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Winter Wheat Variety Selection Tool

Apr 01, 2014

Bob Fanning
Plant Pathology Field Specialist



Variety selection is one of the important decisions any crop producer makes, and one that is critical for successful winter wheat production. South Dakota State University conducts winter wheat Crop Performance Testing plots in several locations on an annual basis. Each year, currently grown varieties, along with emerging and experimental lines are planted in each of the trials. One or more older varieties are also included for check purposes.

Data collected on each variety includes: yield, test weight, protein %, and plant height. Ratings are also taken on winter-hardiness, lodging, maturity, and the disease reactions to fungal leaf spot, leaf rust, wheat streak mosaic virus, and fusarium leaf blight. This information is compiled each year and is available online, along with crop performance testing information for other crops on the iGrow Variety Trial Results page.

Each of these reports contains a large amount of information. Although crop producers become quite adept at appraising the characteristics they consider to be most important, the sheer volume of information can be intimidating. To help simplify this process, the agronomists at Winter Cereals-Sustainability in Action compiled yield, protein, test weight and other data from crop performance test plots conducted from 2009-2013 into a Winter Wheat Variety Selection Tool.

The “tool” is an Excel spreadsheet that assigns ratings from 0-4 for each characteristic for each variety from a database of variety trial information across North and South Dakota. Included is information from NDSU, SDSU, AgriPro, WestBred, and for bordering regions, yield information from Minnesota and Montana. The spreadsheet allows a user to assign “weighting” (percentage of overall importance) to as many of the characteristics as they wish, and sort the varieties based on their choices. Tabs of the spreadsheet allow the user to base their selection based on yield results for their region of the state.

Users are encouraged to read the “Explanatory and Cautionary Notes” at the bottom of the spreadsheet for each region in order to get the full benefit of the tool. The “Winter Wheat Variety Selection Tool” was developed with funding from Ducks Unlimited and Bayer CropScience. Developmental and promotional support was provided from the South Dakota Wheat Commission, Winter Cereals-Sustainability in Action, Ducks Unlimited, Winfield Solutions, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University and Bayer CropScience.

Source : SDSU