Amarillo, Texas
June 4, 2009
A Texas AgriLife Research-bred
wheat, TAM 111, tops the list of varieties selected for planting
in Texas, according to a recent survey.
The statewide survey was conducted and data compiled and
analyzed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture/National
Agricultural Statistical Service Texas field office, at the
request of the Texas A&M System’s Small Grains Advisory
Committee. The field office worked with Dr. Gaylon Morgan,
Texas AgriLife
Extension Service small grains specialist in College
Station.
Statistics were gathered into statewide totals, as well as by
AgriLife Extension districts, Morgan said. Surveys were sent to
2,694 people and 1,815 were completed. The Texas Wheat Producers
Board, Texas Foundation Seed, Texas Seed Trade Association,
AgriLife Extension and Texas AgriLife Research funded the
survey.
The objectives, he said, were to identify key issues facing
producers, including mature pest problems, implementation of
reduced tillage systems and adoption of new technologies,
including new wheat varieties.
This information provides feedback to help researchers and
AgriLife Extension personnel direct and better target their
research and educational efforts in the future, Morgan said.
“It also gives us a benchmark on the varieties being grown and
helps to measure the economic impact of the research and
educational programs,” he said. “For instance, TAM 111’s bushel
advantage over the others can be multiplied by the number of
acres to determine the positive impact of breeding and education
to the taxpayers of the state.”
TAM 111 is the most widely grown variety in the state, with the
most acres in the Panhandle and South Plains, according to the
survey. TAM 111 is a 2003 release by AgriLife Research and
licensed to AgriPro Wheat, said Dr. Jackie Rudd, AgriLife
Research wheat breeder in Amarillo.
It generally takes about two years after a variety is released
for a significant amount of certified seed to be available to
producers, Rudd said.
“This survey shows that producers are using the new varieties
and adopting better management strategies,” he said. “Even with
the unpredictable Texas environment, wheat yield is increasing
at a rate of about 1 percent per year in Texas. Improved
genetics (new varieties) accounts for about half of these gains,
while improved management explains the other 50 percent.”
The last wheat variety survey was conducted in 2005 and showed
TAM 105 and TAM 110 as the No. 1 and No. 2 varieties grown in
the High Plains, said Dr. John Sweeten, AgriLife Research center
director in Amarillo and chair of the small-grains advisory
committee, which is a partnership between industry and academia.
The new survey shows TAM 111 and TAM 112 are the most widely
grown in the High Plains, and TAM 110 and TAM 105 are third and
fourth, respectively, Sweeten said. TAM 112 is a 2005 release by
AgriLife Research and licensed to Watley Seed Co. of Spearman.
“We knew we were selling a lot of 111 and 112, so that wasn’t as
much of a surprise as the amount of TAM 105 that is still being
planted,” said Dr. Brent Bean, AgriLife Extension agronomist in
Amarillo.
TAM 105 dropped from 22 percent of all wheat acreage statewide
in 2005 to 5 percent in the latest survey. Released in the
mid-1970s, it doesn’t have the yield potential and disease
resistance as some of the newer varieties, Bean said, but
producers may be using it primarily for grazing purposes, where
those traits aren’t as important.
He said about 50 percent of the wheat acreage is planted for
dual-purpose (grazing and grain) or forage only, which is lower
than the 75 percent estimate of wheat grazed at one time or
another.
Something else revealed by the survey is more certified seed is
being purchased, Bean said. This should improve overall quality
of the seed being planted, which will translate into higher
yields.
Steve Brown, director of Texas Foundation Seed, said if
producers haven’t looked at some of the newer varieties in the
last several years, they should.
“TAM 112 typically has a 10 percent yield boost over TAM 110 and
contains the same type of greenbug resistance that TAM 110 has,”
Brown said.
“For producers who like a beardless wheat, TAM 401 is the newest
beardless release,” he said. “It has good early fall forage
production, good disease resistance and much better grain
production capabilities in a dual-purpose system than most other
beardless wheats in the marketplace currently.”
According to the survey, producers make their crop management
decisions based on past performance, other farmers’ experience
and AgriLife Extension information.
“Almost two-thirds of the producers said they were using
AgriLife Extension information when it came time to make
decisions on wheat, and almost 90 percent of those responding in
the Panhandle said they use our expertise for pest management
decisions,” Bean said.
The survey also helped researchers identify some of the
characteristics producers deemed most important for improvement.
Across the state, drought tolerance, grain yield potential,
disease tolerance and insect resistance were identified as key
areas.
They identified the most troublesome "pests" as leaf rust and
mosaic viruses; insects such as greenbugs; and weeds, primarily
mustard, and in the Panhandle, field bindweed.
Survey synopsis:
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Texas/Publications/tx_wheat_varieties.pdf |
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