Agronomy and Horticulture Department

 

Date of this Version

2009

Citation

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. NF-FO-07-01 (etc.)

Abstract

Introduction

Livestock and forage production are the largest contributors to agricultural income in the primary service region of the Noble Foundation. The small grains variety testing program which includes oats, rye, triticale and wheat is designed to provide up-to-date performance information to producers in Oklahoma and Texas about varieties that are commercially and commonly available. In addition, the program provides a tool to evaluate and compare experimental breeding lines emerging from the Noble Foundation breeding program as well as other public and private breeding programs. The program is intended to furnish producers with supplemental information and to aid decision-making and idea formation. The information coming from the variety testing program should be a valuable tool when used with similar information from other sources. The objective of this report is to summarize forage and grain yields from the 2008-2009 small grains variety trials.

Materials and Methods

The small grains variety trials were conducted at the Noble Foundation Dupy Farm (Dale silt loam) near Gene Autry and the Red River Demonstration and Research Farm near Burneyville, Okla. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with three replications. The experimental unit is a 5- by 10-foot plot of a single variety. The trial consisted of 30 entries of wheat, 10 entries of oats, 14 entries of rye and 12 entries of triticale that were evaluated during the 2008-2009 crop growing season. The entries were seeded in a clean-tilled seedbed on Oct. 1, 2008, at the Dupy Farm (Dupy) and on Sept. 29, 2008, at the Red River Demonstration and Research Farm (Red River). Depending on the crop and variety, approximately 90 to 120 lbs/ac (pure live seed basis) of seed was planted which amounts to 2,000,00 PLS/ac. Each entry was drilled in two adjacent 5- by 10-foot plots, in 7-inch rows, at 1-inch planting depth with a HEGE 500 drill. These adjacent plots were used to represent forage only and dual purpose (forage and grain). Fertilization consisted of preplant incorporation of 80 lbs N/ac on Oct. 3, 2008, at Dupy and on Oct. 6, 2008, at Red River. Soil tests showed all other nutrients to be adequate at both locations. Plots received a topdress application of 80 lbs N/acre on Feb. 5, 2009, at Dupy and on Feb. 6, 2009, at Red River. Annual ryegrass was controlled using Amber application at 0.56 ou/ac on Oct. 2, 2008, at both farms. Plots are harvested with a HEGE sickle bar forage plot harvester at a 3-inch height. Adjacent plots of each variety were harvested at the same time for forage during fall until first hollow stem stage of wheat was reached. At hollow stem stage, the dual purpose half is no longer harvested and was allowed to grow for grain production. At Dupy, forage-only plots were harvested on Jan. 23, March 2, April 22 and June 2, 2009. At Red River, they were harvested on Feb. 10, March 3, May 5 and June 6, 2009. At Dupy, dual purpose plots were harvested on Jan. 23, and at Red River, they were harvested on Feb. 10, 2009. Data was analyzed with the general linear models procedure in SAS (Statistical Analysis Software, Cary, N.C.), and means were separated by the least significant difference (LSD) method (P ≤ 0.05).

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