I l VEMBER 1952 Performance of Small Grain and Flax Varieties, 1958-1961 I‘ g, THE AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE OF TEXAS I College Station, Texas my ‘ TEXAS AGRICULTURAL, EXPERIMENT STATION I R. E. Patterson, Director Dlqest Contents Small grains are used extensively for grain and supplemental winter pasture in Texas. The com- bined acreage of wheat, oats and barley frequently exceeds 6,000,000 acres. In seasons favorable for seeding small grain, frequently as many as 1,000,000 acres are seeded exclusively for forage. Small grains are grown from the 50-inch rainfall belt of Southeast Digest Introduction Growing Areas and Test Locations Climatic Conditions and Soil Types Field Design of Tests », Experimental Data it Texas to the 15-inch rainfall areas of Northwest 0336a 1 Texas. Many varieties and types are needed for this Area 2 wide range of environmental conditions and uses of Area 3 l. ; the crop. ire“ g e ‘ Flax is fall-seeded as a cash grain crop in South Ax; 6 Central Texas, mainly in a l0-county area between Area 7 San Antonio and Corpus Christi. The first com- springsown 0m mercial fields of flax in Texas were grown in 1938, Barley and the acreage increased to 329,000 acres in 1949. Area I Severe drouth in the l950’s reduced the acreage, but Area 2 during recent years the flax acreage has increased. ireai Performance trials of small grains and flax were AZ: 5 conducted at 12 to 18 locations each year during Areas 6 and 7 1958-61. These trials are the basis for recommenda- Wheat tions of commercial varieties and for testing newly Area 1 developed experimental strains. The State is divided Area 2 into seven areas for performance trials. Comparable 2:: i yields and agronomic data for each area are given Area 5 for 1958-61, but average grain yields for 1954-61 also Areas 5 and 7 are given as a firmer basis for recommendations. New Varieties The following varietal recommendations are made . Flax for each growing area. Acknowledgments Area ‘I Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 Area 5 Area 6 Area 7 OATS Fall seeded Mustang Mustang Moregrainl Moregrain Suregrain New Nortex Mustang Recommended Wintok Bronco New Nortexz Suregrain Moregrain Moregrain Bronco » Cimarron Cimarron Mustang New Nortex2 Radar I Suregrain New Nortex‘ a, Bronco Bronco Alamo-X ‘ Acceptable New Nortex1'2 Midsouth Alamo Alber Mustang Moregrain‘ Suregraini Mustang Camellia Wintok Alamo-Xi Spring seeded Alamo-X Alamo-X Alamo-X none none Alamo-X Alamo-X Alamo Alamo Alamo recommended recommended Alamo Alamo Mustang Mustang Suregrain Suregrain Suregrain Moregrain Moregrain Moregrain BARLEY Fall seeded Kearney Rogers Rogers Cordova Goliad Cordova Kearney Recommended Rogers Cordova Cordova Rogers Rogers Rogers F Cordova Harbine Cordova Acceptable Harbine Kearney Harbine Texan Cordova none Harbine Wintex Wintex Texan Arivat recommended Ward Texan Spring seeded Cordova Cordova Cordova none none Cordova Cordova Rogers Rogers recommended recommended Rogers Rogers _ WHEAT Recommended Tascosa Tascosa Kaw Quanah Milam Quanah Tascosa Bison Bison Ponca Kaw Crockett Kaw Kaw Quanah Crockett Bison Aztec Ponca Comanche I Kaw Ponca Crockett Acceptable Comanche Comanche Tascosa Milaml Seabreeze Knoxa Quanahl Concho Improved Triumph Knoxa Crockett Frisco‘: Crockett Crockett Friscos Improved Triumph Concho ‘Less winterhardy than recommended varieties. “New Nortex represents the Red Rustproof type. Other strains satisfactory sSoft wheat where market is available. PERFORMANCE 0E SMALL BRAIN AND ELAX VARIETIES IN TEXAS, 1958-51 A L GRAINS OCCUPY A UNIQUE PLACE among Texas i. ops because they are adapted to so many uses acan be grown with some degree of success from 0-inch rainfall belt and mild climate of South- Texas to the 15-inch rainfall belt of Northwest where winter temperatures are often very t e. Semiwinter or even spring types can be grown F fall seeding in South Texas, since only very jtolerant varieties may be safely fall-seeded in , west Texas. Wheat is a major cash crop of the High Plains, “ng Plains and parts of North Central Texas. ‘ever, the forage value of wheat as a winter ng crop is of major importance in all areas, both i_ irrigation and under dry-farming systems. nue from grazing of wheat or returns in beef or _ production often is equal to the value of grain. 1 t all fall-sown oats and barley are used as ination grain and forage crops. When moisture 'tions are favorable in the spring, oats and barley Abe sown in the High Plains area for grain pro- Cited to forage or fiber uses. 3', hroughout most of East and South Texas and .1 of the southern part of the Rolling Plains area, grains are sown principally and often exclusively A inter pasture. During seasons of favorable _ure conditions, these crops may provide succu- ‘jhigh-protein forage from October until they are v in the spring by grazing and the livestock vferred to permanent pasture. Large acreages evoted to such use and, because they do not - ce grain, are only partially recorded in statistics ‘all grain. Smaller but significant acreages are _ for hay, grass silage, soiling crops or green ’ re. a he average annual seeded acreage devoted to i, for grain during the 10-year period 1952-61 %,323,000; that to oats, 2,194,700; and that to ', 348,600 acres. The total for the three crops 26,800 acres. Large acreages are lost to drouth other hazards each season. These losses, com- A tively, agronomist in charge of small grain research, w. Agricultural Experiment Station and Crops Research 'on, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of p lture, College Station, Texas; agronomist, Southwestern F Plains Field Station, Bushland, Texas; agronomist, Sub- ; No. 6, Denton, Texas; agronomist, TAES, College Sta- t Texas; research agronomist, Crops Research Division, USDA, College Station, Texas; research agronomist, Crops i ch Division, ARS, USDA, Denton, Texas and superin- Q t, Substation No. 12, Chillicothe, Texas. on alone. Flax is grown only for seed, being_ I I. M. Atkins, K. B. Porter, J. H. liardenhire, Paul E. Pawlisoh, [lwen C. Merkle, Earl C. Gilmore and K. A. Lahrl‘ bined with the acreages grazed off instead of being allowed to produce grain, reduced the 10-year har- vested acreage to 2,907,000 for wheat, 1,294,400 for oats and 244,200 acres for barley. Growing Areas and Test Locations Statewide small grain and flax performance trials are designed to serve two purposes; first, to provide information on which to base varietal recommenda- tions to growers for each of the several growing areas and, second, to provide adequate tests of new experi- mental strains developed in the breeding program. The performance data on these new experimental strains are not included in this report since seed are not available to growers. Only yields of commercial varieties are included. Because of the wide diversity of climatic condi- tions in the State, seven testing areas have been established for easy reference. Within most of these areas two or more test locations are available through cooperation of substation personnel or other co- operators. Exceptions to this are Northeast Texas and Southwest Texas where small grains are grown largely for winter pasture or other forage uses. The growing areas and experimental test locations are shown in Figure 1. Climatic Conditions and Soil Tqpes Information on longtime meteorological data and on the 1957-61 testing period at each of the test KEY TO LOCATIONS ON MAP l. Slrutlord S. Abilene 17. College Slulion 7.. Speurmcn l0. Slephenville l8. Locllhcr! 3. Bushland ll. Sherman l9. Prairie View 4. Hereford l1. Greenville 2D. Beeville 5. Floydudn l3. Demon 21. Winter Haven S. Spur H. McGregor Z2. Benurnonl 7. Chillicothe l5. Temple 23. Mount Pleasant B. Iowa Park l5. Comfort oStavion tests AOff- station tests Figure 1. Small grains and flax growing areas and test locations. 3 locations is given in Table 1. For the most part, conditions during this period of September to June when small grain and flax are grown were favorable, resulting in record state average yields of wheat of 22.0, 22.5 and 24.0 bushels per acre in 1958, 1960 and 1961, respectively. Other small grains also pro- duced above average yields during this period. Field Design of Tests All performance trials were conducted in nursery size plots arranged in randomized blocks of four replications. These nursery plots were four rows wide by 10 feet in length and only the center rows were harvested. All varieties were not grown in all seasons at all locations in an area. In order to compare directly the varieties at a single location or in an area, it was desirable to compute comparable average yields and agronomic data. Comparable data are based on a selected set of check varieties grown uniformly at all locations and years and from these a correction factor for each year and location is computed. Comparable data for all varieties may in this way be calculated, regardless of the number of observations. Detailed annual data on yields and agronomic data are omitted but may be obtained from mimeographed data com- piled each season. These are not published, but local data may be obtained from the nearest sub- station. Experimental Data Data on performance of varieties are presented by crops within this breakdown by growing areas. Tests were conducted during 1958-61, but averages for 1954-61 are shown for more accurate evaluati Grain yields are somewhat higher th, may be expected under commercial growing con, of varieties. tions since tests were located on the most unifo soil available and, in some instances, followed fall instead of a crop. Recommendations at the end of each section . based on average grain yields {Qfor the area, but a A nomic and other characteristics also should be or sidered. These include such characteristics as win hardiness and tolerance to sudden temperat changes, disease and insect reaction or toleran adaptation to winter grazing or other forage‘ poses; and, in the case of wheat, milling and baki characteristics. Growers should consider all th characteristics in selecting a variety to grow. select a nonhardy variety for growing in Northw Texas is to gamble with losing the crop from dam by low temperatures. A variety susceptible to r or poorly adapted for winter forage production wo - be undesirable for growing in South Texas. [lats Oats are one of the most widely grown cr in Texas, being used for grain, winter pasture, gre chop feeding, hay, silage or combinations of th Oats are used as a cash crop only in the more centrated production areas of North Central a‘ and to a minor extent in certain other areas. cash value of the grain is frequently so low greater returns may be obtained by feeding the gr on the farm and marketing it through livestock. livestock products. The average seeded oat acre for 1952-61 was 2,194,700 acres. Many fields TABLE 1 . AVERAGE TEMPERATURE, RAINFALL, LENGTH OF GROWING SEASON AND SOIL TYPE AT TEST LOCATIONS‘ Number RamfalLmches Teimpleratulze, Length Average duh L r Eilfvu‘ years Average e9 ees ' of oca ion ion, - - - Annual All years 1957-61 mum mum days frost frost Area 1 Stratford 3699 3O 17.5 9.9 14.4 55.4 71.0 40.2 177 10-16 4-22 . Bushland 3590 23 18.7 15.3 16.7 57.5 72.6 42.4 193 10-28 4-14 Pullman silty clay I Wellington Plainview 3250 30 21.3 12.6 15.8 59.8 73.7 45.7 206 11-2 4-10 Area 2 Spur » 2274 51 20.7 16.8 18.4 62.1 77.2 47.0 215 11-5 4-4 Abilene clay loam j Chillicothe 1406 56 24.6 17.2 27.9 63.4 76.5 50.2 231 11-10 3-24 Abilene clay loam . Iowa Park 978 35 29.5 21.7 35.0 65.0 78.2 51.8 222 11-4 3-31 Miller sandy loam Area 3 Stephenville 1283 15 26.9 23.8 25.2 65.2 77.1 53.3 239 11-13 3-21 Denton clay Greenville 550 41 41.3 32.1 37.3 64.0 74.9 53.1 235 11-11 3-15 Hunt clay Denton 621 48 32.2 24.6 27.2 64.9 77.2 51.5 235 11-11 3-22 San Saba clay Area 4 McGregor 713 37 31.9 25.8 31.5 254 11-24 3-15 San Saba clay Temple 675 48 34.4 28.2 27.2 67.3 79.1 55.5 251 11-21 3-16 Houston black clay Comfort 1412 71 30.5 26.5 25.6 64.5 78.2 50.7 216 11-1 ' 3-30 Area 5 College Station 314 50 38.9 30.0 33.7 68.4 79.5 57.2 263 11-25 3-6 Lufkin fine sandy l‘ Prairie View 251 42 40.5 25.1 32.8 68.0 90.0 45.0 275 11-28 2-18 Hockley fine sandy ' Beeville 240 58 29.9 23.3 27.3 71.1 83.8 60.9 290 12-4 2-19 Clareville clay ‘No tests were conducted in areas 6 and 7. “September 1 to June 1 of following year. 4 to maturity and others were 10st by hazards i outh and winter-killing, so the average harvested fthis same period was only 1,294,000 acres. The ge harvested for grain has declined during the g 2,0 years owing to increased use of the crop for er pasture. The unusual drouth of the l950’s r the several years when winterkilling occurred have contributed to this decline in harvested ge. The 1942-61 harvested acreage was 1,233,850 ared with 1,482,850 acres for 1922-41. During “same period, the seeded acreage increased from 2' ,000 for 1922-41 to 1,940,400 for 1942-61. The 'bution of oats harvested for grain in 1959 is A in Figure 2. _‘Because of the wide range in climatic conditions exas, selection of adapted varieties of oats for fing in a given area is extremely important. For seeding in area 1, varieties with a high degree lerance to low temperatures are essential. Even most hardy varieties frequently are winterkilled, l; e grower must be willing to take this risk in sing fall oats. Cold tolerance is also very im- t in area 2, but moderately hardy varieties may ; own with more likelihood of survival than in i 1. In North Central Texas, area 3, cold toler- _; is needed, but survival frequently does not re- j_ the known cold resistance of varieties owing to nature of the freezing conditions. Periods of i weather in this area are usually of short duration occur often after periods of warm or moderate ‘rature conditions. Temperatures may drop p,» 70 degrees in less than 24 hours. Injury to oat ‘ties may vary from minor leaf injury to winter- a g of large acreages, and the varieties known to j high cold tolerance when well hardened may not y e as well as others of lower hardiness. Some rkilling of oats occurs on an average of about r in 4 in areas 1 and 2, about 1 in 6 years in .3 and less frequently farther south. More erect 'ng semiwinter types or even spring-type oats may ll sown in area 5. pring seeding of oats as a practice has declined fly in the past 30 years. Formerly the majority ‘ts in areas 1 and 2 and often 50 percent or more STATE TOTAL-86l,l2.4 ACRES ONE DOT = SOO ACRES Figure 2. Distribution 0f oats in Texas in 1959. in area 3 were spring sown. The development of more winter-hardy varieties in Texas and Oklahoma has provided growers with varieties suitable for fall seeding. Since fall-sown oats usually produce better yields and quality of grain than spring-sown oats, the practice of spring seeding has declined. In sea- sons when winterkilling of the fall-sown crop is wide- spread or when rainfall is favorable for spring seed- ing in area 1, considerable acreages are spring sown. Comparable yield and agronomic data are sum- marized by areas. All varieties were not grown at all stations in all seasons. All data are from fall seeding unless otherwise noted. A small uniform spring-sown test was grown at several northern sta- tions. Yields were abnormally high during the past 4 years and for a more accurate evaluation of varie- ties, the 8-year average grain yields are given. AREA 1 Usually less than 5 percent of the State oat acre- age is sown in area 1, but the proportion is now increasing because of more extensive use of fall-sown oats as an irrigated winter pasture and grain crop. 12. COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN OATS GROWN IN IRRIGATED TESTS AT STATIONS IN i AREA 1, 1958-61, AND GRAIN YIELDS FOR 1954-611 Yield of grain, bushels per acre Agronomic data, 1958-61 Test Date Date Plant Lad in Winter Amarillo Floydada Average Number Average Number weight, first full height, g gt’ survival, 1958-61 1958-60 1958-61 tests 1954-61 tests pounds head ripe inches Pelee" percent _ er tests 3 2 4 2 2 5 3 1 87.9 o", 26.6 83.4 5 56.6 14 31.7 5-19 6-24 29 30 15 98.4 69.8 86.9 5 56.5 14 34.0 5-16 6-21 3O 10 63 95.0 70.7 85.3 5 55.8 14 35.5 5-18 6-24 30 37 85 85.0 66.8 77.7 5 53.5 14 35.1 5-11 6-18 28 30 80 87.0 71.0 80.6 5 52.0 14 33.3 5-22 6-27 33 22 35 65.4 64.7 65.1 5 48.2 14 34.3 5-14 6-21 26 8 1 rtex 69.0 73.3 70.7 5 47.9 14 34.6 5-15 6-21 29 48 5 5 47.6 14 34.5 5-19 6-24 36 62 93 81.2 68.7 76.2 - tests of 1954 and 1957 at Amarillo are included in the 1954-61 averages. Comparable yields and agronomic data for oats performance trials grown under irrigation at Amarillo and Floydada are given in Table 2. Grain yields are influenced by the differential winterkilling which occurred in 1960 and are very high for 1958-61. Mustang ranked first in grain yields during 1954-61 and third for 1958-61. Although Frazier ranked first for 1958-61 and second for 1954-61, this variety is no longer available. Wintok, Cimarron and Bronco ranked third to fifth for 1954-61 and are the most winter hardy varieties adapted to this area. The grain of Wintok and Cimarron was higher in test weight than other varieties while the test weight of Mustang was the lowest. Cimarron was the earliest variety and Bronco the latest. Fulwin was the tallest variety and lodged the most, but New Nortex, Wintok and Bronco also lodged. Fultex was the shortest variety and lodged the least. During 1960 Fulwin, Wintok and Cimarron were damaged the least by low temperatures. Fultex and New Nortex were almost destroyed. Wintok and Cimarron are known to be the most hardy adapted varieties. While fall seeding in area l is hazardous, fall-sown oats usually produce better yields than spring-sown oats and may provide winter pasture. Mustang, Wintok, Cimarron and Bronco are recommended. More erect growing and quick maturing varieties such as Alamo X, Alamo or Suregrain are preferred for spring seeding. AREA 2 Slightly less than one-third of the State acreage of oats is grown in area 2. The crop is used exten- sively for both grain and winter pasture for livestock. Since a large proportion of area 2 is devoted to live- stock production on large ranches, the value of oats for winter grazing is important in production prac- tices. The amount and distribution of rainfall is of major importance in determining the utilization of oats. When spring moisture conditions are unfavor- able, large acreages are grazed to maturity to main- TABLE 3. COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN OATS GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 2, 195i GRAIN YIELDS FOR 1954-61 5 tain livestock until grass in permanent pastu i available. Under these conditions, the crop h greatest value in such utilization. Because 0 severe treatment given the crop under heavy gr, conditions, combined with limited and poorl .1 tributed rainfall, the grain yields in area 2 ark quently low. i Performance trials werécbnducted at Iowa f where supplemental irrigation is available, at? Chillicothe and one season at Merkel. Beca drouth, no data were obtained at Spur in l 1961. Eleven comparisons are available for grown at all stations 1958-61 and 23 comparisoi 1954-61. Since irrigation at Iowa Park was us to insure normal growth and not to PTOdUCET mum yields, these data are included with th conducted at other stations. a ‘mtrm.vt hviFVF-VL‘|\F?:QI‘1IV§,__ Comparable data for the 8-year periodi- Mustang, Alamo-X, Victorgrain, Alamo, S f and Bronco ranking first to sixth. Alamo-X grain and Moregrain were included in only tests and therefore have not been adequately’ ated. New Nortex, Alamo, Suregrain and Mo, were seriously damaged by low temperatures I These varieties, as well as Alamo-X, are than Mustang, Bronco, Wintok and -{‘ Mustang ranked first for the area during th- period and was also first at Iowa Park and i Even though they are winter hardy, Fulwin, o and Winter Excel have not yielded well stations. 1 The varieties Winter Excel, Moregrain - grain were superior to others in test weigh range in maturity was not great in these tests . g Moregrain and Cimarron were the earliest in i while Bronco was the latest. Mustang shod least lodging, being much superior to ' Cimarron or New Nortex in this respect. Bronco and Cimarron were the most cold tol 1959 when most others were damaged Agronomic data, 1958-61 Yield of grain, bushels per acre 1953,61 195441 . Chilli- Iowa Test Date Date Plant Lodg- Forag 1 vane” ‘lgcgaghe 191F620 Park ha??? Average Number Average Number weight, first full height, ing estim -61 1 958-61 tests tests pounds head ripe inches percent perce Number tests 4 2 4 1 1 1 8 8 7 5 7 Y I Mustang 59.0 62.0 65.5 70.2 62.9 11 55.3 23 31.5 4-28 5-29 25 6 103? _ I Alamo-X 64.5 65.9 49.9 61.2 4 54.9 4 33.7 4-24 5-25 24 111»? 4 Victorgrain 59.0 62.0 54.3 56.9 57.6 6 54.4 13 33.7 4-24 5-25 24 109- Alamo 64.8 73.2 53.5 55.6 61.4 11 53.3 23 33.5 4-22 5-25 24 109$ Suregrain 54.0 72.7 60.0 59.3 7 53.0 7 34.3 4-22 5-24 22 99 Bronco 59.2 46.7 63.0 60.4 58.4 11 52.5 23 31.8 5-1 6-2 28 88 . New Nortex 55.2 51.0 51.5 48.6 52.5 11 50.9 23 32.1 4-26 5-26 25 1". ti Cimarron 57.3 58.6 61.6 46.0 58.1 11 50.6 23 33.6 4-19 5-23 23 10’: 3 Moregrain 56.6 73.8 50.3 56.3 7 50.0 7 35.9 4-19 5-23 21 10 Fulwin 53.5 57.0 54.8 71.8 56.3 11 49.1 23 32.5 4-28 5-29 29 101v Wintok 59.2 61.7 43.6 61.2 54.2 11 47.1 22 33.6 4-26 5-27 25 101, Frazier 53.6 54.2 52.7 49.7 53.0 11 46.6 23 33.4 4-21 5-24 27 11 i Winter Excel 55.3 43.0 51.2 2 41.3 2 35.6 4-26 5-26 22 91‘ T‘ ‘Visual estimate of forage value, New Nortex 100 percent. 6 'er, Alamo-X and Cimarron were rated first to 5 among the varieties in forage value. Because of their cold tolerance, drouth resistance ‘iproved adaptation over a long period, Mustang, co and Cimarron are recommended for fall l ' g in area 2. The Red Rustproof strains, such "ew Nortex, Nortex 107 and Ferguson, are satis- 1 but frequently damaged by low temperatures. o-X and Moregrain have produced good yields '1» two seasons but have not been adequately . Suregrain and Alamo are much less winter Y- 1When winterkilling occurs and reseeding in the g is necessary then early maturing varieties such Qamo-X, Alamo, Moregrain or Mustang should _Wn. ‘ 3 Oats are grown more extensively in area 3 than ther part of the State, with approximately one- of the harvested oat acreage being grown there. 'derable acreages of oats are grown for a cash _ crop although most growers utilize the crop to i‘ degree for livestock pasture. When the oats astured, livestock are removed from the fields Te February to allow the oats to produce a grain erformance trials conducted at Denton, Renner, » ville and Stephenville are reported in Table 4. rmance trials at Stephenville were discontinued .1958, and although seeded at Greenville in 1959 I960, no data were obtained because of poor ,_ . During 1954-61, the varieties Moregrain, rgrain, Mustang, New Nortex and Nortex 107 V» first to fifth in comparable average grain t: These varieties also were the leading varieties 58-61. Moregrain, Suregrain and Alamo-X have lftested only a few years and need additional test- J accurate evaluation. Moregrain, Midsouth, Victorgrain and Suregrain produced better test weight grain than other varieties. Frazier, Cimarron, Moregrain, Alamo-X and Alamo were in the earliest maturing group, all being about l0 days earlier than the Red Rustproof strains. Sure- grain was the shortest variety, averaging 3O inches in height, followed closely by Moregrain and Cimarron. Fulwin averaged 39 inches and was the tallest. Cimarron and Ferguson 922 lodged more severely than other varieties and Arkwin lodged the least. Cold hardiness is important in area 3 although it was not a factor during this testing period. Alamo was damaged in 1959, but other varieties were not seriously injured. Experience over a longer period of time proves that Mustang and Bronco are the most cold tolerant varieties adapted to this area. Somewhat less winter hardy are Victorgrain, Midsouth, New Nortex and other Red Rustproof strains, Moregrain and Alamo-X. Still less winter hardy are Alamo and Suregrain. Another factor to be considered in selecting varieties for area 3 is disease reaction. All varieties except Moregrain and Suregrain are susceptible to the prevalent races of oat leaf rust. All varieties except Alamo and Alamo-X are susceptible to preva- lent stem rust races. Alamo and Victorgrain are susceptible to Victoria blight, a rootrot of oats. Other commercial varieties grown to a limited extent in this area are Taggart, Forkedeer and Dubois. Taggart produced only 39.3 bushels per acre for 1947-56 compared to 50.3 for New Nortex. Forke- deer is a sister strain of Fulwin, which has produced poor yields at Denton. Dubois has not been ade- quately tested. None of these varieties is recom- mended at present. Varieties recommended for area 3 are Moregrain and New Nortex and other Red Rustproof strains as well as the more cold tolerant Mustang and Bronco l4. COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN OATS GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 3, 1958-61, AND »» GRAIN YIELDS FOR 1954-61 Yield of grain, bushels per acre 1958*‘ Demon 1954-61 Agronomic data, 1958-61 Date Plant Leaf Test Date Lodg- Sur- Forage Green- Stephen- Renner 1958- ville ville 1958- Aver- Number Aver- Number weight, first full height, rust, ing, vival, value, 61 1958 1958 61 age tests age tests pounds head ripe inches percent percent percent percent‘ 4 1 1 3 7 4 2 5 2 3 1 2 77.5 62.5 71.1 7 57.1 7 35.6 4-16 5-21 32 29 96 102 77.9 69.1 73.3 61.6 73.3 7 56.1 19 34.1 4-18 5-21 36 11 22 92 99 64.8 66.2 68.3 70.3 67.2 9 55.6 21 30.3 4-22 5-27 35 18 19 100 93 62.9 76.4 65.3 70.8 67.3 9 55.0 21 32.3 4-24“ 5-28 35 4 42 100 100 66.9 67.2 3 53.7 6 31.5 4-24 5-28 34 2 25 96 100 71.9 70.0 67.7 65.0 68.9 9 53.3 11 34.8 4-17 5-26 37 18 15 96 105 60.5 65.0 58.7 70.8 64.3 9 51.9 21 31.0 4-25 5-28 37 20 24 100 85 70.3 61.4 ‘i 1“ 84.4 50.8 64.4 9 50.2 9 34.0 4-18 5-22 30 33 79 95 65.7 60.5 56.5 60.9 3 50.1 12 32.5 4-16 5-21 32 20 54 57.3 76.3 69.6 57.7 62.0 7 49.2 12 32.1 4-25 5-27 35 2 55 96 99 60.4 61.3 53.3 67.5 61.7 6 48.7 9 33.7 4-21 5-24 37 34 12 100 84 63.3 65.4 64.5 66.0 64.6 9 47.1 21 33.4 4-15 5-19 36 6 45 89 107 69.5 55.9 73.2 53.0 62.9 9 47.5 21 33.1 4-17 5-22 34 19 23 75 103 62.4 58.2 60.3 2 46.2 2 32.2 4-16 5-21 35 30 59.3 63.5 58.0 65.2 59.2 9 45.9 21 29.9 4-24 5-27 39 31 40 100 93 l estimate of forage value, New Nortex 100 percent. varieties. Victorgrain and Midsouth are satisfactory but susceptible to prevalent rust races. Alamo-X appears satisfactory, but more adequate testing is needed. AREA 4 Approximately one-third of the State oat acreage is grown in area 4. Oats are grown as a combination winter pasture and feed crop. Considerable acreages are sown exclusively for livestock pasture, while a small part of the acreage is sown as a cash grain crop. Performance trials were conducted at three sta- tions—Temple, McGregor and on the Edwards Plateau at Comfort. Comparable agronomic and grain yields are given in Table 5 for 1958-61 along with com- parable grain yields for 1954-61. Ferguson 922, New N ortex, Moregrain, Suregrain and Alamo-X rank first to fifth in grain yields for 1954-61, and these also are the highest yielding varieties for 1958-61. Moregrain, Suregrain, Midsouth and Victorgrain produced grain with higher test weight than other varieties. Frazier was the earliest variety, followed by Moregrain, Radar I and Suregrain. Suregrain, Moregrain, Radar I and Alamo-X averaged lowest in leaf rust infection, a disease of major importance in this area. These same varieties are all intermediate winter-type in growth habit and were rated above others in forage value. Varieties recommended for this area include Moregrain, Suregrain and Alamo-X, all intermediate winter types. These have the highest degree of re- sistance to crown rust of any adapted varieties. Also recommended are the Red Rustproof strains New Nortex, Nortex 107 and Ferguson 922 or Arkansas 560. The Red Rustproof strains are susceptible but rather tolerant to the rusts. A high degree of cold resistance is not essential in this area, so Mustang and Bronco should be replaced by the more disease- tolerant varieties. The varieties Forkedeer and Tag- gart have been recently introduced into this area. COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN OATS GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 4, 1958-61, I Both are very susceptible to the rusts and proba will be seriously damaged many seasons. a Spring seeding of oats is not recommended i this area, but if it becomes necessary because winterkilling, Alamo-X, Suregrain or Moregrain I be sown. I Oats grown in area 5 are seeded primarily winter pasture for livestock. When conditions x5 favorable with minor rust damage, some acreages u! be harvested for grain and others for hay or sil In certain localities the practice of green-chop féed'_ of livestock has gained some popularity. Wint are mild and broken only by short periods of c. weather so livestock are seldom confined to shel areas. Often humidity is high, showers are frequ and the sky is cloudy, so numerous leaf dise attack the cereal crops. Performance trials were conducted at four l tions, although the tests at Beaumont were disc tinued after the 1958 season. No data were obtaii at Prairie View in either 1960 or 1961. Favor conditions were encountered at Beeville and Coll Station during the period. Data for four stations area 5 are presented in Table 6. The varieties Suregrain and Moregrain gave I” standing yields during the past 4 years, owing to t ' high resistance to prevalent races of crown rust. other varieties except Alamo-X were susceptible crown rust race 216 which became prevalent in 1 or to race 290 which became prevalent in 1 Alamo-X was susceptible to race 294, which prevalent in 1961. Radar I is susceptible to race , and 294, but resistant to stem rust. Alber has nf erate field tolerance to the rusts so it has prod I fairly satisfactory yields. Florad and Floriland resistant to prevalent races of crown rust but are susceptible to stem rust. TABLE 5. YlEI.DS FOR 1954-61 Agronomic data, 1958-61 Yield of grain, bushels per acre 1958-61 1954-61 Te“ Dam Dqfe Hum Leaf Stem F0 v VQYIeIY Comfort Temple McGregor Aver- Number Aver- Number Welghll fir“ fu" heighl’ rush "I571 “II 195$“) 1958*] 19584,] age m“; age has“ pounds head ripe inches percent percent perc Number tests 3 4 4i II II I0 II 6 I Ferguson 922 52.0 68.6 66.2 63.2 11 55.4 13 33.6 4-20 5-21 33 9 20 1' New Nortex 57.8 63.2 70.2 64.3 11 54.6 20 32.5 4-20 5-21 34 12 Tr 1' Moregrain 56.2 64.4 55.1 58.7 11 52.7 11 36.6 4-9 5-13 30 Tr 11 Suregrain 53.0 57.0 60.4 57.1 11 51.0 11 35.2 4-11 5-14 30 Tr 1' Alamo-X 45.7 61.1 55.0 54.5 5 49.5 5 29.3 4-14 5-15 34 Tr 11 Victorgrain 54.8 55.7 61.9 57.5 9 48.0 18 34.6 4-14 5-14 34 52 5 11 Mustang 40.5 55.5 60.3 54.4 10 46.4 19 31.8 4-17 5-20 34 58 9 Bronco 45.2 52.9 52.2 51.1 10 46.4 19 33.0 4-23 5-23 _ 34 68 80 Alamo 49.5 52.9 49.6 50.8 11 45.5 20 32.7 4-12 5-14 32 38 1' Midsouth 45.6 52.1 57.2 53.1 11 45.4 19 34.9 4-15 5-15 34 41 5 1 Radar I 43.0 54.9 49.2 50.2 5 44.1 5 32.1 4-10 5-14 32 Tr 11 Alber 46.4 60.8 40.0 49.1 6 43.8 15 33.8 4-18 5-19 35 18 15 1 Frazier 54.2 45.4 44.9 47.6 11 42.1 20 33.4 4-7 5-12 35 52 30 11 Fulwin 41.4 41.3 38.1 40.2 11 36.2 20 30.8 4-21 5-20 35 56 8 ‘Visual estimate of forage value, New Nortex 100 percent. 8 Moregrain and Suregrain varieties have also utstanding in test weight, partly because of lump seed and rust resistance. Floriland, ‘in, Radar I and Florad were earlier than #1 ieties in maturity and were, along with Alber, it rust resistance. Radar I, Alamo and Alamo-X a only varieties having stem rust resistance. ion visual estimates only, Goodfield, Florad, Alamo-X, Frazier and Radar I were rated the oductive in forage. The erect-growing spring- it varieties Minhafer, Goodfield, Florad and d produced lower grain yields than the better iate winter-type varieties. 6 ., Northeast Texas area, shown as area 6, is I in climate to area 3 except that the rainfall er and minimum temperatures are not quite i, e. Most of the oats grown in this area are Q. winter pasture. No facilities for testing 5 available in this area so no data are available. basis of growers’ experiences, limited forage I small grain and performance in adjoining e varieties adapted to area 3 are suggested lest available. 7 , oats performance trials are conducted in this Most of this area is devoted to livestock pro- on large ranches. Facilities for irrigation are I e in certain small areas where crops of high uch as cotton or vegetables are grown. A A able amount of oats are sown for winter i,’ Because of the higher elevation of this area, ld tolerance is needed. The varieties Mustang, f and New Nortex are suggested as the best C. Spring-Sewn llals Most oats are fall sown in Texas, but in seasons when spring moisture conditions are favorable, con- siderable acreage may be spring sown in areas 1 and 2. Also, when low temperatures damage or destroy the fall-sown crop, it may be desirable to reseed certain acreages. Before 1950, when cold tolerant varieties such as Mustang and Bronco were not available, a much larger proportion of the Texas crop was spring sown. Diseases, particularly the rusts and Victoria blight, are more important in spring-sown oats than in the fall-sown crop because temperatures become more favorable for these diseases in later maturing oats. Spring seeding of oats also may cause shriveling of the seed because of high temperatures during the fruiting period. All these factors contribute to the lower average yield of spring-sown oats. Small performance trials of spring-sown oats were conducted at the more northern stations. Practically no spring seeding of oats is practiced in areas 4, 5 and 6, so no tests were conducted in these areas. Comparable data for grain yields and agronomic data are included in Table 7. Alamo, since its distribution in 1953, has been the best yielding spring-sown oat variety. Alamo-X, although tested only one season, appears satisfactory and will give protection from Victoria blight and from some races of rust. Frazier, because of its earli- ness, frequently produces good yields in spring-sown tests. Late maturing varieties, such as the Red Rust- proof strains or Bronco, are not well suited for spring seeding. Barleg The acreage sown to barley in Texas is con- siderably less than that for oats or wheat. There has COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN OATS GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 5, 1958-61, AND GRAIN YlEl.DS FOR 1954-61 Yield of grain, bushels per acre ]958_6-| |954_6-| Agronomic data, 1958-61 College Prairie Beau- Beeville Test Date Date Crown Stem Plant Forage Station View mont 1958- Aver- Number Aver- Number weight, first full rust, rust, height, estimate, 1958-61 1958-59 1958 61 age tests age tests pounds head ripe percent percent inches percent‘ ’ tests 4 2 1 4 9 8 6 11 4 7 8 48.6 63.0 64.9 67.9 59.7 11 65.7 11 33.0 4-2 5-3 1 32 36 114 55.8 63.4 51.9 55.2 7 62.1 7 30.1 3-29 5-3 20 33 121 48.4 61.9 25.2 66.3 55.3 11 60.9 11 35.8 3-29 5-2 3 53 37 116 44.0 49.0 46.5 4 53.4 4 30.9 4-3 5-3 22 41 124 46.2 59.1 38.2 52.4 50.5 7 51.0 17 28.4 4-4 5-9 Tr 12 39 107 39.5 45.0 38.7 34.4 38.6 11 45.1 21 30.5 4-2 5-3 61 38 124 36.8 32.3 41.8 32.0 35.0 10 44.0 20 29.6 4-4 5-5 69 39 37 108 32. I 4!.4 36.8 3 43.7 3 35.7 4- I 4-30 43 37 I40 37.9 31.81»; 341.1 34.2 35.7 11 42.6 21 26.9 4-11 5-11 42 24 36 100 34.7 i. 34.7 4 41.3 8 29.0 3-26 4-29 Tr 25 40 115 34.2 30.4 37.0 30.4 32.4 11 41.2 11 28.6 4-4 5-5 74 19 38 104 28.4 30.4 36.8 38.1 33.0 11 40.2 21 26.5 4-10 5-10 51 33 35 100 22.1 54.4 32.8 3 39.7 3 30.3 3-29 4-30 37 48 39 141 34.3 32.7 23.4 33.3 32.6 11 39.3 21 29.4 4-10 5-10 80 18 38 123 21.7 26.1 23.2 21.3 23.1 3 39.0 14 25.2 4-7 5-8 60 36 35 100 35.6 37.8 28.0 38.4 36.0 6 36.5 7 27.5 4-13 5-15 Tr 42 119 mate of forage value, New Nortex 100 percent. 600 '- 500 ' 400 - 300 * 200 - ACRES (THOUSANDS) IOO ' l l 1 4 1 l 1 1 l I952 I953 I954 I955 I956 I957 I958 I959 I960 I961 1 Figure 3. Seeded and harvested acreage of barley in Texas, 1952-61. The solid line indicates the seeded acreage and the broken line the harvested acreage. been a marked increase in acreage of barley, because of favorable growing seasons, development of well- adapted varieties, use of the crop for winter pasture and controlled acreage of wheat. During the very dry seasons of 1951 and 1952, barley acreage was the lowest since 1918, but during the past two seasons the harvested acreage was the highest on record. The average seeded acreage for the past l0 years was 345,300 and that harvested was 242,800. The changes in acreage during this period are illustrated in Figure 3. During recent years, the acreage seeded exclusively for forage has been partially include-d in statistics. The acreage of barley is widely scattered over the State. Most of it is fall sown, but in seasons of favorable spring moisture, a large acreage is spring sown in area 1. During recent years, there has been considerable acreage grown under irrigation in this area. The distribution of barley in Texas in 1959 is shown in Figure 4. Three types of barley are grown in Texas. True winter-type varieties such as Kearney and Ward are used for fall seeding in area l and to some extent in area 2. These varieties produce an obligate winter- growth habit which requires some cold weather for normal heading. They may not head normally when spring sown. Intermediate winter-type varieties have a more upright juvenile growth habit and will head from either fall or spring seeding. Varieties of this type, such as (glordova and Rogers, are widely adapted ' Varieties grown for short periods are less accur COMPARABLE YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR SPRlNG-SOWN OATS GROWN AT STATIONS IN TEXAS, 1958-61, AND in the State and will survive most winters altho they are less cold tolerant than true winter-type v ties. This type also may be used for spring sowin areas l and 2. True spring-type barley varieties v be fall seeded in area 5 where winters are relati mild. A Nearly all barley grown Texas is used . combination grain and wintei" grazing crop. proportion harvested for grain and that graze maturity varies with seasonal conditions. spring moisture conditions appear favorable, lives are removed and the crop is allowed to produce On the other hand, when moisture condition: unfavorable, the crop will be grazed until it is out and the fields then used for a summer forage I An example of this is the 1959 season, as illustr in Figure 3. Widespread drouth during the sp persisted until mid-April and only 295,000 acri the 475,000 seeded were harvested. The spring- crop in area 1 is about the only barley grown e sively for grain. Barley is a valuable crop for w' pasture though it is not as palatable as oats. quently from early fall seeding, barley will pro sufficient growth for grazing more quickly than l; varieties of oats and wheat. The total yield of f0 is not greatly different from other small grain. - Performance trials are summarized by areas. » complete summary includes the 4 years 1958-61, grain yields also are given for an 8-year pe evaluated than those grown the full period. AREA 1 Both fall and spring-sown barley are so area l. Fall seeding is somewhat hazardous and, 1 recent years when better varieties and faciliti providing better cultural conditions became p0 through irrigation, the fall-sown acreage was I Not only has fall-sown barley acreage increased,’ the spring-sown acreages also have increased. B‘!\P'><'r-r>=l¢< Performance trials were conducted under i’ tion at Bushland (near Amarillo) and at Floy The Floydada tests were discontinued after 1960, tests were initiated in cooperation with the Plains Research Station at Plainview. The. Plainview tests and the 1961 Bushland tests TABLE 7. YIELDS FOR 1954-61 R1: Yield of grain, bushels per acre 1958-61 1954-61 w vmlelY Amarillo Chillicoihe Denion Iowa Park Temple Aver“ e Number A t: 195a-6o 1958-60 1958-60 1956-59 1958-59 9 Iesls "°'°9° ‘ K, . w, Number tests 3 3 3 2 2 Pu Alamo 50.7 36.4 47.6 34.8 47.8 43.4 10 36.2 g“ Frazier 44.0 50.0 43.6 51.3 35.4 45.0 1O 35.7 I e‘ Alamo-X 44.2 49.3 33.6 42.4 3 35.0 y" Fulgrain 31.7 31.2 1 32.7 M‘? Mustang 39.5 44.0 30.6 29.4 37.8 33.6 9 30.5 ' Fullex 40.2 40.2 1 30.3 New Norlex 26.5 36.6 39.0 44.4 30,2 l0 id by hail. Comparable yields of grain and ‘A ic data are given in Table 8. I ers, a relatively new variety developed in ma, has produced outstanding yields in recent nking first in yield for both the 4-year and .riod. Wintex ranked second in these tests I efearlier tests yielded less than Cordova. Meimi third but was included only a year. Cordova v fourth and Kearney, fifth. ers, Meimi, Cordova and Dicktoo produced aof higher test weight than other varieties. I‘ was the earliest variety, followed in order “uri Early Beardless, Cordova and Harbine. éi Early Beardless was the tallest variety and gces among other varieties were small. Pueblo intex lodged the most while Harbine and ilodged the least. Meimi, Kearney and Ward p e winter hardy than Rogers, Harbine, Cordova Itex, but the latter group may be spring seeded jary. Kearney is resistant to greenbugs. ieties recommended for area 1 include , because of its hardiness and greenbug toler- ogers and Cordova. Wintex, Harbine and e acceptable. Meimi has not been adequately d shattered somewhat in 1961. True winter- ieties such as Kearney, Meimi and Ward not be spring seeded. - 2 5 t barley sown in area 2 is fall sown although interkilling occurs, some may be spring sown. pf the acreage is grazed to maturity by livestock; e, the difference between seeded and har- fcreage is often great. Amount and distribu- rainfall are the greatest hazards of production. i gs and chinch bugs are frequent insect ormance trials were conducted at three loca- p; season and in one season at Merkel through pperation of the Texas Research Foundation. STATE TOTAL- 265,877 ACRES ONE DOT I 500 ACRES Figure 4. Distribution of barley in Texas in 1959. The 1959 and 1961 tests at Spur were lost because of spring drouth. The Iowa Park test received supplemental irrigation when necessary but was not watered for maximum production. Rogers barley produced outstanding yields dur- ing both the 4-year and the 8-year period. Harbine, Kearney and Cordova ranked first, second and third, respectively. The rank of varieties for the 8-year period is similar. Except for Kearney, the true winter-type barleys have made poorer records in area 2 than in area 1. ' Rogers also ranked first in test weight, averaging at least 2 pounds more than most other varieties. Missouri Early Beardless and Cordova were earlier than other varieties though the spread in maturity among varieties was small. Missouri Early Beardless and Meimi were the tallest varieties and Tennessee Winter was the shortest. Meimi and Cordova were COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN BARLEY GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 1, 1958-61, AND GRAIN YIEIDS FOR 1954-61 bzicalgsof ‘agrrajigfe 19584“ 1954mm 1 Agronomic data, 1958-61 P Test Date Date Plant Lodg- Winter Bushland Floydada Number Number weight, first full height, ing survival, é 1958-60 1 958-60 Average tests Average tests pounds head ripe inches percent percent I mo; a a 4 s s 1 1 I‘ 52.4 49.5 59.2 5 45.3 12 48.4 5-16 6-24 32 20 67 47.2 39.3 44.0 5 39.9 12 44.7 5-17 6-25 31 60 87 46.5 39.8 44.8 5 39.8 12 46.8 5-12 6-21 30 50 77 39.4 39.4 1 39.4 1 48.2 5-11 32 100 42.1 34.6 39.1 5 37.2 12 45.8 5-17 6-25 31 4O 92 37.2 43.13’, ‘ 39.5 5 36.9 12 44.6 5-15 6-23 32 50 95 34.6 37.41 35.5 3 36.5 10 44.6 5-17 6-24 32 60 47.6 37.9 42.8 2 36.0 9 46.4 5-14 6-22 31 4O 31.7 35.3 33.1 5 32.9 12 44.5 5-15 6-24 30 2O 73 26.0 40.5 31.8 5 32.6 12 45.9 5-13 6-21 30 20 52 .- rly 33.8 15.9 2 21.2 8 41.7 5-10 6-18 37 15 . 2.0 ts at Bushland in 1954 and 1957 included. ll judged better for forage than the others. Meimi, tested only one season, appeared to be weak strawed and shattered when ripe. Varieties recommended for the area include Rogers, Harbine and Cordova. Kearney, Ward and other winter types may be used but yield less. When spring seeding is necessary, Cordova or Rogers should be used. AREA 3 Performance trials were conducted for the full period at Denton only. Trials at Greenville and Stephenville were discontinued in 1960, but no data were obtained after 1958. Trials were initiated at Renner in 1959, but the 1960 tests were lost because of hail damage. Barley is grown on a considerable acreage in this area, being used for both grain and winter pasture. Barley is well adapted in this area and fits well into the rotations used. Late-spring freezes occasionally injure the crop, but the fall-sown crop is seldom winterkilled. The intermediate winter-type varieties produce more winter pasture than true winter-type varieties. Diseases, especially mildew and leaf rust, are important in this area although the crop usually escapes serious injury because of its early maturity. Rogers barley was outstanding in grain yields as it was in areas 1 and 2. Rogers, Cordova, Missouri B400 and Texan produced the highest comparable yields. A number of out-of-state varieties were tested at two stations for short periods, but none appeared to be equal to Rogers or Cordova. Rogers was outstanding in test weight as well as in grain yield, averaging 2 pounds more than other varieties. Kenbar, Hudson, Harbine and Cordova were among the better strains in test weight. The range of maturity was not great, but Missouri Early Beardless, Dayton, Pace and Missouri B400 were TABLE 9. COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN BARLEY GROWN UNDER IRRIGATION AT STATI AREA 2, 1958-61, AND GRAIN YIELDS FOR 1954-61 earlier than other varieties. Hudson was the la I Missouri Early Beardless and Missouri B400 - the tallest varieties; Colonial 2 and Davie, the sho I Rogers, Cordova and Harbine are recomme for area 3. Texan also is satisfactory, but seed plies are limited. The Mississippi varieties, Oma Pace, have produced satisfactory yields but have 1 straw and may lodge when grown under high fer levels. The true winter-type barleys are not ~ adapted in this area. I AREA 4 f» Performance trials were grown at three 10E’ in area 4, but trials at Comfort were discontinu 1960. Cebada Capa ranked first in grain yield. forage production but has been tested only one se Furthermore, no commercial seed is yet avai Rogers, Cordova, Pace and Texan have given I factory yields in this area. Cordova and Roge the recommended varieties for grain. Goliad be used for winter pasture but is subject to if by low temperatures. Rogers ranked first in test weight follow Kenbar and Kenate. Pace and Goliad wer earliest maturing varieties. Cebada Capa and, were the most resistant to leaf rust, while Roge ' Harbine were moderately resistant. i AREA 5 Performance trials were grown at College S i, Beeville and Prairie View. No data were 0b at Prairie View in 1960 or 1961 or at College s in 1961, because of poor stands. True spring or types approaching spring growth habit 6-3‘ suited to this area. Arivat and Goliad rank and third in grain production and are the b winter pasture, although Arivat is very susc to leaf rust. Cebada Capa, an Argentine v appears promising but must be given addition and is not yet available commercially. Agronomic data, 1958-61 Yield of grain, bushels per acre 195841 1954_61 - Chilli- S ur Iowa Test Date Date Plant Leaf vane“, cothe 1 918- Park Iqzrskgl Aver- Number Aver- Number weight, first full height, rust, 1958-61 60 1958-61 , age tests age tests pounds head ripe inches percent Number tests 3 2 3 1 9 6 8 7 1 Rogers 46.0 39.0 46.1 43.7 44.5 11 37.9 23 48.5 4-24 5-24 24 2 Harbine 40.0 41.7 39.7 35.8 39.8 11 34.2 23 46.0 4-22 5-21 22 10 Cordova 43.5 38.4 33.2 34.9 38.0 11 32.2 23 45.5 4-20 5-22 25 25 Kearney 36.0 34.1 35.3 35.5 35.3 11 29.4 23 45.8 4-24 5-23 24 44 Dicktoo 25.5 22.7 26.4 36.9 27.9 4 25.9 15 44.4 4-23 5-23 22 Ward 29.6 27.9 24.3 32.6 27.8 9 25.7 21 43.7 4-25 5-24 22 Pueblo 28.1 29.7 23.8 34.2 27.9 6 25.6 17 43.0 4-25 5-24 22 25 Wintex 29.5 34.5 38.8 33.6 34.2 11 23.3 23 44.3 4-25 5-24 22 24 Tennessee Winter 30.2 29.8 25.4 33.7 28.7 11 23.3 23 43.0 4-23 5-22 21 24 Meimi 30.0 26.4 28.2 2 23.0 2 46.3 4-23 5- 3 26 21 Missouri Early Beardless 21.0 0.4 23.0 32.9 19.3 11 20.7 16 40.7 4-19 5-20 26 ‘Visual estimate of forage value, Wintex 100 percent. 12 11¢ COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FAl.L-SOWN BARLEY GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 3, 1958-61, AND GRAIN YIELDS FOR 1954-61 Yield of grain, bushels per acre Agronomic data, 1958-61 1958-61 1954-61 Denton Green- Stephen- Renner Test Date Plant Leaf Forage 1958- ville ville 1959- Aver- Number Aver- Number weight, first height, rust, value, 61 1958 1958 61 age tests age tests pounds head inches percent percent‘ g er tests 4 1 1 2 10 6 6 4 3 I 48.1 42.9 40.8 46.5 45.3 10 36.5 23 46.8 4-23 31 17 103 44.8 37.3 41.7 43.0 42.3 10 34.4 23 44.6 4-18 30 23 102 p, 38.8 36.0 39.2 42.6 38.7 8 33.9 21 44.1 4-19 31 20 103 r1 ," 43.7 28.8 40.0 4 33.6 10 42.9 4-17 35 5 36.5 I 28.0 33.6 6 30.0 10 44.6 4-20 31 21 91 g 36.6 33.1 38.2 34.6 35.9 8 30.0 21 45.5 4-22 32 9 98 F 2 36.1 27.5 34.4 5 29.7 9 37.6. 4-24 26 17 86 41.5 26.2 36.4 6 29.0 1O 42.5 4-17 29 ‘ 21 92 41.9 26.9 36.9 6 29.6 6 43.8 4-17 31 18 96 38.0 34.8 37.2 4 28.9 8 45.1 4-20 33 12 98 35.5 25.2 33.4 5 28.0 7 43.5 4-23 29 19 87 A» 33.3 31.7 33.0 5 27.5 8 44.5 4-26 31 20 85 y 26.7 34.4 34.2 35.7 31.6 8 25.7 21 43.5 4-23 30 16 94 - 24.7 32.8 34.4 25.6 29.9 7 25.0 20 42.7 4-24 30 15 86 e . r 30.3 32.9 32.6 21.5 30.4 9 24.9 22 42.6 4-20 29 21 95 _ ri Early g less 27.0 32.7 29.1 29.6 3 24.7 14 39.7 4-17 35 12 76 *1 29.0 24.0 28.0 5 24.0 9 40.6 4-22 27 9 90 25.9 36.1 34.0 23.2 29.7 9 23.6 22 42.5 4-24 28 23 100 33.2 33.2 3 23.4 9 42.1 4-23 32 6 27.9 27.9 3 22.6 9 40.9 4-22 30 8 1 estimate of forage value, Wintex 100 percent. iAS a AND 7 0 tests have been conducted in these areas. ‘aties adapted to area 3 appear satisfactory for *6 while varieties from areas l and 2 may be . Wheat V in area 7. Wheat ranks third in acreage among the culti- l crops of Texas, being exceeded in acreage by_ n and grain sorghum. Restrictions under the 1 ment crop-control program have reduced re- Twheat acreage to less than that seeded in the .50 period. The maximum acreage ever grown 11. in Texas was 7,310,000 in 1947 and the lowest acreage in recent years was in 1955 when only 1,508,000 acres were harvested. The 1952-61 average seeded acreage of wheat was 4,330,000 and that harvested was 2,859,000. Grain production for 1952-61 averaged 45,765,500 bushels or 16.0 bushels per acre. The largest crop ever produced was in 1947 when 124,270,000 bushels were harvested. The smallest crop in recent years was in 1955, when drouth and insects reduced the crop to only 14,326,000 bushels. Yields during 1958- 61 have been unusually high, averaging 21.5, 17.0, 22.0 and 24.0 bushels per acre, respectively. COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN BARLEY GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 4, 1958-61, AND GRAIN YIELDS FOR 1954-61 Agronomic data, 1958-61 Yield of grain, bushels per acre 1958-61 1954-61 Test Date Date Plant Leaf Forage Comfort Temple McGregor Aver- Number Aver- Number weight, first full height, rust, value, 1958-60 1958-61 1958-61 age tests age tests pounds head ripe inches percent percent‘ i, 11w; a 4 4 11 11 9 11 s 9 l 40.0 41.3 44.8 42.2 11 37.3 11 49.8 4-16 5-18 31 12 83 - Capa 40.3 44.7 42.6 2 37.3 2 46.0 4-13 5-18 29 2 105 ' - 35.3 40.2 41.6 38.8 11 34.6 20 47.4 4-12 5-13 29 34 100 42.2 34.9 38.6 2 33.4 2 43.5 4-7 5-16 29 3 95 36.9 38.1 36.3 37.5 9 32.2 18 46.9 4-12 5-15 29 37 93 35.6 34.0 i 39.9 36.8 9 31.6 18 48.4 4-15 5-16 30 40 71 34.7 38.4 34.8 36.6 6 31.4 9 48.4 4-18 5-15 31 22 72 33.1 36.2 37.0 35.9 11 29.0 20 46.5 4-9 5-13 31 24 100 32.2 30.5 23.6 29.2 9 26.6 18 45.9 4-17 5-16 29 12 80 » e g r 32.3 40.2 41.6 28.1 11 25.2 20 45.3 4-15 5-14 29 45 81 ‘ ' Early 27.5 28.1 13.4 23.6 6 24.7 15 41.1 4-11 5-13 32 32 83 ‘ estimate of forage value, Cordova 100 percent. 13 STATE TOTAL" 3,583,000 ACRES ONE DOT‘ 2,000 ACRES Distribution of wheat in Texas in 1959. Figure 5. The acreage devoted to wheat for grain produc- tion is principally in the northwestern part of the State. Approximately 64 percent of the acreage is grown in area 1, about 24 percent in area 2 and the remaining l2 percent scattered through Central Texas with the heaviest concentration in Grayson and Collin counties. Distribution of wheat harvested in 1959 is shown in Figure 5. Because of the wide range of climatic conditions, several types of wheat are grown in the State. Prob- ably more than 90 percent of the acreage is seeded to hard red winter wheat varieties. Soft red winter wheat varieties are grown in the Dallas-Fort Worth- Sherman area and to a small extent for forage in South Texas. A small acreage of durum varieties is grown from Waco southward on to the Edwards Plateau. This type of wheat was introduced soon after 1900 and has persisted because of its rust resist- ance. Since there is no market available for durum wheat in semolina production, the grain is used in mixed feed. A small acreage of emmer, locally called “speltz,” is grown in this same general area. Varied f somewhat intermediate between winter and spr' such as Seabreeze and Milam, are grown for wi pasture in South Texas. Frequently small acre of durum and spring varieties are spring seeded area 1, but these crops have not been very succes Milling and baking characteristics are very portant in selecting a wheatT-svariety. The maj“ of Texas wheat is used for the production of bak type flour. The value of the crop in both dom and foreign markets, therefore, depends on qu Recently the sedimentation test for evaluating iv quality has been made a part of the market" and is used in determining the value of the p as it goes into storage. Growers and elevator 0 tors may receive premiums for wheat of sup quality. The quality characteristics are deter by variety and growing conditions during the i season. Varieties differ in quality, and growers improve their opportunity to obtain premiu n; selecting strong gluten varieties which, when ;' under favorable conditions, will produce grai high protein and high sedimentation values. p Almost all wheat grown in Texas is used to A extent for winter pasture for livestock. Most of acreage in areas 5, 6 and 7, as well as conside acreage in areas 2 and 4, is sown primarily for stock pasture and grazed to maturity. When s rainfall and stored moisture conditions are unf‘ able, an increased portion of the acreage is g i to maturity. The revenue from livestock pastuj irrigated wheat in area 1 has also become of in ing importance during the past l0 years. Frequ this return often approaches the net return from grain crop. ; Air-borne diseases, primarily leaf and stem but including also speckled leaf blotch, mildew stripe rust, influence the varieties grown and a of the crop in Texas. Throughout areas 3, 4, 5f 6, these diseases frequently are major factors in ' duction. They are usually less important in ar and 2 but may be destructive in some seasons. borne diseases, such as rootrots, influence produ TABLE 12. COMPARABLE YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN BARLEY GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 5, 1958-61, AND YIELDS FOR 1954-61 Yield of grain, bushels per acre 195$“ 1954*] Agronomic data, 1958-61 vmie, College Beeville Prairie Test Date Date Plant Leaf F Y . . . . .. Station 1958- V|ew Aver- Number Aver- Number weight, first full heught, rust, es 1958-60 61 1958-59 age tests tests pounds head ripe inches percent Number tests 3 4 2 10 4 5 7 9 Arivat 28.7 28.3 44.3 31.1 6 44.6 6 42.0 3-7 4-26 26 61 Cebada Capa 29.0 33.7 31.4 2 33.9 2 43.8 3-21 5-9 32 Goliad 29.0 34.4 31.9 32.0 9 31.7 12 42.8 3-18 4-28 33 15 Ricardo 27.2 27.2 1 29.7 1 43.3 3-31 5-_8 33 3 Kenbar 24.6 23.6 21.5 23.4 7 27.3 10 42.0 4-7 5-4 29 42 Pace 24.8 29.4 33.5 28.0 3 30.1 3 42.5 3-27 5-3 27 35 Rogers 27.7 20.8 21.3 23.2 9 26.3 12 43.0 4-6 5-7 29 42 Kenate 18.7 18.7 3 26.3 5 43.7 4-6 5-4 28 60 Cordova 20.8 22.1 24.3 22.1 9 26.4 12 41.8 4-4 5-5 27 41 Harbine 23.7 21.0 16.4 21.6 4 25.5 7 42.6 4-9 5-4 26 42 ‘Visual estimate of forage value, Goliad 100 percent. 14 is in some areas. Furthermore, in some areas tion practices must be altered to aid in control _ ts and diseases. 1 eat is a major cash grain crop in area l and nue from wheat pasture also is an important i, 0f income. Wheat performance trials were “ted at Bushland, Floydada, Stratford and Qton in cooperation with farm cooperators. I ere initiated at Plainview in cooperation with igh Plains Foundation in 1959 but were Qld by hail in 1959 and 1960. Results are _i into irrigated and dryland tests and reported arable yields and agronomic data. ta for nonirrigated wheat trials in area l are {7} Table l3. For the 8-year period, Concho, y, Bison, Westar, Aztec and Crockett rank first , respectively, in comparable grain yields. For Car period, Tascosa, Bison, Concho, Ponca and f e the leading varieties. Tascosa ranked first land tests; Bison ranked first at Wellington, ly Blackhull ranked first in the l-year test at During recent years, yields have been high ons favoring the midseason to later varieties. “ly varieties, Triumph, Crockett, Early Black- and Wichita, produced abnormally low uring this period. highest test weights were produced by Red I tec, Tascosa and Kaw. Early Blackhull, a and Improved Triumph and Wichita were ys earlier than other varieties. Differences "L- and forage estimates were relatively small t the varieties, but Tascosa was the shortest. g from irrigated tests are given in Table 14. ' Tascosa, Kaw, Improved Triumph and Bison 1' five high ranking varieties in grain yield for both the 4-year and 8-year periods. Under both irrigation and dryland conditions, Kharkof, repre- senting the old Turkey-type wheat once grown almost exclusively in the Panhandle, yielded much lower than the new improved varieties now available to growers. The highest test weights were produced by Kaw, Tascosa, Red Chief and Early Blackhull. Early Blackhull, Triumph and Improved Triumph were the earliest in maturity. Plant heights were not greatly different, but Tascosa and Wichita were the shortest. Red Chief, Bison and Aztec lodged the least in these tests. Kaw, Ponca and Crockett were more resistant to theileaf rust; Triumph, Improved Triumph, Early Blackhull, Aztec and Red Chief were more resistant to stripe rust than other varieties. Recommendations of varieties are based on grain yields and information on quality of grain for mill- ing and baking purposes. Tascosa, Bison, Aztec, Kaw, Ponca and Comanche are all high quality varieties which have produced satisfactory grain yields under both dryland and irrigated conditions. Concho, Crockett, Improved Triumph and Triumph produce satisfactory yields, but they are less desirable from a quality standpoint. These varieties are classed as mellow-gluten wheats suitable for production of bak- ery flour only under the most favorable conditions and are usually only suitable for family-flour pro- duction. Four new varieties recently announced by nearby states have not yet been adequately evaluated. These are Omaha, Ottawa, Warrior and Rodco. In three tests at Bushland, Ottawa averaged 38.7 bushels com- pared with 41.2 for Tascosa. In three other tests Omaha yielded 33.3 bushels compared with 38.3 for Tascosa. In two tests Rodco averaged 39.2 bushels COMPARABLE YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR WINTER WHEAT GROWN WITHOUT IRRIGATION AT STATIONS IN AREA 1, 1958-61, AND GRAIN YIELDS FOR 1954-61 Yield of grain, bushels per acre Agronomic data, 1958-61 1958-61 1954-61 Bush- Strat- WelIing- Test Date Date Plant Forage land ford ton Aver- Number Aver- Number weight, first full height, estimate, 1958-60 1958 1959-61 age tests age tests pounds head ripe inches percent‘ i sts 3 1 4 8 4 3 8 1 27.7 25.2 30.8 28.7 7 24.2 13 57.6 5-12 6-23 28 105 30.1 26.7 31.1 30.1 7 24.0 11 59.2 5-11 6-23 26 100 26.3 23.7 34.0 29.2 7 24.0 8 58.3 5-12 6-24 29 100 27.1 21.6 27.7 26.1 5 21.9 11 57.2 5-13 6-25 29 95 26.7 23.4 27.1 26.4 7 21.8 7 59.4 5-16 6-26 30 105 24.8 26.3 28.3 26.5 7 21.5 13 58.4 5-10 6-22 30 100 25.9 27.0 26.5 26.2 7 21.3 13 59.8 5-14 6-25 31 90 28.4 23.8 27.5 27.3 5 21.1 I1 56.0 5-13 6-24 30 90 25.9 25.8 25.8 6 21.0 12 59.7 5-10 6-22 28 100 25.5 ~ 25.5 25.5 5 20.8 6 57.5 5-7 6-20 29 90 ’ 25.3 24.3"» 27.9 26.3 7 20.7 13 57.3 5-12 6-23 29 100 p,“ uIl 27.9 29.3 21.6 25.4 7 20.7 13 58.8 5-6 6-20 3O 95 26.4 21.9 31.4 26.5 5 20.5 11 57.2 5-15 6-26 30 90 24.9 21.1 28.4 25.8 7 20.2 13 57.0 5-16 6-27 30 90 25.3 26.8 25.2 25.5 7 19.8 13 58.6 5-9 6-21 30 85 24.5 23.3 24.0 5 18.8 1O 57.9 5-8 5-20 30 90 I ate of forage value, Comanche 100 percent. 15 -_ I958. compared with 41.7 for Tascosa. These varieties are not yet recommended. AREA 2 Wheat is grown extensively as a cash grain crop in area 2 and is also widely used as winter pasture for livestock. Performance trials were conducted at Chillicothe, Iowa Park, Spur and one season at Merkel in cooperation with the Texas Research Foundation. Trials at Iowa Park were irrigated as necessary to maintain good growth but not to produce maximum yields. The highest average comparable yields for the area were produced by Improved Triumph, Tascosa, Concho, Crockett, Warrior, Aztec, Bison and Kaw. Warrior is a new Nebraska variety which was in- ' cluded in only four trials so it has not been adequately tested. Two other new varieties, Ottawa and Omaha, have not been adequately evaluated. Ottawa was tested in 1960 at three locations, averaging 32.5 com- pared to 37.6 bushels for Tascosa in the same trials. Omaha was tested at Chillicothe in 1958 but yielded only 24.5 compared to 35.6 bushels for Tascosa. Neither variety is recommended. Red Chief, Early Blackhull, Kaw, Tascosa and Crockett have consistently produced seed of superior test weight. Triumph, Improved Triumph, Early Blackhull and Wichita make up the earliest group, while Kharkof, Aztec, Warrior and Red Chief are among the latest in maturity. Leaf rust and stem rust were of minor importance during this testing period, but Kaw, Crockett, Ponca and Quanah are known to be the most resistant to leaf rust. Kharkof, Ponca, Quanah, Aztec, Red Chief and Tascosa were more resistant to stripe rust than other varieties in Wichita and Improved Triumph were rated above other varieties in visual forage evaluations. Recommended varieties for the area Tascosa, Bison, Kaw and Ponca. Comanche, Az and Westar are satisfactory in quality but have r Improved Triumph, Croc and Concho have produced excellent yields but . duced lower yields. considered less desirable in quality characteris Quanah is a satisfactory variety in the southern of area 2 where diseases are more important. AREA 3 Wheat is an important cash crop in Gray Cooke, Denton, Collin and Dallas counties but relatively minor importance in other counties area 3. Performance trials were conducted at Den I Greenville, Stephenville, Renner and one season Sherman. The first wheat in Texas was grown I the Red River in Grayson county. The Red . and Mediterranean wheats established a favor reputation for family flour produced in this J Recently, as a result of the distribution of the variety by the Texas Agricultural Experi Station in 1956, this area has again become an‘ portant soft wheat growing area. Comparable yields and agronomic data are w in Table 16 with varieties separated into soft hard red winter wheat varieties. Both types are adapted. The best yields for both the 4-year and, 8-year periods have been produced by Kaw, Croc Ponca, Tascosa and Concho. Tascosa may be gr but is very susceptible to the rusts. Quanah Comanche also are well adapted in this area during the present testing period have yielded’ than the varieties already listed. The toleranc Quanah to rusts and other foliage diseases, pl fine milling and baking characteristics, make , desirable variety for this area. Knox and Frisco‘ the most productive varieties of soft winter w but should be grown only where a soft wheat mi is available. I TABLE 14. COMPARABLE YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR WINTER WHEAT GROWN UNDER IRRIGATION AT STATIONS IN All 1958-61, AND GRAIN YIELDS FOR 1954-61 Yield of grain, bushels per acre 195861 I954_6.| Agronomic data, 1958-61 Variety Bush" F|°Y' Slffll- Test Date Date Plant Lodg- Leaf land dada ford Aver- Number Aver- Number weight, first full height, ing, rust, 1958-60 1958-60 1958-61 age tests age tests pounds head ripe inches percent percent Number tests 4 2 3 1O 3 3 8 2 1 Concho 4714 45.9 45.3 46.3 8 39.0 16 59.6 5-12 6-25 37 28 30 Tascosa 47.9 42.4 46.5 46.0 8 38.3 16 61.1 5-11 6-24 36 35 40 Kaw 48.9 29.1 43.8 43.9 6 36.3 11 61.7 5-10 6-24 37 15 2 Improved Triumph 48.0 37.1 41.7 44.5 5 38.2 5 60.2 5-7 6-21 37 40 40' Bison 44.7 43.0 41.4 43.0 8 35.4 14 59.5 5-13 6-25 37 5 50 Ponca 43.2 39.0 38.8 41.0 6 35.3 14 58.2 5-14 6-26 37 18 10 Triumph 48.3 26.8 40.0 42.4 5 35.3 8 60.2 5-8 6-22 37 22 40 Crockett 41.8 42.9 40.7 41.7 8 35.2 16 60.1 5-12 6-25 38 23 10 Aztec 43.3 42.5 38.0 39.9 8 34.8 8 60.7 5-17 6-29 39 10 50 Comanche 42.3 44.4 36.6 41.5 7 34.7 15 58.2 5-14 6-26 37 15 40 Westar 40.4 38.2 44.0 41.2 6 34.3 14 57.9 5-15 6-27 37 33 70 Tenmarq 41.5 37.5 39.1 40.0 6 33.0 15 58.2 5-16 6-28 37 43 50 Red Chief 38.4 42.1 37.1 38.8 8 32.8 16 61.1 5-15 6-27 39 3 60 Early Blackhull 41.0 36.9 41.4 40.0 8 32.5 16 60.5 5-6 6-21 37 60 40 Kharkof (Turkey) 35.8 40.3 37.3 37.3 8 32.3 16 57.5 5-18 6-29 37 40 60 Wichita 36.2 33.5 39.0 36.4 8 31.2 16 59.9 5-9 6-22 36 25 40 l6 incl - i , Early Blackhull, Crockett and Tascosa all >1 grain above 60 pounds in test weight. Knox, ,'0n, Early Blackhull, Improved Triumph and h made up the earliest group of varieties. uanah and Ponca have the highest leaf rust among hard wheats while Frisco, Knox j er soft wheats have considerable resistance. jtimates of forage value indicate that the soft j were superior to most hard wheats for winter 4 eat is an important commercial grain crop p five counties in area 4. These are Bosque, nan, Coryell and Bell in the Central Blackland- f Prairie series and Gillespie county on the i Plateau. The elevation of the Edwards i ranges from 1200 to 1800 feet; therefore, fling frosts are a hazard in production and the ee season is almost a month shorter than the J Blackland area of 700 feet elevation. The jty of wheat grown in this area is the Quanah of hard red winter wheat, but smaller acreages wheat and durum varieties are also grown. icrformance tests were conducted at Temple in lacklands, at McGregor in the Grand Prairie ries and at Comfort on the Edwards Plateau. Tree types of wheat were tested. Yields and Ilomic data are given in Table 17. Milam, a new v wheat developed for area 5, produced the best 11 yields for the periods herein reported. How- this is an intermediate winter or near spring- wheat and may winterkill some seasons. Since ah has proved well adapted over a long period ting and is very tolerant to diseases, it is the 1s. recommended variety. The soft wheat varieties have given satisfactory yields but are more subject to rust injury. Furthermore, no market for soft wheat is readily available in this area. The durum varieties have outyielded all other types during the present testing period but must be used for feed on the farm or sold for use in mixed feed. Diseases may cause major losses in this area in any season. Milam and Quanah are more tolerant to leaf and stem rusts than other hard winter wheats available. The durum varieties also have good rust resistance. AREA 5 Only a small acreage of wheat is sown in area 5 and the majority of this is seeded exclusively for winter pasture for livestock. Foliage diseases are major factors in production of grain and frequently influence the value of the crop for forage. Few commercial varieties are adapted to this area. The majority of the acreage is seeded to Milam or Sea- breeze, varieties developed specifically for this area. Since winters are usually very mild, spring or intermediate winter types are best adapted to area 5. True winter types are less desirable even for forage uses. Performance trials were conducted at College Station, Prairie View and Beeville. Comparable yields and agronomic data are given in Table l8. Milam, a new disease-resistant, intermediate winter type has produced grain yields significantly higher than those of Seabreeze, Atlas 66 or Coker 47-27. Test weights of Milam also are higher and, since it may be classed as a hard wheat, it can be used in milling although it is not a strong-gluten variety. Visual forage estimates rate Coker 47-27, Atlas 66 and COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR WINTER WHEAT GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 2, 1958-61, AND GRAIN YIELDS FOR 1954-61 Yield of grain, bushels per acre 1958-61 1954-61 Agronomic data, 1958-61 Percent Forage ChilIi- Spur Iowa Merkel Test Date Date Plant iii estimate, cothe 1958- Park 1958 Aver- NumberAver- Number weight, first full height, Leaf Stem Stripe percent‘ 1958-61 6O 1959-61 age tests age tests pounds head ripe inches rust rust rust mm. 4 2 4 1 1o 1 1 a 2 1 1 1 T ed l ph 36.0 41.2 36.7 35.7 37.2 10 30.9 10 61.5 4-16 5-22 30 9 Tr 10 114 - 34.8 35.3 37.1 32.8 35.3 10 30.2 19 62.3 4-23 5-29 29 5 5 15 104 33.6 33.2 38.1 34.9 35.0 10 29.7 21 61.0 4-24 5-28 30 6 5 60 99 32.5 38.0 35.9 35.7 34.9 10 29.4 21 62.0 4-23 5-27 32 5 Tr 45 104 34.8 31.2 33.9 4 29.1 4 59.6 4-27 5-29 28 Tr 91 33.6 34.1 31.0 32.9 7 28.8 15 62.2 4-28 6-1 32 2 25 Tr 101 33.0 34.2 36.5 38.5 33.8 10 28.7 15 61.3 4-24 5-29 31 10 Tr 65 100 32.9 33.5 34.7 33.6 9 28.3 18 62.9 4-20 5-26 31 Tr Tr 55 107 32.5 31.9 32.9 35.4 32.8 10 28.0 21 60.6 4-24 5-29 , 30 3 Tr 10 93 35.0 37.1 31.0 28.3 33.5 10 27.5 19 61.8 4-17 5-23 31 16 Tr 35 110 33.0 32.2 31.6 31.6 32.3 10 27.2 21 60.4 4-24 5-29 31 3 Tr 25 100 30.1 34.6 32.6 31.9 9 26.7 20 62.6 4-17 5-24 32 13 Tr 40 110 30.7 ‘i 34.6 32.0 31.9 32.1 8 26.5 19 61.6 4-19 5-26 31 13 Tr 70 116 31.4 31.2 30.0 29.3 30.6 5 25.5 16 59.9 4-23 5-31 31 15 Tr 45 105 29.0 28.8 34.8 30.4 29.8 8 25.5 19 59.9 4-24 5-30 30 28 10 85 97 urkey) 31.0 29.0 27.1 26.9 29.0 10 24.9 21 60.1 4-29 6-3 31 5 5 5 88 10 24.5 21 62.7 4-27 6-1 32 13 30 15 100 1c|n=r 29.5 21.1 26.5 21.5 28.0 ‘ol estimate of forage value, Comanche 100 percent. 17 Seabreeze as superior to other varieties. Milam is rated above Austin, the standard, and in clipping tests at Beeville has produced forage yields equal to those of the better oat and barley varieties. Milam has the greatest degree of resistance to foliage diseases of the varieties tested. Quanah and other winter wheats are poorly adapted in this mild climate. AREAS 6 AND 7 Only small acreages of wheat are grown in areas 6 and 7 and these are used principally to provide green winter forage for livestock. No performance trials have been conducted in either area in recent years. Climatic conditions in area 6 are not greatly different from those in area 3 and the varieties adapted to that area may be used satisfactorily. These varieties are Kaw, Quanah, Crockett and Ponca hard wheat and Knox and Frisco soft wheat. Climatic conditions in area 7 are similar to those in area 2. Varieties of hard wheat such as Tascosa, Bison, Ponca, Crockett and Quanah should prove satisfactory for winter pasture and grain production. NEW VARIETIES Several new varieties of wheat recently released by nearby states have not been adequately tested to date, so no firm recommendations can be made on these. These include Warrior and Omaha from Nebraska, Ottawa from Kansas, Rodco distributed by a private milling company and Super Triumph. TABLE 16. COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR WINTER WHEAT AT STATIONS IN AREA 3, 1958-61, AND t YIELDS FOR 1954-61 ‘ Flax Flax is grown in Texas from fall seeding with acreage concentrated in the Coastal area just n of Corpus Christi. Distribution of the crop in '. the year of greatest production, is shown in Figur A few attempts to grow flax commercially in N Texas and the Panhandle have been made, but crop has not become established’. The growin flax as a fall-sown crop was started in South T in 1938, when approximately 1,000 acres were se Acreage of the crop expanded almost continuo until 1949, when 329,000 acres were grown. severe drouth of the 1950's in this part of the S combined with low prices for flax seed, caus rapid decline of acreage until 1957. Since that t the acreage has again increased, Figure 7. The age in 1961 was estimated at 140,000 acres with k duction of 1,610,000 bushels or 11.5 bushels per Performance trials of flax in recent years i. been grown only at College Station, Temple Beeville. Tests were conducted at several other tions in earlier years. Varieties included in trials the more common commercial varieties grown in spring flax area of the United States and the winter-type varieties developed for fall seedin Texas. Comparable yield and agronomic data; given in Table 19. ~ The last three seasons have been very favor’ and yields are higher than might be expected u normal weather conditions. Average yields in' Yield of grain, bushels per acre 1953,61 1954_6-| Agronomic data, 1958-61 mVariety Denton Sher- Green- Stephen- Renner Test Date Date Plant iiipercenl F8 1958- mun ville Ville 1959- Aver- Number Aver- Number weight, first full height, Leaf Stem lodg- “h 61 1958 1958-59 1958-59 61 age tests age tests pounds head ripe inches rust rust ing P‘ Number tests 4 1 2 2 3 1O 5 3 5 6 2 3 Hard red winter wheat varieties Kaw 36.0 34.1 34.1 31.7 31.4 34.1 8 29.0 11 63.0 4-25 5-27 38 7 25 15 1' Crockett 33.1 31.0 32.4 30.9 33.5 32.5 12 28.0 24 61.9 4-27 5-28 30 24 35 25 ‘ Ponca 32.2 26.3 30.1 26.5 30.7 30.0 11 26.1 25 60.0 4-29 5-30 40 6 44 45 ' Tascosa 29.5 31.9 30.2 26.9 30.1 29.5 12 26.0 23 61.1 4-28 5-30 38 44 20 4 1' Concho 26.7 29.2 36.0 31.5 34.9 31.0 11 25.9 26 59.0 4-29 5-30 39 59 45 0 1K Improved Triumph 31.3 * 31.0 31.5 28.4 30.3 9 25.9 9 60.2 4-20 5-24 37 64 5 3 1" Early ' f Blackhull 28.5 29.8 30.7 33.9 27.7 29.7 12 Comanche 29.7 29.7 28.0 29.8 30.4 29.6 12 Triumph 26.7 27.8 27.3 39.7 29.3 28.0 11 Quanah 29.5 29.6 29.7 30.2 26.7 28.8 11 Kharkof (Turkey) 27.6 24.5 27.0 5 Tenmarq 21.0 24.5 24.9 25.7 23.5 23.9 8 Soft red winter wheat varieties Knox 31.4 30.6 29.0 28.7 26.9 29.3 12 Frisco 34.2 29.6 29.8 28.7 35.0 31.6 9 Red May 29.6 28.3 26.7 21.8 26.7 8 Vermillion 27.8 22.4 25.1 4 Dentonl 27.3 25.0 26.3 24.7 27.2 26.5 12 25.1 25 62.5 4-22 5-26 39 53 5 34 1 25.0 27 59.6 4-29 25.1 26 60.8 4-21 5-25 39 57 3 24 24.1 26 59.9 4-29 23.1 8 58.4 5-3 6-4 41 52 40 45 22.0 22 58.9 5 2 25.4 27 59.8 4 2 25.0 24 58.6 4 2 22.8 23 58.0 4-2 22.7 9 60.1 4 2 21.7 26 58.5 5 1 5-29 41 41 40 8 '. s-29 41 a so 1a s-4 41 as so s 4 39 11 60 5 9 35 ‘ 6 45 14 9 37 15 50 35 6 41 2 9 44 11 55 64 i-l-n-l-n ‘Mediterranean strain. “Visual estimate of forage value, Comanche 100 percent. 18 i. COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR WINTER WHEAT AT STATIONS IN AREA 4, 1958-61, AND GRAIN YIELDS ‘i FOR 1954-61 Yield of grain, bushels per acre 1958-61 1954-61 Agronomic data, 1958-61 Test Date Date Plant Forage Comfort Temple McGregor Aver- Number Aver- Number W919“? fir“ full heIQIhlI leaf Stem 9511mm? 1958-60 1958-61 1958-61 age tests age tests P°""d= he“ "Pe ""5" rust rust Perm" l. tests 3 4 4 1 1 1 1 7 1 1 7 2 9 1' - red winter wheat varieties 25.7 26.4 32.0 28.2 11 24.5 10 61.1 4-18 5-22 35 15 10 105 27.7 25.8 28.0 27.1 11 23.0 2O 60.2 4-24 5-28 37 11 33 98 I lthull 24.9 22.6 25.2 26.7 11 20.5 20 62.0 4-21 5-24 36 53 48 82 27.4 24.8 26.8 26.2 11 22.1 20 62.7 4-25 5-26 37 25 4O 86 24.7 20.3 26.0 23.5 6 21.8 13 63.0 4-24 5-28 35 62 60 87 _ 23.8 20.3 26.0 23.3 6 19.3 15 59.0 - 4-26 5-30 37 56 58 87 ml winter wheat varieties I 26.9 25.8 33.0 28.6 9 23.7 18 60.5 4-18 5-21 35 20 50 92 25.3 26.6 27.6 26.6 11 22.8 20 58.0 4-23 5-25 38 14 20 100 27.2 23.1 24.6 24.9 6 21.5 15 58.3 4-22 5-26 36 19 20 99 21.8 26.1 21.7 23.3 11 19.0 20 58.7 4-28 5-31 38 13 53 85 j m wheat varieties 29.4 27.6 31.1 29.3 11 26.4 14 61.4 4-19 5-24 41 14 18 103 31.8 29.1 36.5 32.5 6 26.2 15 63.0 4-16 5-22 41 10 20 98 28.6 29.1 30.7 29.7 5 25.6 5 58.5 4-16 5-22 40 14 115 28.2 29.5 27.9 28.6 11 24.1 20 62.7 4-22 5-27 43 4 10 100 nean strain. a lstimate of forage value, Austin 100 percent. have ranged from a low of 3.0 bushels per acre 5 to 12.0 bushels in 1958 with a 24-year average i bushels. Low temperatures have not been in recent years and there has been no extensive to the crop since 1948. Differential killing ed in the Temple nursery in 1959 and the al data rather accurately reflected the known hardiness of varieties. Diseases have not l1 important damage in recent years. Curly top a damage to the 1955, 1956 and 1957 crops but Jot been important since that time. " arieties are ranked in order of comparable yield 954-61. Caldwell, B5128, Norland and Deoro e four high-ranking varieties for both periods iting. Deoro and B5128 are the most popular commercial varieties at present, but the acreage of Caldwell, distributed in 1960, is increasing rapidly. Norland is a late-maturing, tall spring-type variety which has not been grown extensively but may war- rant consideration. The very early spring-type varie- ties, such as Bolley, Arny and the Punjab strains, are too early for the main flax production area of Texas. No great differences in test weight were evident among varieties although Redwood and Caldwell average highest. Bolley, Arny and Linda were the earliest in maturity. Norland, B5128 and Viking were the tallest varieties and Marine was the shortest. Caldwell and Newturk were the most cold tolerant; Bolley, Linda and Norland, the least. Recommended varieties are Caldwell, Deoro and B5128. ll. COMPARABLE GRAIN YIELDS AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR WINTER WHEAT GROWN AT STATIONS IN AREA 5, 1958-61, AND GRAIN YIELDS FOR 1954-61 ' Yield of grain, bushels per acre 19534] 195441 Agronomic data, 1958-61 ‘y conege Prairie _ Test Date Date Plant Pemim Forage * Station View Beevllle Aver- Number Aver- Number W919“: fir“ full PeIQhlI Leaf Stem MiI- “llmaler 1958-61 1958-61 1958'“ age tests age tests Pmmds head I'll” Imhes rust rust dew Pemmll I er tests 4 4 4 1O 7 6 7 8 4 1 4 27.6 24.3 24.5 25.4 10 23.4 15 59.1 4-3 5-13 37 17 Tr 15 110 19.5 20.9 24.8 21.8 8 20.3 17 58.1 4-1 5-7 46 21 7 75 124 24.9’; I, 22.4 22.1 23.0 10 20.7 19 57.2 4-2 5-12 40 16 23 Tl’ 115 21.13 24.3 18.6 21.3 3 20.0 12 57.8 4-5 5-12 45 16 20 30 139 21.9 21.0 20.9 21.2 1O 18.4 19 55.4 4-6 5-14 40 22 13 30 120 17.6 27.8 20.1 21.6 10 17.9 19 58.8 3-16 4-30 39 33 18 50 136 21.0 23.1 23.9 22.8 7 17.4 16 58.3 4-4 5-14 41 8 39 60 111 18.5 13.6 20.0 17.6 10 16.9 19 57.5 4-9 5-18 4O 12 14 60 95 19.2 16.8 19.0 18.4 10 14.7 19 55.7 4-8 5-16 40 17 12 60 100 I estimate of forage value, Austin 100 percent. 19 STATE TOTAL-40, Z99 ACRES ONE DOT = IOO ACRES Figure 6. Distribution of flax in Texas in 1959. Acknowledgments These investigations were conducted coopera- tively by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cereal Crops, Oilseed and Industrial Crops Research Branches, Crops Research Division, U. S. Department of Agriculture. Acknowledgment is made of the cooperation of the many people and agencies taking part in these statewide small grain variety tests: Lucas Reyes and Edward M. Neal, Substation No. 1, Beeville; L. E. Clark, Alva L. Cox and R. M. Smith, Substation No. 5, Temple; D. I. Dudley and Eugene C. Wilkerson, Substation No. 6, Denton; William P. Hatchett and Paul T. Marion, Substation No. 7, Spur; J. R. Quinby, Substation No. 12, Chillicothe; L. E. Brooks, Sub- station No. 16, Iowa Park; O. E. Smith and John C. Williams, Substation No. 18, Prairie View; B. C. Langley, Substation No. 20, Stephenville; M. J. Norris and H. O. Hill, Substation No. 23, McGregor; TABLE 19. COMPARABLE YIELD AND AGRONOMIC DATA FOR FALL-SOWN FLAX, 1958-61, AND GRAIN YIELDS FOR 1954-6 240 r 200 ' ISO" I20“ ACRES (THOUSANDS) 80" 40- I l l l l l l l l l l l l 1 1 I944 I946 I948 I950 I952 I954 I956 I958 l l l I I938 I940 I942 l Figure 7. Flax acreages in Texas, 1938-61. Dow D. Porter, U. S. Cotton Field Station, Green C. E. Van Doren, U. S. Southwestern Great P Field Station, Bushland. Cooperative tests were conducted at the o; ing farm locations: Floydada—J. C. Lewis, c, agent and Roy Hale, grower; Stratford-Ernest i county agent, Kenneth Elder and Horace growers; We1lington—Robert F. Lynch, county l and D. L. Scott, farm demonstration assistant David Baumgardner, grower. I Cooperative tests at Renner were conduct E. O. Gangstad, Texas Research Foundation, those at Plainview, by Delbert R. Langford and Longnecker, High Plains Research Foundatio Q Assistance in disease observations and iden tion was given by M. C. Futrell and Lee J. Ash Department of Plant Sciences, A8cM College of Assistance in insect observation was if _ Norris E. Daniels, Southwestern Great Plains p Station, Bushland, and Harvey L. Chada, Ento t Research Division, ARS, USDA, formerly at SD Special thanks are due Dennis Peier, .¢ assistant, Department of Soil and Crop Scienc summarizing the performance data. I Yield of grain, bushels per acre 1958-61 1954-61 Agronomic data, 1958-61 . College . Test Date Date Plant Vaneiy Station 1B;;\8"_lze1 ‘Tgeglie,’ Aver- Number Aver- Number weight, first full height, su 1958-61 age tests age tests pounds head ripe inches pe Q Number tests 4 4 2 8 7 4 6 Caldwell 18.8 18.4 17.5 18.3 9 15.9 17 54.1 3-23 5-19 25 B5128 19.5 18.1 18.5 18.7 9 15.9 17 53.5 3-17 5-22 28 Norland 19.2 16.6 19.2 18.3 6 15.4 9 53.6 3-20 5-19 31 Deoro 18.6 18.2 15.9 17.8 9 14.7 18 53.6 3-15 5-16 26 Redwood 19.0 18.4 14.3 17.7 9 14.6 17 54.2 3-13 5-17 24 Linda 19.5 16.4 16.3 17.4 9 14.4 16 52.6 3-11 5-17 26 Rio 17.4 16.6 16.2 16.8 9 13.8 18 53.7 3-13 5-~19 26 Marine 15.8 14.3 15.1 2 12.6 5 53.5 2-23 5-7 21 Arny 18.7 15.2 13.1 15.6 7 13.1 7 53.5 3-11 5-15 26 Viking 16.9 16.5 18.1 17.0 9 12.7 16 52.7 3-16 5-18 27 Newturk 13.7 16.4 18.9 16.0 9 11.8 18 53.4 3-25 5-22 25 Bolley 16.8 14.2 7.5 13.9 5 10.3 6 53.2 2-27 5-4 23 20