This year South Dakota farmers harvested an estimated 57.8 million bushels of winter wheat, up 35 percent from last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. The winter wheat breeding program is supported by the South Dakota Wheat Commission through checkoff funding, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Wheat Barley Scab Initiative.
Because new cultivars take 10 to 12 years to develop, these funding sources are crucial to maintaining the continuity necessary to develop new varieties, according to Sehgal.
“Research in the development of new wheat varieties is a key priority of the South Dakota Wheat Commission. The release of Oahe represents a tremendous return on investment for our wheat producers,” noted Reid Christopherson, executive director of the S.D. Wheat Commission. “The release of Oahe is an important contribution of the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station to wheat profitability,” according to Daniel Scholl, interim dean of the SDSU College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences and SDAES director. Winter wheat is the only food crop planted in the fall and has advantages in addition to higher yields, Sehgal explained. “It uses fall moisture and reduces runoff and soil erosion and can provide vital spring habitat for wildlife.” Oahe also has excellent winter hardiness, Sehgal pointed out. The longer length of the coleopitile—the sheath that protects the seed— results in less winter kill along with better drought tolerance.
During four years of testing in crop performance trials at 14 South Dakota locations, Oahe showed above average test weights, at 58 pounds per bushel East River and 58.6 pounds per bushel West River. The grain protein concentration was average, ranging from 13.4 to 12.9, and similar to other popular varieties, Sehgal explained. The new variety also has excellent milling quality with fair baking quality.
Foundation seed for the new variety is available through the SDSU Foundation Seed stock division. The South Dakota Crop Improvement Association markets SDSU varieties and also oversees certified seed production, according to Neal Foster, manager of the Seed Certification Division.
“It has to meet minimum requirements before we put our label on it,” Foster explained. By 2017, producers should be able to purchase it through the dealers listed in the South Dakota Certified Seed Grower Directory.
“We are working for the benefit of producers,” Sehgal said. “Our purpose is to solve the challenges of South Dakota Wheat growers and help them get an extra buck out of the hard work they do to feed the rest of the world.”
About South Dakota State UniversityFounded in 1881, South Dakota State University is the state’s Morrill Act land-grant institution as well as its largest, most comprehensive school of higher education. SDSU confers degrees from six colleges representing nearly 200 majors, minors and specializations. The institution also offers 35 master’s degree programs, 15 Ph.D. and two professional programs. The work of the university is carried out on a residential campus in Brookings, at sites in Sioux Falls, Pierre and Rapid City, and through Cooperative Extension offices and Agricultural Experiment Station research sites across the state.