2011 Winter Wheat Challenge

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Sequencing the wheat genome

The genomes of rice and corn have been sequenced, and in 2010, the world received news that wheat had joined the club. However, this announcement was quite premature. “There’s been some confusion in interpretation of the statement issued by the University of Liverpool claiming that wheat genome sequencing is complete,” explains Dr. Curtis Pozniak, a wheat breeder and professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre in Saskatoon. In fact, he says, efforts to sequence the large wheat genome are only in the beginning stages, and considerable work still needs to be done to obtain a high-quality reference sequence.

Leaf diseases in wheat may be on the rise

Lately, winter wheat growers have been hearing a lot about foliar diseases like leaf rust and cephalosporium stripe, but are foliar diseases actually increasing? If they are, what should growers do? Most pathogens that cause foliar diseases such as powdery mildew, tan spot and septoria/stagonospora leaf blotch, are present in the environment across the wheat-growing areas of Ontario, although there are a few regional diseases like cephalosporium stripe in southwestern Ontario. As growers know, the location and severity of foliar disease outbreaks vary from year to year, so it can be hard to determine long-term patterns.

New oat variety set to replace rice

A new variety of oat, dubbed AC Gehl, is the latest success story from the public sector breeding community. Developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, AC Gehl is a hulless and hairless oat variety with the potential to help address hunger in Canada and other countries.

Let droplet size guide sprayer nozzle choice

On a diversified farm, the sprayer is called in for many different types of pesticide applications, and these applications often require different spray quality. How to choose?

Breaking the Guinness World Record for wheat yield: 232 bu/ac

Now this is intensive farming. Chris Dennison of Oamaru, New Zealand, set a Guinness world record for wheat yield in 2003 at 15.015 t/ha (223 bu/ac), since surpassed by another Kiwi farmer, Michael Solari, with 15.636 t/ha (232.64 bu/ac) on March 8, 2010 at Otama, Gore.

What can Canadian farmers take away from their approach to wheat production? Attention to detail, optimum stand establishment, frequent crop scouting, managed crop rotations, a long, cool, growing season and a prescriptive approach to managing the wheat canopy.

Reaction to new PMRA guidelines for unlabelled tank mixes

The move by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to allow the use of unlabelled tank mixes of pest control products for crop production or vegetation has been met with mostly favourable reviews. Crop protection industry insiders say the new guidelines should give farmers greater flexibility and quicker access to the mixes supported by the manufacturers.

100-bushel wheat average within sight

OMAFRA cereal crop specialist Peter Johnson has long said that when Ontario's average wheat yield hits 100 bushels per acre, he'll retire.

Well, with average wheat yields in the province increasing by a little more than one bushel per acre annually, and with encouraging data emerging from the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association's SMART Wheat project, Johnson joked that if wheat growers would only get with that program, his retirement could come as early as next year.

Declining fertility after 98 years of wheat

Wheat yields on long-term plots at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC's) research station at Scott, Saskatchewan, just may be the canary in the coal mine. As an early warning, these plots are showing that while wheat yields have increased during the last century, they have levelled off and even declined in recent years. “What concerns me the most is that the yields peaked and haven’t come back completely,” explains Stu Brandt, a recently retired research scientist at AAFC Scott. Brandt supervised the trials while he worked at Scott and says that declining organic matter has reduced the natural fertility of the soil, and yields are suffering.

‘Amazing’ wheat yields becoming the norm

Ontario wheat researchers are pushing the bar higher for wheat yields in the province. OMAFRA cereals specialist Peter Johnson reviewed the 2009/2010 crop and also provided hints for the future.

Despite being planted late, Johnson said the average yield for the 2009 crop was an "amazing" 82.3 bushels per acre.

White wheat in high demand for breakfast cereal

According to Gord Anderson, success with growing white wheat is all about thinking differently. “It requires a different outlook because normally you’re trying to get wheat off when it’s dry,” he says. “With white wheat, you want to get it off the field before sprouting and the moisture levels can be quite high.”

Research affirms oats’ heart healthy effects

An Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researcher hopes that new research will increase demand for oats. Study results released this week from an international team of researchers indicates oat bran can lower cholesterol levels. "I am hoping that this project raises awareness of the importance of including oat bran-containing foods in the Canadian diet, and increases demand for oats and oat foods," says Dr. Susan Tosh of the Guelph Food Research Centre, one of the researchers working on the study.

Another record wheat crop?

With excellent wheat prices and an early soybean harvest already getting underway, wheat plantings appear ready to challenge the previous record of 1.2 million acres. Seed supplies look tight on some of the hot new varieties, with a few production issues making seed supplies even tighter. Variety selection is one of the cornerstones of big yield, so be sure to visit the Winter Wheat Performance Trials at www.gocereals.ca. There are lots of exciting new varieties. As well as the yield tables, be sure to also look at the trait tables, with particular attention to Fusarium ratings and lodging scores.

What did 2009 teach growers about winter wheat?

In the spring of 2009, the prospects for Ontario’s winter wheat crop looked dismal. Yet yields in most areas turned out to be quite good. Looking back, it is easy to see how a combination of better practices, better genetics, and a late season smile from Mother Nature helped growers realize good yields despite weather challenges.

More profit from oats using a fungicide

Oat leaf diseases,such as crown rust, can be very devastating to both yield and quality. The higher priced milling oat and horse oat markets require clean, high test weight oats. Farmers need a premium price as well as a decent yield in order to make a profit. If you are growing oats in southern Ontario, they need to be sprayed with a fungicide at the "flag-leaf emerged" stage of the oats to manage leaf disease.

Exploring how mildew, sprouting and fusarium affect quality

Mildew, sprouting, and fusarium are the three most relevant grading factors to wheat producers in Ontario. The tolerances for these grading factors are set by the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) based on their impact on end-use quality and safety. The CGC performs a great deal of research to make certain that the grades assigned to wheat within a specific class accurately reflect its potential for end-use. A closer look at how mildew, sprouting and Fusarium affect end-use quality and safety helps provide some insight into the difficulty they can cause for millers, bakers and other end-users.

Intensive management to make wheat profitable

When it comes to management inputs, one plus one sometimes equals four, said Peter Johnson, OMAFRA cereal specialist, at Eastern Ontario Crop Diagnostic Day on the University of Guelph’s Kempville Campus Research Farm near Winchester, July 20.

Adopting intensive cereal management, he said, "gives growers a better shot at a good wheat harvest." Using the test plots at the research farm, Johnson pointed out how, for example, a combination of nitrogen and fungicides appears to delay maturity and results in higher yields.

Take the bottlenecks out of winter wheat seeding

Winter wheat is a profitable option for many growers in Western Canada, adding diversity to rotations and spreading the workload over the cropping season. However, planning ahead and being well prepared is necessary.

Note: This article was written with a Western Canadian audience in mind, however, there is still lots of valuable information for Eastern Canadian growers.

For weed control in wheat, timing continues to be everything

When a person's timing is off on the dance floor, they may fail to impress their partner. When a grower’s timing is off with weed management, the consequences can be far more serious.

Bayer registers new products for Ontario cereal growers

Ontario's grain growers will have a new tool in their arsenal next year to help them in their long fight against fusarium head blight and leaf diseases in wheat, barley and oats. Bayer CropScience has now registered the product Prosaro in Ontario and will have it in the hands of growers in time for next year's crop.

Measuring quality in every scoop

For better or for worse, the quality of the Ontario wheat crop will fluctuate from year to year. Small changes in variables such as seeding date, temperature, and precipitation will either increase or decrease its end-use potential. For example, warm and dry weather during the growing season will typically lead to a higher quality and quantity of protein in wheat, while wet and cool conditions at harvest may increase the incidence of degrading factors such as Fusarium and mildew.

Area farmers are banking on wheat

Southwestern Ontario grain farmers are enjoying a golden harvest, bringing in a good wheat crop just as world prices spike due to a massive drought in Russia.

Studies show yield advantage to extra nitrogen on wheat

For years, Ontario research indicated that maximum yield came from about 90-100 pounds per acre of actual nitrogen. Work by Dr. David Hooker at the University of Guelph over the past two years and farm plots by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association under the direction of Peter Johnston, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ cereals specialist, suggest that there may be an economic advantage to applying more than this.

Future crops the issue when approaching weed control in wheat

Weeds do not affect wheat yields as much as they affect corn and soys. Short weeds such as chickweed and field violet have little effect on wheat yields. But they may cause other problems.

Wild oats steal away nutrients

With little information available on nutrient uptake by wild oats and subsequent release from residue, soil scientist Dr. Jeff Schoenau at the University of Saskatchewan, set out to find out just how much nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) wild oats use in the spring. “Anecdotally, it is recommended that weeds be controlled early to reduce competitive effects. However, the effect of the age of the weed at the time of control on competition specifically for soil nutrients has received little attention,” says Schoenau.

Learning from 2009 cereal crops

Every year provides a learning experience in cereal crops. Although the 2009 growing season did not produce the diversity or severity of diseases that 2008 season saw, it did produce its share of trouble in both spring and winter wheat.

The mystery behind yellow wheat unfolds

When looking back at the less than stellar Ontario winter wheat crop of 2009, one of the more visible signs of trouble was the appearance of yellow wheat in the spring. This unwelcome sight was evident in fields from Windsor to Owen Sound. Although the fields shared a common problem, there were many reasons behind the discoloration. “I’m not sure that we came up with any single answer,” says Peter Johnson, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs cereal crop specialist. “There was a whole range of things that we looked at and a whole range of things that we found.”

Pan-American conference aims to tackle the issue of weed resistance development

Agricultural producers are facing the serious issue of escalating weed resistance to herbicides. The numbers of resistant weed species, locations affected, and herbicide modes of action involved are all on the rise. Compounding the problem, some weeds have developed resistance to multiple modes of action, making their control that much more difficult, if not impossible.

Knock out disease with Raxil

Raxil is a broad-spectrum seed treatment fungicide with excellent disease control and seed safety. It’s a combination of two highly effective fungicides that protect against a host of seed and seedling diseases in wheat, barley and oats. It protects against true loose smut and delivers a one-two punch to both seed- and soil-borne fusarium.

Check out this 30-second time lapse video that shows just how effective Raxil is on diseased seed.

Site-specific disease forecasting

Despite your best efforts to grow profitable, high quality, disease-free cereal crops, the biggest challenge remains the weather. While we still can’t control it, science and technology are taking us a lot closer to at least implementing best management practices to counter the negative impact weather conditions can cause. Using web-based tools can help manage weather-related risk.

Weeds in winter wheat

Although not as commonly talked about, wheat may have a critical weed free period just like corn and soybeans. “Recent research coming out of the UK demonstrates the importance of controlling weeds early in the growing season,” explains Peter Johnson, wheat specialist with OMAFRA. Research shows that it is critical that weeds be controlled before wheat meets Zadocks 30 or stem elongation. In Ontario, that stage can range anywhere from April 20 to May 5 depending on the season.

Cropside: Dead or alive?

Get out in your winter wheat fields and assess the crop in the early spring! Every spring calls come in about wheat going backwards. The reality is you didn’t assess those fields closely enough in early April; the pickup truck slowing down to 60 does not cut it!

Split decisions: An early application of nitrogen may be the difference between a good wheat crop and no wheat crop

Farming, to some degree, is in Mother Nature's hands. With the late soybean harvest and subsequent late winter wheat planting, there is cause for concern for next year's wheat crop. This upcoming spring is shaping up to look similar to last year says Peter Johnson, wheat specialist with OMAFRA. With roughly 12 percent of the wheat crop plowed under last spring, that's not exactly a rosy outlook.

Fortunately, there are management techniques farmers can use to avoid the pitfalls some fell into last year. The key to ensuring a good wheat harvest in 2010, says Johnson, is to really focus on early management.

Ramping up production - new life for barley and oats?

Short on heat? Wet corn with big drying bills? Light test weight and grade discounts? In the areas of Ontario that can grow great spring cereals, 2009 has been a tough year for corn! Many growers had moved away from spring cereals in favour of more yield potential and theoretical profit in corn. After this harvest, it is time to reassess.

Spring wheat yield response to fungicide

Trials conducted in 2009 showed a 7 bu/ac (12%) yield response to foliar fungicides. These trials show the value that products like Proline and Folicur can have on the spring wheat crop when applied using appropriate technology and proper timing.

Improving the success of red clover establishment in winter wheat

Successfully establishing red clover in winter wheat can sometimes be challenging. Red clover in a corn-soybeans-wheat rotation can provide tremendous benefits. A good red clover stand can provide a nitrogen credit to the following year’s corn crop of 70 lbs/ac. Red clover also provides erosion control and breaks compaction. The additional organic matter provides improved nutrient status, water holding capacity and many other benefits.

The perils of late winter wheat planting

You can expect a much shorter window for planting winter wheat following soybeans this fall. With weather firmly in the driver’s seat, you can minimize the impact of late planting with a few key management considerations.

The weaknesses of wheat on wheat

It might be tempting to return some of your winter wheat acres back, growing wheat on wheat is just a bad idea and triggers a domino effect of trouble. It goes against everything we know about the agronomic benefits of crop rotation and you can bank on harvesting 10% less right off the top.

If you just can’t wait to plant soybeans

Avoid wheat on wheat at all costs. But if you don’t want to risk waiting for soybeans, be prepared to step up your management. Consider the following crop production practices to improve your chances for a successful second winter wheat crop.

Store seed the right way – and avoid problems next season

Storing seed properly can be a challenge. The farmer may need to intervene to maintain viability in the bin, so that the germination potential remains high until sowing. Storing left-over treated seed brings additional considerations.

Wheat head blight advisory web service now goes direct

Weather Innovations Incorporated (WIN) has announced a new way for wheat producers to check out this year's threat of Fusarium Head Blight.

Fungicides matter in more than one way

More than 100,000 species of fungal organisms have been identified worldwide. 20,000 of them have the ability to infect plant tissue and cause serious harm. To a farmer, this may well sound scary. Indeed, while crop diseases cost farmers billions of dollars every year, fungal diseases are the worst of the bunch. They cause significant losses in yield, quality and profitability. Unless, of course, you reduce the risk and apply fungicides which provide reliable protection.

That's a whole lotta wheat!

According to Stats Canada, cereal planting intentions for Eastern Canada are heavily weighted to wheat. Based on information released for March 2008, all wheat acres are expected to increase by 54% compared to 2007. And winter wheat acres (remaining) lead the way, covering just under 1.2 million acres in 2008 – that’s 78% more than the 672,000 acres in 2007.

When it comes to overall cereal planting, the jump in winter wheat acres this year is offset by significant drops in acres of spring wheat (-19.8%), barley (-17.5%) and oats (-26.2%) expected to be planted.

New field guide to cereal staging

Most of your input decisions depend on matching crop stage with application timing. A Field Guide to Cereal Staging is a great new resource to help you accurately identify key stages of cereal development. Designed for cereal growers in Ontario and Quebec, the guide includes full-colour photographs in a pocket guide format. Produced with OMAFRA, the new guide is available at no charge.

New Infinity™ herbicide is light years ahead

For the first time in 20 years, there’s a new mode of action herbicide for your cereals. Infinity is from an entirely new group of herbicides, Group 27, delivering broad-spectrum control of the toughest broadleaf weeds. It’s a simple new solution with infinitely better weed control in a range of situations.

Puma® Super receives minor use registration

Controlling wild oats in spring wheat is now possible with the registration of Puma Super in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. The post-emergent grass herbicide received registration in Eastern Canada as a user requested minor use label expansion (URMULE), and has been used for wild oat control in Western Canada for many years.