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Throughout the ages, farmers have planted seed saved from their previous wheat crop. When making seed wheat decisions, they selected the best quality seed from the highest yielding varieties. Choosing wheat varieties based on yield and quality continues, but now seed decisions include a new consideration. With the advent of hybrid crops like corn, farmers discovered that they did not get the advantage of hybrid vigor when they saved their seed, the ensuing crop was not uniform and yields were poor. It was quickly learned they needed to buy new...
Wheat situation Colorado State University agronomists visited wheat testing trials in mid-April. Visited sites began at Walsh and continued north to sites near Lamar, Burlington, Prospect Valley, Sterling, Haxtun and Julesburg. Wheat trials south of I-70 are experiencing severe drought. Wheat stands are poor and yield potential is low. Disease observations found no virus (wheat streak mosaic or barley yellow dwarf) or stripe rust activity. Insect issues found were brown wheat mite, but populations were below economic treatment threshholds....
Wheat stem sawfly is a native insect that feeds on grasses in Colorado. The insect was first identified by entomologists in Colorado around the late 1800’s and primarily fed on range grasses. However, wheat stem sawfly emerged as a Colorado wheat pest in 2010 and damage from this insect has been expanding and increasing since. Today, this pest is estimated to cause $30 million in damage, according to Brad Erker, Executive Director of the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation. As a result, Colorado State University is focused on addressing c...
Feral rye, along with other annual grasses are troublesome pests for wheat producers. Rye, along with jointed goatgrass and cheat grass, cost Colorado Wheat producers’ money annually in terms of reduced yield and increased dockage. However, a newer wheat production system termed CoAXium Wheat Production System is an option for wheat producers who have annual grassy weeds. The CoAXium wheat Production System is a herbicide tolerance technology based on a non-gmo AXigen wheat trait. The technology was developed at Colorado State University and i...
Wheat stem sawfly is a native insect that feeds on grasses in Colorado. The insect was first identified by entomologists in Colorado around the late 1800s and primarily fed on range grasses. However, wheat stem sawfly emerged as a Colorado wheat pest in 2010 and damage from this insect has been expanding and increasing since. Today, this pest is estimated to cause $30 million in damage, according to Brad Erker, Executive Director of the Colorado Wheat Research Foundation. As a result, Colorado State University is focused on addressing cropping...
Almost three million acres of Colorado farmland employs no-till strategies and this acreage is expected to continue to increase. No-till farming has continued to gain momentum in the state due to a number of positive factors associated with this technique. Benefits of no-till include decreased soil erosion, increase soil moisture retention, decrease in fuel usage associated with tillage, decreased labor costs from not tilling, increased soil carbon and increased soil organic matter. Most of these benefits result in increases to farm income....
Can I save wheat seed? Throughout the ages, farmers have planted seed saved from their previous wheat crop. When making seed wheat decisions, they selected the best quality seed from the highest yielding varieties. Choosing wheat varieties based on yield and quality continues, but now seed decisions include a new considerations. With the advent of hybrid crops like corn, farmers discovered that they did not get the advantage of hybrid vigor when they saved their seed, the ensuing crop was not uniform, and yields were poor. It was quickly learne...
There is nothing like seeing new wheat varieties growing in the field and attending a wheat variety tour in person. Colorado Wheat Field Days let farmers see new and traditional varieties side-by-side in our variety trial plots. Dr. Jerry Johnson, a seasoned veteran of crop variety testing, leads off with a short introduction and selection information before our new Colorado State University wheat breeder, Dr. Esten Mason, discusses the pros and cons of the varieties in each of ten dryland locations and one irrigated trial. Brad Erker,...
Virus infections can not only occur in people, but plants as well. However, people and plant viruses are not the same nor do they cross infect. In other words, viruses that infect plants will not infect people. Additionally, most virus diseases need a vector, which is the way they are transported. Thus, stopping the spread (stopping the vector) of a virus will control it. In plants, there are common virus diseases that can attack, particularly wheat. The most common viral diseases in wheat include: wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), triticum...