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ARS Home » Plains Area » Mandan, North Dakota » Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #405418
Research Project: Sustainable Agricultural Systems for the Northern Great Plains

Location: Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory

Title: Evaluation of a genetics by environment by management (GxExM) interactions using spring wheat.

Author
item Hendrickson, John
item Clemensen, Andrea
item Archer, David
item Christensen, Rachael
item Scott, Drew

Submitted to: Agronomy Society of America, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/8/2023
Publication Date: 11/1/2023
Citation: Hendrickson, J.R., Clemensen, A.K., Archer, D.W., Christensen, R., Scott, D.A. 2023. Evaluation of a genetics by environment by management (GxExM) interactions using spring wheat.. Agronomy Society of America, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America Meeting. 1.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Spring wheat production in the Northern Great Plains operates in a wide range of environments and different management systems. However, there are still uncertainties regarding yield and quality of spring wheat grown under varying conditions, particularly when wheat is incorporated into integrated crop-livestock systems. Over a 2-year period, we evaluated 4 varieties of fertilized and unfertilized spring wheat grown in areas that were previously grazed or ungrazed by cattle. The study site is located at the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory near Mandan, ND and previously managed as an integrated crop-livestock project incorporating cattle grazing and cover crops. In the spring of 2021 and 2022, we planted four varieties of spring wheat (Glenn, Lang, Bolles, and VitPro) into fertilized (F; 44 kg N ha-1) or unfertilized (UF) 4.5 x 9 m plots located in historically grazed (G) or ungrazed (UG) areas. We estimated yield by harvesting 1.5 x 7.6 m strips within each plot using a Hege© plot combine. The project was designed as a split-split plot with grazing being the main plot factor, fertilizer as the first sub-plot and variety as the second sub-plot. In 2021, growing season precipitation was 58% of normal and we observed no differences between fertilizer or grazing treatments but yields of Lang and Bolles were 3 times greater than Glenn and VitPro. In 2022, growing season precipitation was 90% of normal and there were no yield differences between varieties, but G-UF plots yielded more than UG-F plots (3463 vs. 3234 kg ha-1) and UG-UF plots (3001 kg ha-1) while G-F plots (3277 kg ha-1) yielded more than UG-UF plots. The difference between years suggests that better environmental conditions (i.e., adequate precipitation) moderated the impact of genetic differences but enhanced the effect of management strategies.