Chickasha Field Day to focus on regional wheat varieties
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Media Contact: Alisa Boswell-Gore | Agricultural Communications Services | 405-744-7115 | alisa.gore@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University Ag Research and Extension will host the Chickasha Wheat Field Day April 29 to inform regional wheat producers about the latest wheat varieties for their region of Oklahoma and provide continuing education credits.
“I tend to tailor what I talk about to the region in which the event is being hosted,” said Brett Carver, regents professor in the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. "It’s all about the adaptation to that region we are teaching in and researching in.”
Carver will share information about OSU’s latest wheat research and the traits of wheat varieties in the region. Soil types and weather conditions vary across the state, and a wheat disease may impact one region of the state more than another. There are 10 to 15 diseases in Oklahoma that can attack wheat each year, but they do not all attack in the same place or in the same way. For this reason, OSU adapts different wheat breeds to different Oklahoma regions, such as the OSU variety Uncharted that has been adapted to soil and weather conditions in central Oklahoma but not western Oklahoma.
“You just need a snapshot of the germplasm under those particular conditions, and we are going to make different recommendations according to the area of the state we are in,” Carver said. “We have to test adaptation in these regions for several thousand experimental strains of wheat, so we are demonstrating what we are testing in that particular region. You have to see the germplasm in the region in which it’s grown, and that’s what these field days provide.”
The Chickasha Wheat Field Day will take place 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. April 29 at the South Central Research Station, 1105 E. Iowa, in Chickasha. The event is free, and no registration is required. Lunch will be provided and CEUs are available through the event.
The following is a schedule for the event:
- Josh Bushong will provide information on weed management.
- Amanda Silva will talk about the characteristics of different wheat varieties, such as drought, cold or disease resistance.
- Brett Carver will cover how wheat breeding works and what new varieties his team works with.
- Brian Arnall will provide information on nutrient management and nitrogen as well as phosphorous and potassium management in wheat while showcasing research conducted by OSU graduate students.
- Brian Whitacre will talk about rural broadband availability.
“The main value is understanding there is more than one kind of wheat out there, and you need to match the wheat to your region, your management and your goals,” said Ally Minor, Grady County OSU Extension 4-H educator.
For more information, contact Minor at 405-224-2216 or alexanderia.richardson@okstate.edu.
OSU Agriculture Field Days are educational events presented by OSU Ag Research and Extension to share research-based information and resources with Oklahomans. Field days showcase current agricultural research and relevant best practices through presentations, tours, hands-on workshops and discussion at little or no cost.