LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Wheat Program (MWP) and Michigan State University have released the results of the 2017 MSU wheat performance trials.

 

“The Michigan Wheat Program congratulates MSU’s wheat team on such an aggressive trial program this past year,” said David Milligan, chair of the MWP and a wheat farmer from Cass City. “While overall wheat yields are down as expected compared with 2016, the high management results are again very promising.

 “Every wheat farmer in Michigan should be taking a look at the input costs and increased yields possible under high management, and considering whether it works for their farm.”

High management involves the use of different inputs on the crop than conventional management, and is detailed in the reports. According to the report on the commercial lines – separate from a report on experimental lines – where wheat followed soybeans, planting was delayed in many parts of the state due to green stems not drying out in soybeans.

While weather conditions in the fall made it tough to get wheat planted early, overall wheat survived the winter well, with only pockets of winter injury. Wet conditions in March and April created waterlogging in many counties, the report said, with unseasonably warm temperatures early in the spring helping to break dormancy and advance growth rapidly, with growth stages being reached about two weeks early.

Cool weather in the latter half of April and May slowed development back to normal rates. Periodic rain showers extended the 2017 harvest to as long as three weeks. DON, or deoxynivalenol, levels were very low. Falling numbers were a big problem early in the harvest season, but after the early-planted wheat was harvested this became less of a problem.

Other diseases reported included barley yellow dwarf virus, powdery mildew, septoria and tan spot. Stripe rust was less widespread than in 2016. Fusarium 

head blight infections were low.

The top-performing brand of white wheat was Jupiter, which was awnletted and with a bronze chaff color. It had yield in bushels per acre of 96.2 for 2017, with an average yield of 108.1 for 2016-17. It had a DON score of 8.7 parts per million (ppm) in 2015, the most recent figure.

This brand had a visual sprout score of 9, a lodging score of 2 and a flowering date of 151 (days past Jan. 1). It had a plant height of 33.3 inches.

The second-highest performing white wheat was Ambassador, which was awnletted and had a white chaff color. It yielded 95.8 bushels per acre with a two-year average of 105.2. It had DON of 8.7 ppm in 2015, a visual sprout score of 5.5, a lodging score of 2 and a flowering date of 149.2, with a plant height of 35.9 inches.

The third-highest performing white wheat was Dyna-Gro 9362W, which was awnless and had a white chaff color. It yielded 95.6 bushels per acre in 2017. There was no two-year average and no DON. This brand had a visual sprout score of 8.5, a lodging score of 2, flowering date of 149.2 and plant height of 34.2 inches.

The No. 1 red wheat was DF 112 R, which was awned and had a white chaff color. It yielded 104.3 bushels in 2017, with a two-year average of 112.9. It had a DON of 3.9 ppm, a visual sprout score of 6, a lodging score of 3.3, flowering date of 148.2 and plant height of 34 inches.

The second-highest performing red wheat was SY 100, which was awnletted and had a white chaff color. It yielded 101.9 bushels per acre, with a two-year average of 113.4. There was no DON. It had a visual sprout score of 4, a lodging score of 2.3, flowering date of 149.5 and plant height of 33 inches.