1999 Missouri Winter Wheat Performance Tests McKendry, Sweets, Wright, Tague, Salzman, Mattas Experimental Design and Seeding Methods --------------------------------------- Each soft red winter wheat experiment was planted using a 8 x 8 lattice design with four replications. Except for the Trenton location, all test plots consisted of a 15-foot, 6-row plot with 7-inch row spacing. Plots at the Trenton location consisted of 12-foot, 7-row plot with 7-inch row spacing. All entries were seeded at approximately 1.5 million seeds per acre, roughly equivalent to seeding 1.5 to 2 bushels per acre. Actual seeding rates were calculated from the thousand kernel weights determined for each soft red winter wheat entry and ranged from 80 to 143 pounds per acre (Table 2). Seeding rates were not adjusted for germination. Except for the Trenton location, all entries were seeded into conventional seedbeds using a Hege 90™ plot drill equipped with six conventional double-disk openers. At the Trenton location, all entries were no-till seeded directly into soybean stubble using a plot drill equipped with nine Acraplant™ no-till openers. Hard red winter wheat experiments were conducted in a similar fashion except all hard red winter wheat entries were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Seeding rates for hard red winter wheat varied from 89 to 129 pounds per acre. The soft red winter wheat cultivar Ernie' was included in the hard wheat test as a yield check. Description of Data Collected Yield -------- All rows of each test plot were trimmed 30 inches, measured for length, and harvested using a Kincaid experimental plot combine. Recorded grain yields were adjusted to 13% grain moisture on comparable plot areas and reported in bushels per acre based on a 60 pound standard bushel weight. In addition to yields obtained in 1999, two-year averages (1998-99) are provided for both soft red and hard red winter wheat entries tested during the previous cropping season. Three-year averages (1997-99) are also provided for soft red winter wheats. Test Weight and Grain Moisture Content -------------------------------------- Test weight (pounds per bushel) and percent grain moisture content were determined for each plot using a Dickey-john GAC II grain analyzer. Plant Height ------------ Plant height was measured in inches from the soil surface to the top of the head, excluding the awns if present. Reported values have been rounded to the nearest inch. Lodging ------- Lodging severity at crop maturity was rated at all test locations. Plots were rated on a severity scale of 0 to 9 where 0=no lodging and 9=plants in the plot completely flat. There was no significant lodging in the hard wheat test at Columbia, therefore no lodging data are reported for the hard wheat test at this location. Winter Survival --------------- Percent winter survival was estimated for each plot after initial spring green-up (approximately Feeke's GS 6) at all locations. Reported values have been rounded to the nearest percent. Heading Date ------------ Heading dates were recorded at Columbia, Portageville, and Novelty when 50% of the heads in a plot had extended above the flag leaf collar. Heading dates were recorded in Julian days (number of days after January 1) for statistical purposes. The corresponding calendar dates are also presented. Disease Ratings --------------- Wet weather during both the fall and spring produced significant levels of Septoria leaf blotch at the Columbia location. Ratings presented reflect percent canopy infection. Leaf rust occurred at most locations and was rated as percent canopy infection at the Columbia location. Fusarium head blight (scab) reduced yields and test weights in some susceptible varieties at Columbia, however, ratings were not taken. Both powdery mildew and soil borne mosaic virus were evident in soft wheat test at Charleston. Each was rated as percent of the canopy showing disease symptoms. Sprouting --------- Heavy rains after physiological maturity resulted in sprouting in the hard wheat performance test at the Mt. Vernon location. The amount of sprouting was assessed in each replication as the number of kernels with visible signs of germination in a 100-kernel random sub-sample of the harvested grain. The data were then expressed as a percent of the sample. Although some sprouting was also noted in grain samples of the soft wheat test grown at Lamar, the amount was visibly less than that in the hard wheat test at Mt. Vernon and as such, no data were collected.