Yield results are in! The August 2013, Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) Newsletter reported on AWC funded research aimed at maximizing wheat yields and profitability. The project, being led by Sheri Strydhorst, Agronomic Research Scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD), in Barrhead is investigating three agronomic practices: supplemental nitrogen fertilizer, plant growth regulators (PGRs) and foliar fungicide applications.
Although these are just first year results, and the research group is hesitant to draw any conclusions, the early results look promising. Of the 48 different management practices that were tested, fungicide treatments significantly increased yields.
At Barrhead, depending on the management practice, yields ranged from 106 to 148 bushels (bu)/acre. The highest yields were achieved with a dual fungicide application of Headline applied at flag leaf followed by Prosaro applied 14 days later. There was 30 bu/acre yield increases reported. Jason Wood, Production Crops Economist at ARD, completed net benefit calculations using a CPS #1 price of $5.63/bushel and dual fungicide application costs of $57.77/acre. The net economic benefit from the dual fungicide application at Barrhead was $111.13/acre, compared to the standard management practice where there was no supplemental nitrogen fertilizer, PGR or fungicide application.
Similar trends were found at Lacombe. The dual fungicide applications increased yields by 33 bu/acre and net economic returns were $144.91/acre.
Yield increases from the single fungicide applications were also observed. A sole application of Headline fungicide at flag leaf timing increased yields by 20-23 bu/acre. Similarly, the sole application of Prosaro fungicide at head emergence increased yields by 21-25 bu/acre.
There was no significant yield response to supplemental nitrogen fertilizer or the PGR treatments; however, lodging, protein and 1000 kernel weight data have not yet been analyzed. At Willingdon, there was no yield response to the management practices, but this might be attributed to the relatively dry conditions experienced at that location.
Growers should be cautioned that this is only one year of results and things could be very different in 2014. Although there have been very exciting trends in 2013, growers should not make management decisions based solely on this data. Your 2014 management decisions should be made based on what you see in your fields next year and 2014 crop prices. There is no guarantee this research will see such promising results again in 2014.
Plans are underway to expand this project to five locations across Alberta in 2014, 2015 and 2016. With an additional 15 site years of data, solid conclusions can be drawn and ARD can make specific recommendations to growers.
The 2013 field trials are funded by the AWC with in-kind support provided by ARD, Koch Agronomic Services, Kittle Farms Ltd., Don Schmermund, Brian Trueblood, Clarence Assenheimer, Greg Porozni and Terry Young.
