POTENTIAL FOR WINTER WHEAT PRODUCTION IN SASKATCHEWAN

1976 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. FOWLER ◽  
L. V. GUSTA ◽  
K. E. BOWREN ◽  
W. L. CROWLE ◽  
E. D. MALLOUGH ◽  
...  

Winter cereal trials consisting of 10 cultivars representing cold hardiness potentials ranging up to the hardiness of Frontier winter rye were seeded at test sites throughout Saskatchewan for 2 yr. At most sites in the Brown soil zone only winter rye survived without extensive winter damage. At sites in the Black and Gray soil zones, winter survival was sufficient to provide agronomic data for several winter wheat cultivars. Considerable yield compensation took place in stands exhibiting partial winterkill, and as a result hardier cultivars did not always demonstrate a yield advantage.

1988 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. GILLILAND ◽  
D. B. FOWLER

In the northern part of the North American Great Plains, the level of cultivar winter-hardiness required for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production is extremely high. Presently, available winter wheat cultivars with adequate winterhardiness are tall and, under favourable growing conditions, crop lodging and excessive amounts of straw can present serious production problems. Consequently, cultivars with short, stiff straw and a high harvest index would be desirable for high production areas within this region. However, semidwarf cultivars with superior winterhardiness have not yet been developed. In this study, six GA-insensitive (Rht) semidwarf parents with poor to moderate winterhardiness were crossed with three GA-sensitive (rht) tall parents possessing good winterhardiness to produce 20 different single, three-way and double crosses. These crosses were evaluated to determine if the GA-insensitive character could be combined with a high level of winterhardiness in winter wheat. Gibberellic acid (GA) sensitivity analyses of F2 seedlings established that a single GA-insensitive gene was involved in each cross. F2-derived F3 and F3-derived F4 lines were assessed for GA-sensitivity and winterhardiness levels were determined from field survival at several locations in Saskatchewan, Canada. Winter survival of homozygous GA-sensitive and GA-insensitive lines were similar in both generations. Lines with winterhardiness levels similar to those of the three tall parent cultivars were recovered in all GA-response classes. The absence of a meaningful pleiotropic effect of Rht genes on winterhardiness indicates that the reason semidwarf cultivars with superior winterhardiness levels have not been developed is due to the lack of a concentrated breeding effort to combine the two characters. A breeding strategy for the production of adapted winterhardy semidwarf winter wheat cultivars is discussed. The influence of endogenous gibberellin levels on cold hardiness in winter wheat is also considered.Key words: Cold hardiness, field survival, Triticum aestivum L, semidwarf, Gibberellic acid


1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (19) ◽  
pp. 2198-2201 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. Green ◽  
C. D. Ratzlaff

Soluble carbohydrate patterns of two hardy winter wheat cultivars and two less hardy cultivars were compared during the cold-hardening process. Soluble carbohydrates increased in concentration as the seedlings developed and the cold-hardening process occurred. The largest soluble carbohydrate differentials between the hardy and less hardy winter wheat cultivars occurred in the sucrose and raffinose fractions. The accumulation of sucrose and raffinose in wheat growing at 7.2 °C–0.5 °C day–night was greater in the two less hardy winter wheat cultivars. An inverse relationship existed between soluble sugars and cold hardiness in the four cultivars studied.


1991 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 565-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. O'Connor ◽  
L. V. Gusta ◽  
S. P. Paquette

The freezing tolerance of downy (Bromus tectorum L.) and Japanese (Bromus japonicus) brome were compared to Norstar winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) collected from similar sites. From December to April of 1987 downy brome was either equal to or superior in freezing tolerance to the winter wheat. Of the three species, Japanese brome was slightly less hardy in December but was of equal freezing tolerance in March and April. There was no correlation between freezing tolerance and tissue water content or tissue dry weight in the three species. These two bromes may become a serious weed in winter wheat because their cold hardiness is either equal or superior to our hardiest winter wheat cultivars. Key words: Downy brome, Japanese brome, winter wheat, freezing tolerance


1986 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 837-843
Author(s):  
D. B. FOWLER ◽  
M. L. GRAHAM ◽  
R. ASHFORD

The effects of 2,4-D and MCPA amine treatments on cold tolerance and other agronomic characters of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and rye (Secale cereale L.) were studied in controlled environment and field trails. For both species, the level of cold tolerance achieved in controlled environments was reduced following exposure to 2,4-D and MCPA at rates up to 2.24 kg ha−1. In contrast, similar rates of fall applied 2,4-D and MCPA did not affect the cold tolerance of wheat and rye growing in the field. Treatment of plants from different seeding dates indicated that the observed field herbicide tolerance was not influenced by large differences in plant growth stage. Yield and other agronomic characters were also unaffected by fall 2,4-D and MCPA treatment. In contrast, broadleaf weed control was obtained with rates as low as 0.28 kg ha−1 for both herbicides, emphasizing the large safety margin between rates required for effective winter annual weed control and crop tolerance levels. From a practical standpoint, the influence of other management practices, such as delayed seeding, were of much greater importance in winter cereal production than the effects of commerical rates of 2,4-D or MCPA applied in the fall for broadleaf weed control.Key words: Wheat (winter), rye, 2,4-D amine, MCPA amine, cold tolerance


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document