDC Falcon, have now been tested for a second year so additional data is available. New CWGP entries in 2012 are 1603-137-1 and DH01-25-135*R. More caution must be exercised when evaluating the performance of these two varieties as the data only represents one year of data.

Multi-site data for 2012

Multi-site data can be found in the Yield Comparisons Table. Although yields are expressed as per cent of CDC Falcon, comparisons are not restricted to only CDC Falcon. Comparisons can be made between other varieties.

For example, you may want to compare the performance of Flourish and Moats at Carman. The first step will be to look at the "Sign Diff" value — a "yes" or "no" will indicate if a real difference exists between varieties. At Carman, there is a significant difference between the varieties tested.

You then need to look at the "LSD %" value. LSD stands for Least Significant Difference and it shows the percentage that individual varieties must differ by to be considered significantly different. At the Carman location, varieties must differ by seven per cent. Since yields of Flourish and Moats differs by 11 per cent, statistically Moats yielded more than Flourish at Carman.

The next step would be to determine if that yield potential is consistent across all sites. Out of the 10 locations, Moats yielded significantly more than Flourish at two locations, but at the remaining locations the performance of Flourish and Moats is similar at six sites while Flourish yielded significantly more than Moats at two locations. Therefore by looking only at the 2012 data, farmers can see that yield potential of Flourish and Moats is pretty similar.

Keep in mind that data accumulated over several sites in a single year must always be viewed with caution. Varieties that excel under one set of environmental conditions may not perform as well under the next year’s conditions. Farmers can do the same exercise with past guides, available online at www.seedmb.ca, to see how consistent yield is between sites and locations (in Seed Manitoba 2012, at the six locations the performance of Flourish and Moats were statistically the same at five).

Farmers can also go to www.seedinteractive.ca where they can select multiple varieties, locations and years that best compare with their farm, while still offering the ability to choose their own check variety.

Fusarium head blight ratings

A concerted effort to improve fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance in winter wheat varieties is being undertaken by breeders. In past editions of the seed guide, there has been limited data available to publish ratings for many varieties. However, official FHB evaluations have started for winter wheat entries tested in both the Central and Western winter wheat co-operative registration trials. Combined with previous testing, also done by Dr. Anita Brulé-Babel at the University of Manitoba, enough data exists to assign, and in one case change, ratings to some of the varieties.

The rating for CDC Buteo has been changed to moderately resistant or MR from the previous intermediate (I) rating. Data for CDC Ptarmigan and Peregrine shows both at an intermediate (I) rating. All other varieties are either susceptible (S) or moderately susceptible (MS), or not enough data exists yet to give a rating.

It is important to note with future testing, more changes to the ratings may occur in order to provide the most accurate information to farmers. But it is a great first step and subsequently great news for farmers as FHB can be an issue in winter wheat production. In 2012/13, MCVET is evaluating the variety W454 which has improved resistance to FHB.

The suite of Seed Manitoba products — the Seed Manitoba guide and the websites www.seedinteractive.ca and www.seedmb.ca — provides valuable variety performance information for Manitoba farmers. Look for Seed Manitoba 2013 this December.

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CDC Falcon has always been popular, largely due to its short stature and strong straw strength. In 2011, Falcon represented 72.5 per cent of the total winter wheat acres grown in Manitoba. The grain commission has stated it will extend the transition period for CDC Falcon if insufficient alternative varieties are available to Manitoba farmers.

However, now is the time to start evaluating the new CWRW varieties coming soon. To assist, MCVET (Manitoba Crop Variety Evaluation Team) is publishing the most recent variety descriptions and performance data collected in 2011. Although yield is generally the first information looked at and the main focus of this article, farmers also need to compare varieties for maturity, height, standability and resistance to disease in selecting a variety that is best suited to their farm.

Reading the tables
Yield is based on the genetic potential and environmental conditions in which the crop is grown. Farmers should look at long-term, multi-site data and select those varieties that perform well not only in their area but across locations and years. This will increase the likelihood that given next year’s environment (which cannot be controlled) the variety selected will perform well.

Long-term data can be found in the 2011 Winter Wheat Variety Descriptions table. The “Yield per cent Check” column provides an indication of how the listed varieties performed compared to the check CDC Falcon. Remember that only direct comparisons can be made between CDC Falcon and the variety chosen to compare it to.

The “Site Years Tested” column shows the number of sites where the variety has been tested in the same trial as CDC Falcon. The more site years, the more dependable the data. For example, CDC Buteo and McClintock have 63 and 69 site years of data compared to CDC Falcon so farmers can be fairly confident of those yield comparisons. The varieties Flourish and Moats have six site years of data compared to CDC Falcon, which represents the six locations in the 2010/11 growing season. More caution must be exercised when evaluating the performance of these two varieties as the data only represents one year of data.

The grey “Check Characteristics” box displays the long-term yield in bushels per acre for CDC Falcon, the number of site years CDC Falcon has been tested by MCVET and the height in inches of CDC Falcon. The height data, along with days to maturity, lodging, relative winter hardiness, and disease resistance data is obtained from the Co-operative Registration Trials.

Comparing by location
Multi-site data for 2011 can be found in the 2011 Winter Wheat Yield Comparisons table. Individual site data is presented for the six locations available for publication by our deadline. Within this table comparisons are not restricted to CDC Falcon. For example, comparisons can be made between Flourish and Moats at a chosen location. To do so, you will need the information provided in the grey shaded area located at the bottom of the table.

For example, you want to compare the performance of Flourish and Moats at Boissevain. The first step will be to look at the “Sign Diff” value in the Boissevain site column. Sign Diff stands for significant difference and a “yes” or “no” will indicate if a real difference exists between varieties at an individual site. At Boissevain, there is a significant difference between the varieties tested. You then need to look at the “LSD per cent” value. LSD stands for Least Significant Difference and it shows the percentage that individual varieties must differ by to be considered significantly different. Since Flourish and Moats do not differ by more than 12 per cent, statistically those varieties yielded the same at the Boissevain site.

For each site, the yield of CDC Falcon in bushels per acre (bu/ac) is also presented at the bottom of the table. Using this information, you can convert the yield percentages to bushels per acre values. For example, at Boissevain the yield of CDC Falcon is 61 bu/ac. Using this information you can convert the yields of Flourish and Moats to 63 and 59 bu/ac respectively.

Interestingly enough, if you look at Arborg there is no significant difference (Sign Diff) between the 13 varieties. This is not entirely unexpected as the current registration system selects for varieties with consistent yields across a wide range of regions/growing conditions.
While data from single sites is often more interesting, individual site data, and even data accumulated over several sites in a single year must always be viewed with caution — varieties that excel under one set of environmental conditions may not perform as well under the next year’s conditions.

More winter wheat varieties coming
Plans are currently underway to test 14 winter wheat varieties in the 2011-2012 MCVET winter wheat trials. This includes W454 from AAFC Lethbridge which will be eligible for the CWRW class. W454 has been noted to have improved fusarium head blight resistance compared to currently available varieties. This is of particular interest to Manitoba farmers, especially if there is good yield potential under Manitoba growing conditions and the agronomic and disease package is suited to the production practices on their farm.

MCVET will continue to provide the latest unbiased information on new winter wheat varieties. Yield data for the winter wheat sites that did not meet publication deadlines for this article, along with 2011 protein data, will be published in Seed Manitoba 2012 this December.

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How you deal with residue from the previous crop will affect seedling establishment and winter survival, which is critical for a good stand of winter wheat.

Winter wheat must be sown into stubble to reduce the risk of winterkill. Standing stubble traps snow, keeping soil temperatures warm enough to allow the crop to overwinter. The stubble must be tall enough and uniform across the field to trap a loose, insulating blanket of snow during winter. Water can also be a limiting factor in crop production and the trapped snow will melt and become available for crop use in the spring.

Residue should be evenly distributed to allow good stand establishment and uniformity of crop development. Care must also be taken to avoid excessive traffic on the field during harvesting to avoid trampling down stubble. Canola stubble is an ideal choice but you can seed into other crop residue as long as there are enough stems of decent height to trap snow.

Producers should be aware of Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. (MASC) insurance coverage on winter wheat in relationship to seeding into “eligible stubble.” Contact your local MASC agent for full details.

Seed shallow

Winter wheat must be seeded shallow as deep seeding results in weak, spindly plants, leading to winterkill, poor weed competition, later maturity and lower yield. Soils are cooler in the fall and with less evaporation off the surface light rains can soak into that top inch of soil and be accessed by the seed. As little as one-third inch of rain is often enough to successfully establish winter wheat. Ideally, the crown will develop three-quarters to one inch below the surface. Deep seeding forces the plant to expend extra energy to move that crown up.

Seeding rate should be 1.5 to 2.5 bu./acre to achieve a target plant population of 20 to 30 plants/ square foot. Information is available on the MAFRI website to calculate seeding rates by plant population.

Timing is critical

The best window for seeding winter wheat is between August 25 and September 5. Crop insurance deadlines are Aug. 20 to Sept. 15, with reduced coverage to Sept. 20. Seeding too early results in a larger crown that is more susceptible to freezing injury. Seeding too late usually results in poorly established plants with lower winter survival potential. Plants need to have a well-developed crown and about three leaves going into the winter. This year’s leaves and roots will die off but the crown survives to initiate new growth early next spring.

Always use starter fertilizer with winter wheat. Phosphorus is important for root growth, winter survival and recovery from winter injury. Generally 30 to 40 lbs. P2O5 is sufficient. Seed-placed nitrogen increases the risk of winter injury. Nitrogen can be side banded or mid-row banded, or applied after seeding in fall or spring.

Potash can be applied as KCl, potassium assists with stem strength and chloride helps with disease resistance. Apply sulphur according to soil test recommendations as it aids in production of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. If your winter wheat protein is low despite adequate N fertilization, or if you have high S-using crops in rotation, then adding five to seven lbs. S/acre can help.

Weed management

Controlling biennial and perennial weeds, either in the previous crop or prior to seeding, is important as they can be very competitive during establishment. To eliminate the risk of wheat streak mosaic virus, it is imperative that any volunteer spring or winter cereal plants be completely controlled prior to seeding winter wheat. Fall-germinating winter annuals such as stinkweed and shepherd’s purse can be controlled through the proper use of post-emergent herbicides in late fall. By removing early weed competition, the result will be a well-established winter wheat crop that can better survive the winter.

— Kim Brown-Livingston is a farm production advisor and Pam de Rocquigny is a business development specialist for feed grains with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives at Carman, Man. This article includes information from the MAFRI website and provincial Winter Wheat Production manual.

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