Determining best management practices for integrated maturity management in CWRS wheat production
Term: 3 years, beginning in 2021
Status: Ongoing
Funding Amount: $141, 142
Lead Researcher(s): Dr. Dean Spaner (University of Alberta)
Funding Partners: Alberta Wheat Commission
Project Description
Among the research priorities listed by the Alberta Wheat Commission for March 2020 was “Integrated Maturity Management - Genetic selection for early maturing varieties in combination with management practices which encourage early maturity”. We have been involved in early- maturing hard red spring wheat breeding for many years and have released some very early wheat varieties over the last few years. These varieties are at, or near, full commercialization potential. In addition, we recently completed an AWC-funded project resulting in a refereed scientific paper entitled “The Integration of Spring and Winter Wheat Genetics with Agronomy for Ultra-Early Planting into Cold Soils”. The key results of that study suggested that “growers in western Canada can successfully begin seeding wheat earlier, with few changes to their current management practices, and endure less risk than delaying seeding until soil temperatures reach 10°C or greater”. The wheat genotypes used in that study included only one CWRS cultivar and the rest were un-registered breeding lines derived from winter x spring crosses. The present proposal combines the results of these previous studies to determine optimal varietal choice and planting time; employing early- and late- planting with early- and late- maturing cultivars presently available to western Canadian wheat growers. This will aid in refining best management practices for optimal yield and harvest quality (including protein and falling number) for hard red spring wheat production in western Canada.