If you missed the wheat variety tour for your area or you are looking for more information on varieties that are best suited for your farm, you can make a Virtual Wheat Tour “online” from the comfort of your home.

NU Extension specialists have developed a web site with detailed descriptions of varieties, their pedigrees, release dates, certified seed producers selling them, and even a photo. The site features hard red winter wheat, hard white wheat, and irrigated wheat. The site is available at http://www.panhandle.unl.edu/wheat/

Through the site you can compare varieties for characteristics such as winter hardiness, disease and insect resistance, straw strength, and plant height. When selecting a new variety, consider its strengths and weaknesses and how it will fit with the farming practices and wheat varieties you’re currently using.

 Choosing varieties that complement each other will improve yield stability and maximize protection from disasters brought on by diseases, insects, or drought. After using the site to locate a few varieties that seem to meet your criteria and that fit well with your operation, view the results of the 2008 wheat variety trials to see how the selected varieties performed in trials near your farm. This data is at http://varietytest.unl.edu/winterwheat/2008.html

The Furnas County plot, located northwest of Arapahoe on land farmed by Scott Haussler, set a yield record for Nebraska dryland wheat variety plots. The chem-fallow plot was planted into corn stalks and featured 43 varieties/hybrids. The average for the 43 entries was 90.6 bushels per acre. Overley had the highest yield at 101.5 bushels per acre. The Red Willow County plot averaged 74 bushels per acre and Art had the highest yield at 83.7 bushels per acre.

The 2008 Certified Quality Seed Book for Fall Planted Crops, including winter wheat, is available at your Extension Office. This booklet, published by the Nebraska Crop Improvement Association, provides farmers and seedsmen with a handy reference of certified seed sources in Nebraska. The booklet also contains a chart listing the 2008 winter wheat variety characteristics.

Of all the things to consider - planting date is one of the most important. Problems created by wheat streak mosaic, root and crown rot, and hessian fly can be greatly reduced by observing proper planting dates (around September 25 for our area). Fly-safe dates have not been developed for Western Nebraska, including our area of the state. Fly-safe dates are averages based on several years of observation. A hot, dry September can delay fly emergence. Moist cool weather may cause average emergence dates to be earlier.

Bob Klein, UNL Extension Cropping Systems Specialist, cited a study performed at the West Central Research and Extension Center by the late Gail Wicks, which demonstrated a large difference in yield according to planting date. Winter wheat planted Sept. 2 yielded two bushels per acre, Klein said. Per acre yield increased to 27 bushels with a Sept. 15 planting date and to 42 bu./acre when planted on North Platte’s recommended date of Sept. 25. The study compared similar plots treated in exactly the same way – except for the varied planting dates.

Controlling volunteer wheat is vitally important in managing wheat streak mosaic virus.  Volunteer wheat is a reservoir for mites involved with carrying the virus, which affect all surrounding wheat fields. Don’t let your volunteer wheat cause losses to someone else.

For your variety selection decisions, go to the previously listed web sites. It’s the next best thing to attending a University of Nebraska field variety tour.