Variety Selection
Variety selection can be critical for maximizing returns to producers and protecting the integrity of PNW marketing systems. Varieties are selected by producers for several reasons including yield potential under specific conditions, disease and insect tolerance or resistance, height, lodging resistance, milling and baking quality, test weight, relative maturity, and many other factors. Using well adapted varieties assures that the benefits of other purchased inputs will also be maximized.
Proper variety selection is the most cost-effective means of addressing major disease problems. Diseases of major importance in Idaho that have been addressed by PNW breeders include stripe rust, leaf rust, septoria, cephalosporium stripe, black chaff, dwarf bunt, snowmold, straw breaker foot rot, to name a few. Aside from diseases, PNW varieties may differ in their resistance or tolerance to Hessian fly. Characteristics of varieties should be evaluated by producers prior to seed purchase. Variety descriptions on this website are tailored primarily for western Idaho producers. Additional variety descriptions are available at other website links such as the Aberdeen Breeding Program and Aberdeen Extension Cereal Program.
Public and private variety releases and advanced lines are routinely evaluated by public breeders or cereal extension specialists throughout the PNW. In Idaho, extensive testing is conducted by the extension specialists in the Idaho Wheat Commission and Idaho Barley Commission supported performance trials. Results from the variety performance trials conducted in western Idaho are available on this website. In addition to the variety performance webpage, additional performance information is available in Cereal Sentinel newsletters also available on this website. Information on variety performance in other southern Idaho production areas can be found at the Aberdeen Breeding Program , and Aberdeen Extension Cereal Program .
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