The Impact of the Kansas Wheat Breeding Program on Wheat Yields, 1911–2006

This paper quantifies advances of the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station (KAES) wheat breeding program for two time periods: (1) 1911 to 2006 and (2) 1977 to 2006. Using multiple regression, increases in yields of wheat varieties grown in Kansas are quantified, holding growing conditions and other improvements in productivity constant. Differences in KAES variety yields and those released by other public and private breeders are quantified. During the ‘‘new age’’ of wheat breeding (1977–2006), wheat breeding alone is found to have increased yields by 6.182 bushels per acre, or an average increase of 0.206 bushels per year.wheat yield, public wheat breeding, multiplicative heteroscedasticity, economic impact of technological change, Agribusiness, Farm Management, O13, Q16,

A Doubled Haploid Laboratory for Kansas Wheat Breeding: An Economic Analysis of Biotechnology Adoption

This research evaluates the use of doubled haploid lines (DHs) to accelerate breeding and gene discovery in wheat breeding. The DH biotechnology greatly accelerates time to market for new wheat varieties and speeds genetic gains in wheat yields. An economic model was built based on previous literature, knowledge of the wheat industry, and information gleaned from wheat breeder interviews. Results show that DH methods would provide large economic gains to Kansas wheat producers and global wheat consumers. The results are robust to a wide variety of scenarios

The Impact of the Kansas Wheat Breeding Program on Wheat Yields, 1911–2006

This paper quantifies advances of the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station (KAES) wheat breeding program for two time periods: (1) 1911 to 2006 and (2) 1977 to 2006. Using multiple regression, increases in yields of wheat varieties grown in Kansas are quantified, holding growing conditions and other improvements in productivity constant. Differences in KAES variety yields and those released by other public and private breeders are quantified. During the ‘‘new age’’ of wheat breeding (1977–2006), wheat breeding alone is found to have increased yields by 6.182 bushels per acre, or an average increase of 0.206 bushels per year