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

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

EC04-183 Chickpea Production in the High Plains

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an annual grainlegume or “pulse crop” that is used extensively for human consumption. The seed of this plant, when dried, is commonly used in soup. Its primary use in the United States is for salad bars, while in the Middle East and India it is more frequently cooked and blended with rice dishes. Major chickpea producers include India, Pakistan, Mexico, Turkey, Canada, and Australia. Chickpea makes up more than 20 percent of world pulse production, behind dry bean and pea. Currently, the United States imports more than 80 percent of its domestic chickpea needs. Since the 1980s, chickpea production has increased rapidly in the northwestern United States. Meanwhile, due to agronomic, processing, and marketing constraints, production in the High Plains has been sporadic and often short-lived. During the past few years, the development of new varieties and the potential for chickpea production under dryland and limited irrigation conditions has generated renewed interest among High Plains producers. With this in mind, the purpose of this publication is to provide information to enhance the potential for successful chickpea production

EC04-183 Chickpea Production in the High Plains

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an annual grainlegume or “pulse crop” that is used extensively for human consumption. The seed of this plant, when dried, is commonly used in soup. Its primary use in the United States is for salad bars, while in the Middle East and India it is more frequently cooked and blended with rice dishes. Major chickpea producers include India, Pakistan, Mexico, Turkey, Canada, and Australia. Chickpea makes up more than 20 percent of world pulse production, behind dry bean and pea. Currently, the United States imports more than 80 percent of its domestic chickpea needs. Since the 1980s, chickpea production has increased rapidly in the northwestern United States. Meanwhile, due to agronomic, processing, and marketing constraints, production in the High Plains has been sporadic and often short-lived. During the past few years, the development of new varieties and the potential for chickpea production under dryland and limited irrigation conditions has generated renewed interest among High Plains producers. With this in mind, the purpose of this publication is to provide information to enhance the potential for successful chickpea production