Winter Wheat Yield and Comments -- 2001

No-till, date-of-planting studies supported by the South Dakota Wheat Commission were conducted for four years at two locations in western South Dakota. Seven popular varieties were tested at each planting date. It was determined that planting date makes a greater difference in grain yield than does variety. The first two planting dates of September 15 and October 1 always had the highest yields. The latest planting date of November 1 always had the lowest average yield. The planting date of winter wheat in the fall has a significant effect on the spring growth and the yield of the crop the next season. The later-planted wheat has less fall growth, or in the case of the November planting, no growth. The lack of fall growth results in slower development of the crop in early spring and delays the grain-fill period until the hotter portion of the summer. The first two planting dates had more average fall growth and were able to start development earlier in the spring and make use of the moisture and cool growing conditions early in the summer

2006 Winter Wheat Variety Yield Results and Planting Tips

It was a tough year for winter wheat in South Dakota in 2006. The major winter wheat growing areas in the central and western part of the state suffered serious drought from planting until harvest. Most areas were very dry at planting, which delayed germination until rain came later in the fall. This led to plants with small crowns and little fall growth. Conditions did not improve in the spring with several locations having the driest January to June on record. Yields from the Crop Performance Testing Program averaged 47 bu/A statewide, but many locations were not harvested due to the drought. Trials at Selby, Bison, Hayes, and Kennebec were too poor to be harvested for yield. Trials at Watertown, Platte, and Dakota Lakes had too much variation for yield results to be reported. The top performing varieties in East River in 2006 were NuDakota, Wesley, Nekota, Alliance, and SD98102; while Hatcher, SD98102, NuDakota, Harry, and Wahoo were best in West River

2007 Winter Wheat Variety Yield Results and Planting Tips

After a very tough 2006 in South Dakota, 2007 was a much better year for winter wheat production. The eastern part of the state had plentiful moisture and, even though conditions were still dry in central and western South Dakota, most central and western areas had timely rains to produce a de¬cent crop. In many areas in 2007, moisture wasn’t the major factor affecting yields; instead, the major factor affecting yields in many areas was leaf rus

Winter Wheat Test Results for South Dakota, 2002

The winter wheat variety recommendations for 2003 are listed in table 1. Comments: The dominant issue facing South Dakota agriculture in the 2002 crop season was the lack of moisture in the fall of 2001 and the winter and spring of 2002. Limited moisture led to a large deficit in subsoil moisture in many cropping regions of the state. This in turn resulted in many acres of winter wheat and other small grains being harvested for hay. The average winter wheat yield in the South Dakota Crop Performance Testing (CPT) Program was 39 bu/A for year 2002 and 48 bu/A for the 3-year period (2000-2002). Compared to 2001, this was a drop of 7 bu/A in both the 1- and 3-year CPT yield averages

2008 Winter Wheat Variety Yield Results and Planting Tips

2008 turned out to be an excellent year for winter wheat production in most of South Dakota. Though conditions were very dry for planting last fall, most of the central and eastern part of the state had good rains in Oct. to get the wheat off to a good start. There were areas in the west central and northwest part of the state that did not get rain in the fall, and in those areas the wheat did not make it through the winter. From May on through the summer most of the state had plentiful rainfall and cool conditions, which led to excellent wheat yields — with reports of some fields exceeding 100 bushels per acre. The main problems in 2008 were tan spot early in the season, rust that came in later in the season in the central part of the state, and the difficultly getting the crop harvested with the rainy humid conditions in July and early Aug

2009 Winter Wheat Variety Yield Results and Planting Tips

2009 turned out to be mixed bag for winter wheat production in South Dakota. Some areas in the west and central part of the state did not get much rain in the fall. Dry conditions in these areas delayed germination, setting back seedling development and resulting in thin stands. The Wall, Martin, and Pierre locations were within this dry region. At Martin, a combination of thin stands and downy brome weed pressure adversely affected plant development and yield. Yield results from Martin are not included in this report. Most locations in the eastern part of the state had adequate moisture in the fall to get winter wheat off to a good start. Weather conditions remained cool and wet for most of the growing season in the western part of the state. These conditions slowed down crop development and delayed harvest. Two locations (Sturgis and Bison) were not harvested in time for the results to be included in this publication. Yield results from the two locations will be included in the publication EC774 – 2009 Crop Performance Results, which will be available at the end of the year

Alternative Annual Forage Crop Options for Northern Great Plains Cattle Producers: A South Dakota Case Study

In the Northern Great Plains region, crop and livestock producers view forage crop production as an important component of their farm management system. During periods of increased environmental risk, alternative annual forage crops may provide producers with a risk reducing alternative to traditional forage crops. An alternative forage crop production study (20 varieties) was conducted by South Dakota State University. Production yield data was analyzed using alternative decision making criteria when outcomes are uncertain. Empirical results provide insight on forage crop planting decisions with respect to the importance of optimal harvest timing, and the ranking of alternative forage crops as a cash crop or as a grazing resource for livestock. The management decision criteria used to evaluate the economic value of the forage crops included in this study are: a) Expected Value, b) Max-Min, and c) Minimum Variance. Triticale and Barley rank the highest with respect to Expect Value criteria, but Oats and Barley dominate based on risk avoidance criteria (Max-Min and Minimum Variance criteria). Rankings for summer forage crops indicate that sorghum varieties ranked the highest for economic value. However, the millet varieties rank higher with respect to the risk avoidance criteri

Grain Sorghum Variety Trial Archive

This report features the available sorghum data from 2003-2017. Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU

Sunflower & Flax Hybrid Performance and Variety Trial Archive

This report features the available sunflower and flax data from 2003-2017. Crop performance testing results are released annually through the activities of SDSU Extension and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station at SDSU

Establishment and Persistence of Yellow-Flowered Alfalfa No-Till Interseeded into Crested Wheatgrass Stands

Crested wheatgrass [Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn., A. desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schult., and related taxa] often exists in near monoculture stands in the northern Great Plains. Introducing locally adapted yellow-flowered alfalfa [Medicago sativa L. subsp. falcata (L.) Arcang.] would complement crested wheatgrass. Our objective was to evaluate effects of seeding date, clethodim {(E) -2-[1-[[(3-chloro-2-propenyl)oxy]imino] propyl]-5-[2-(ethylthio)propyl]-3-hydroxy-2-cyclohexen-1-one} sod suppression, and seeding rate on initial establishment and stand persistence of Falcata, a predominantly yellow-flowered alfalfa, no-till interseeded into crested wheatgrass. Research was initiated in August 2008 at Newcastle, WY; Hettinger, ND; Fruitdale, SD; and Buffalo, SD. Effects of treatment factors on plant frequency during initial establishment were influenced by site environments. Late summer and spring were suitable seeding dates. Clethodim sod suppression increased seedling frequency in most cases. Seedling frequency increased as seeding rate increased from 0.56 to 7.84 kg pure live seed (PLS) ha–1. Specific seeding dates, clethodim sod suppression, and high seeding rates did not greatly improve initial establishment when site environments were poor. Residual effects of seeding date and sod suppression post establishment were not significant at most locations, but seeding rate effects were evident. Initial establishment and persistence of Falcata alfalfa was successful at Newcastle, indicating that interseeding in late summer or spring using low seeding rates (≤3.36 kg PLS ha–1) without clethodim can be effective. Assessing grass canopy cover, soil texture, and management (e.g., haying) is necessary to determine the suitability of crested wheatgrass sites for interseeding