Note:  There was no lodging in this trial.  There was, however, a severe soil problem which affected most of the plot area; reducing tillering, stunting plant height, and reducing yield of all varieties.  Two plots were much more severely affected and were discarded.  The entire area must have been affected almost equally since the trial resulted in good yields and acceptable variability.  The grain yield coefficient of variation (CV= 3.5) means it was a good trial; results should be similar if the trial were repeated.

Site Information:

Irrigation:  center pivot                                                             Seed Rate:  120 lbs/acre
Herbicide:  Bronate @ 1 pt/ac                                                    Row Spacing:  8-inch
Nitrogen:  70lb/ac + 30 lb/ac May 25 + 30 lb/ac June 1                Plot Size:  6 ft. x 35'; 9 rows planted 8 inches apart.

Comments:  IDO563 yield was disappointing again this year.  After producing the highest yield in 2001, this line has not compared well in 2003 and 2004.  It is not now looked on to replace Centennial.  Possibly IDO599 might be a replacement; however, it is taller and might lodge more than Centennial.  It needs to be tested more where lodging is a problem.

Note that Blanca produced a yield essentially equal to Centennial.  This might be expected where lodging is not a problem.  However, Centennial should be better than Blanca when lodging is a problem.

Protein was low for all varieties.  Thousand kernel weight (not shown) indicated Alturas and Blanca had large seed; IDO 599 and IDO 563 had small seed.

Hard spring wheat variety performance trial at Center¹  in 2004.

(This trial was unfair to early heading varieties; therefore, two durums are not identified.  The trial was unfair to Rojo and Pristine too.)

Site Information:

Trial Location: Selters Farm leased by Joe Barela; planted to durum wheat
Previous Crop: potatoes
Irrigation: center pivot                          Seed Rate: 120 lbs/acre except durum at 150 lbs/acre
Herbicide:  Bronate @ 1 pt/ac                Row Spacing:  8-inch
Nitrogen:  170 lbs/acre                           Plot Size: 6 ft. x 35'; 9 rows planted 8 inches apart

Comments:  Vegetative growth was adequate to produce good yields; the average of all varieties was 122 bu/ac.  Even though yields were acceptable, pump irrigation water probably limited yield somewhat this year.  The sprinkler pressure dropped considerably during the year.  This seemed to have affected early heading varieties more severely.  Early maturing varieties which tended to have low yields included varieties such as Pristine, Yecora Rojo, and two durums.  One of these varieties, Pristine, produced sucker heads with late tillers.  The trial had no lodging except for slight lodging in very susceptible, ID377s.

Seven varieties produced the highest yields this year: Centennial SWS, Lolo HWS, Jerome HRS, YU995-231W, Oslo HRS, ID377s HWS and IDO597 HWS.  Lolo, YU995-231W, and ID377s are hard white varieties that produce excellent yields, comparable or better than Oslo HRS.

Protein content was generally lower for varieties that produced high yields.  Thousand kernel weight showed durums with large seed size; however, Pristine, Yecora Rojo, and Jerome also produced large seeds.

2003 Irrigated spring barley variety performance trial at Center¹

Site Information:

Soil Type:  Norte gravelly sandy loam                             Irrigation:  center pivot irrigation  = ET
Previous Crop:  potatoes                                                Herbicide:  Bronate at 1 pt/acre
Fertilizer:  Nitrogen; 75 #/ac dry preplant + 30 #/ac fertigation

Comments:Yields were very good with a top yield of 198 bu/ac and a test average of 177 bu/ac.  Yields were quite consistent producing a low coefficient of variation (6.3 %) and fairly low LSD (13.1).  Vegetative growth was excellent and produced enough growth that susceptible varieties lodged as much as 55%.  This is valuable information; we need to know which varieties are susceptible or resistant to plant lodging.  Many newer varieties have short, strong stalks and resist lodging.

Eight varieties made up the top yield group.  This group includes C 69, which Coors Brewing intends to use for contract malting barley production next year.  The group also included C 14 which Coors Brewing is currently using.  The yield advantage for C 69 is expected to be greater than what we found here.  Grain protein was not a problem for any varieties tested this year.  Grain color was very good for this barley harvested standing.  Screenings, often a problem for C 14, was not a problem this year.  C 69 produced a lighter bushel weight than C 14 both this year and last year; however, since the seed is larger, screenings problems should be less than for C 14.

Burton, a new variety released in Idaho, is resistant to Russian Wheat Aphid.

Nitrogen application rate and seeding rate affects on yield and agronomic characteristics of Coors C 69 malting barley at Center ¹  in 2004.

Site Information:

Irrigation:  center pivot                           Seed Rate:  Variable treatment
Herbicide:  Bronate @ 1 pt/ac                Nitrogen:  70 lbs/acre preplant + 30 lb/ac sprinkler

Comments:   This trial was excellent; yields averaged 194 bu/ac and the yield CV was only 2.4%.  C 69 yields generally increased with higher seeding rate and with higher nitrogen rate.  Both nitrogen rate and seeding rate variables statistically affected grain yield.  Additional nitrogen (besides 100 lbs/acre after potatoes) increased yield.  Yield increased from 184 bu/ac to 195 bu/ac to 204 bu/ac, respectively.  The low seed rates produced 191 and 186 bu/ac whereas the higher seed rates produced 199 and 202 bu/ac, respectively.  Some affects of nitrogen rate and seeding rate are shown in the graphs below.

Fig. 1.  Nitrogen added beyond that needed for C14 increased grain yield.	Fig. 2.  Added nitrogen delayed heading date (days after June 1).
Fig. 3.  Added nitrogen made plants grow taller.	Fig. 4.  Added nitrogen increased grain protein content (%).
Fig. 5.  Higher seeding rates made heading date earlier.	Fig. 6.  Higher seeding rates increased grain screenings %; however, screenings were relatively low.<

Oat variety performance trial at Center¹ in 2004.

Site Information:

Irrigation:  center pivot                           Seed Rate:  Variable treatment
Herbicide:  Bronate @ 1 pt/ac                Nitrogen:  70 lbs/acre preplant + 30 lb/ac sprinkler

Comments:  This trial was severely affected by the same soil problem that affected the Soft White Trial and the Wheat Seeding Rate Trial.  Yields were reduced by the problem which caused stunting and reduced tillering.  The area was not affected uniformly since the trial resulted in fair yields and unacceptable variability.  The grain yield coefficient of variation (CV= 11.7) was too high; results might not be similar if the trial were repeated.

This trial has five (5) varieties in the top yield group.  It does not show any yield advantage for Monico or Maverick such as the last year’s 5-year average.  Monico, Maverick and Powell have a yield advantage in the 5-year yield average.  Monico and Maverick have also shown heavier bushel weight, earlier heading date, shorter plant height, lower lodging percentage and equal forage yield.

Foundation seed of Maverick is available from Merlin Dillon, Area Extension Agronomist, San Luis Valley Research Center.

Six (6) Year averages (1998-2004), oat variety performance trial in Center.

Comments:  This table shows results for six years testing at this location. Monico, Maverick and Powell have produced high grain yields each year.  Monico and Maverick seem to have better bushel weight.  Rio Grande is the earliest variety tested by far; however, other newer varieties yield more with less lodging.  Rio Grande, Maverick and Powell have been the shortest height varieties; Monida and Monico have been the tallest.  Maverick showed the least lodging followed by Monico.  All varieties seemed to produce about the same forage yields in limited testing