Cornell Small Grains Trials and Fee Testing Programs

Wheat, Oat and Barley Testing in New York

Below are the results of our small grains regional trials and the cumulative summaries over years. Because the rankings of the varieties and lines often change from year to year, only the multiple year summaries should be considered to be useful indicators of varietal performance in this region. Reproduction of any table in this report must include the entire table unless we approve the editing. The information herein is provided with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Cornell University or its employees is implied.

Yield Trial Summary Reports
Soft White Winter Wheat - 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998
Soft Red Winter Wheat -2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998
Spring Oats - 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998
Spring Barley - 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998
Spring Wheat - 2007 2006, 2005, 2004

Testing Procedures:

The Soft White Winter Wheat, Red Winter Wheat and the Spring Oat regional trials are generally grown in four locations while the Spring Barley regionals are grown in three locations. The wheat and oat trials near Ithaca consist of 2 replicates while those out in the state consisted of 3 replicates. All spring barley trials have 3 replicates. All trial plots are 6 row plots 4 meters long with 18 cm between rows. Prior to harvest, the plots are trimmed to 3 meters and harvested with a plot combine. Disease and lodging notes were recorded on a 0 to 9 scale with 0 being the best and 9 the poorest. All trials are planted in a randomized complete block design and analyzed by standard ANOVA. If there are indications of within replicate field variation a second ANOVA using a nearest-neighbor adjustment is computed based on the nearest 8-plot mean. If the coefficient of variation is reduced and the variance due to genotypes the same or increased, those adjusted means are used for the summary. All trials are fertilized according to soil test recommendations for small grains. Winter grains generally receive a top dress of 38 kg/h (34 lbs/a) of actual N in the spring.

Fee Testing Programs:

Our wheat, oat, and barley trials are available to private companies that may want to test their lines and varieties more extensively in New York State. Our spring barley fee testing program has been in operation since 1982 and consists of an optional one or three location trial with three replicates per location. Our winter wheat (includes triticale) and spring oat regional trials consist of 4 locations with 2 replicates at 2 of the locations and 3 replicates at the other 2. For planting we need at least 1.2kg of wheat, 800g of oat, or 700g of barley untreated if possible. We routinely record data on winter survival (winter wheat) heading date, plant height, physiologic maturity, yield and test weight at local locations but only grain yield, test weight and lodging for remote locations. We score any diseases that can be assessed accurately. The white wheats are evaluated for preharvest sprouting resistance in 2 locations. Samples of all wheat lines are sent to Wooster for milling and baking quality evaluation. The fee is $300 per variety (includes all locations) for all of the crops. Turn around time for data on the wheat is about 2 weeks after harvest but we normally wait until the winter grains are planted to distribute the spring grains summaries. If your company would like to place entries in our winter grains trials, contact me by August 15 preferably by email or fax. We normally begin planting winter grains by mid September. For spring grains, we need to know what entries you wish to test by March 1.

Acknowledgments:

Our testing program depends on being able to test new varieties in the areas where they will be grown under actual farming conditions. We gratefully acknowledge the farmers who have provided us with a test site for our regional trials. Without their support we would not be able to provide accurate, unbiased test results. Extension specialists Nate Harendeen and Mike Stanyard have been instrumental in arranging test sites, field days, and information distribution. Also, we thank Drs. Gary C. Bergstrom, William J. Cox, and Margaret Smith, extension faculty in the Departments of Plant Pathology, Crop and Soil Sciences, and Plant Breeding & Genetics for their excellent cooperation and support.