Breeding for hard red winter wheat cultivars adapted to conventional-till and no-till systems in northern latitudes

Abstract

Conservation tillage in the Great Plains of North America has increased in recent years, in part, to control soil erosion, increase soil water storage and reduce production costs. No-till production is recommended for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in northern latitudes for the purpose of trapping snow and protecting the crop from freezing temperatures. A 5 year field study was conducted at four North Dakota locations from 1984-85 through 1988-89 to determine if significant cultivar x tillage interactions existed for grain yield of winter wheat. Fourteen hard red winter wheat cultivars were planted in both conventional-till and no-till systems. Significant cultivar x tillage interactions were obtained for grain yield from both a weighted analysis across all environments and from individual analyses of 12 of the 16 environments in which wheat survived under both tillage systems (P < 0.05). Regression of cultivar yield on mean environment yield produced b values that varied little between conventional till and no-till for 10 of the 14 cultivars. The top five yielding cultivars were the same for both tillage systems and had b values > 1.0. Although the cultivar x tillage interaction may be a result of differential winter survival rather than tillage per se, this study suggests that selection for winter wheats with superior yield performance can be conducted under either no-till or conventional-till systems.

Physiological traits and cereal germplasm for sustainable agricultural systems

“…Using a small set of wheat varieties, Cornish (1987) concluded there was little evidence for genotypes to yield differently with different tillage practices. However, this evidence is contrary to the work of Hall and Cholick (1989) and Cox (1991) whom identified changes in the ranking of wheat varieties for yield across different tillage systems. Trethowan et al (2005) point out that studies contrasting grain yield under tillage systems are scarce and that the cultivars tested were developed using conventional tillage practices.…”

Changes in Soil Properties and Productivity under Different Tillage Practices and Wheat Genotypes: A Short-Term Study in Iran

“…A study in India, comparing 12 wheat genotypes under conventional and no tillage practices, PBW 443 and HD 2627 cultivars did not perform well under the no-tillage practice, whereas HUW 468, HUW 234, and PBW 343 cultivars had identical performance under both tillage practices [44]. It was concluded that cultivars adapted to no-tillage production practices should be bred and developed under no tillage [45,46]. These contradictions led us to investigate whether available improved wheat varieties and advanced lines should be performed and responded similarly for each tillage practice in Iran.…”

Adaptability of Wheat Cultivars to a Late-Planted No-Till Fallow Production System

“…Given that breeding lines in the Pacific Northwest are selected in a tilled summer fallow production system, they may not perform well in a late-planted no-till fallow system and a different selection scheme may be warranted. Cox [23] concluded that selection for superior yielding cultivars in a no-till system could be conducted under either no-till or conventional-till systems. However, Cox [23] evaluated production systems with the same planting date; unlike the late-planted no-till fallow system described above.…”

“…Cox [23] concluded that selection for superior yielding cultivars in a no-till system could be conducted under either no-till or conventional-till systems. However, Cox [23] evaluated production systems with the same planting date; unlike the late-planted no-till fallow system described above. The purpose of this research was to determine if the current breeding scheme, with cultivars selected from a tilled summer fallow production system, is capable of producing cultivars that perform well in a late-planted no-till fallow production system in the dry areas of the Pacific Northwest.…”