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Wheat sessions help growers make planting decisionsBy D. Bruce Bosley CSU Extension Agent, cropping systems Colorado Winter wheat producers had the opportunity to attend the Wheat Decision Meetings that were held last week. These meetings were hosted by the Colorado Wheat Growers, Wheat Administrative Committee, and Wheat Research Foundation. Meeting participants heard from many speakers and received the Colorado State University's August 2008 "Making Better Decisions" report. This report includes the summary of this year's wheat variety trial reports. During each meeting, Dr. Scott Haley, CSU Wheat Breeder, hosted an interactive session with wheat growers comparing wheat varieties using his Wheat Variety Database updated with this year's trial data. During this session growers were able to compare two varieties at a time using the database which has trial information going back into the early 1990's. Wheat growers could see how the newer varieties compared with the older ones in order to better make their variety selection decisions to their farm seedings this fall. The strength of using this database is in being able to compare varieties over several locations and several years to better see how and under what conditions varieties perform compared to other ones. This method of variety selection has been shown to be much better than basing variety decisions on one test in one field in one year. Scott's Wheat Variety Database is available to anyone who wishes to download it at: http://wheat.colostate.edu. I've also downloaded it at both my offices as well. Please contact me if you wish to check out different varieties through the database. I can do this in the office, on the phone, or over the Internet--your choice. Seeding management decisions are also important for obtaining good wheat yields. Planting date, seeding depths, weed, insect, and disease prevention, and general crop health management are all important considerations. Yield potential is the first consideration when choosing a "planting window." Planting date affects both wheat yield and quality parameters. The best planting date is one that allows the crop to take full advantage of the available fall growing season and avoids excessive fall growth which can reduce winterheadiness. Planting winter wheat too early also increases the risk of disease, insects, and water stress due to excessive top growth. Planting too late affects plant establishment, leading to both poor root development and plant tillering. Sept. 10 is still the first acceptable date to start planting in Northeast Colorado; however, plantings made in late September often produce the best yields. Many producers in this region prefer plantings made between Sept. 15 and Sept. 25. Wheat plantings done after Oct. 1 should be seeded at higher rates to compensate for a shorter tillering period. Please contact me, Bruce Bosley about these or other cropping systems or natural resource topics at 970-522-3200, extension 285 in Sterling or 970-542-3540 in Fort Morgan. 8/25/08 Date: 8/20/08 Advertisement
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