2018-19 Small Grains Variety Trial Results

Oct 3, 2019

2018-19 Small Grains Variety Trial Results

Oct 3, 2019

Results from the statewide UC small grains variety testing program are now available for the 2018-19 season. The Delta trial location was on Staten Island on a Valdez silt loam soil. Approximately 25,000 acres of soil in the Delta are characterized by the Valdez classification, which generally has less than one percent organic matter in the top foot of soil and can be poorly drained.

The Delta trial was planted on November 15, 2018 and consisted of 38 common wheat varieties and 10 triticale varieties in three replicate blocks. Following a tomato rotation, the trial was planted on 60-inch raised beds, and no nitrogen fertilizer was applied to the field ahead of planting small grains. Neither was irrigation applied during the season, as rainfall amounted to approximately 22.5 inches over the season (Staten Island CIMIS station).

Trial results can be viewed interactively from the Agronomy Research and Information Center Small Grains page. Regional summaries are based on 3 years of trial data across multiple locations. The Delta location is grouped with the Sacramento Valley. These multi-year, multi-environment summaries are what we recommend using for making variety selection decisions because any unusual circumstances in a single year (as from weather) can have a tremendous influence on variety performance.

Single-site summaries are also available and provide data across multiple years. These summaries allow more customized exploration of the data and also allow users to examine genotype by environment patterns in the data. (See heat map below.)

Both interactive sites have features that allow users to view, filter, and sort information. For the best experience, we recommend viewing these sites using a laptop or desktop computer with an up-to-date version of Firefox, Chrome, or Microsoft Edge web browser. (Microsoft Explorer will not work.) All results can also be viewed and downloaded as static tables and figures, with additional information about site characteristics and crop management here.

As we usher the 2019 harvest season, the 2019-20 small grains season is upon us. Don't forget to attend the Delta corn and small grains field meeting on October 15th. I wish everyone fruitful harvest and planting seasons!

 


By Michelle Leinfelder-Miles
Author - Farm Advisor
By Mark Lundy
Author - Associate CE Specialist