At the Oklahoma State University Wheat and Forages Field Day held in Chickasha, Associate Farm Editor Reagan Calk had the chance to talk with regents professor and wheat genetics chair in the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Dr. Brett Carver.
Carver first gave an update on the wheat crop throughout Oklahoma, which he said has been impacted by drought in some areas, but in other areas, not so much. In those areas that have not been impacted by drought, Carver said Stripe Rust has been extremely prevalent.
“One way we can tell if we are going to get it (Stripe Rust) is what happens in Texas, but what happens in Texas may depend on what happens in Mexico,” Carver said. “There is this cycle of inoculum that comes down along the west coast and back up through the great plains. That cycle must get started somehow and somewhere, or the inoculum has to over winter.”
Carver said one way to be vigilant against stripe rust is to plant varieties that will respond defensively against the disease. Aside from Stripe Rust, Carver also talked about research regarding a few more diseases such as Septoria that have impacted wheat in Oklahoma.
Four weeks ago, good to excellent conditions in Oklahoma’s winter wheat crop rated 73 percent good to excellent. Last week, those rated 49 percent good to excellent. As La Nina, the dry season, makes its way back, Carver said looking back to what worked well in 2022 and 2023 can help producers make decisions for the upcoming year.
“I can tell you, in the OSU program, Showdown does well,” Carver said. “It is not the most drought-tolerant variety out there, but it seems to recover and seems to produce a good grain yield. High Cotton is another one.”
When it comes to planting a variety of wheat for forage, Carver talked about varieties of wheat that can perform well for grazing and have grain potential.
“It has got to have all these things we expect in a grain variety, but it has these characteristics that make it more appealing as a graze-out wheat,” Carver said.
To see the list of 2024 OSU Field Days, CLICK HERE.
To see OSU wheat variety info, CLICK HERE.
