History

OK Bullet was one of two hard red winter wheat varieties released by OSU in 2005. Tested as advanced experimental line OK00514, OK Bullet was the result of a cross between Jagger and a K-State experimental line.

When released, OK Bullet had many of the traits that made Jagger a successful wheat variety, such as early maturity and acid soil tolerance, but offered improved straw strength and leaf rust resistance over Jagger. Leaf rust races have since changed, but OK Bullet still offers several improvements over Jagger. OK Bullet is marketed and sold by Oklahoma Genetics Inc. through a licensing agreement with OSU.

 

Yield Potential

OK Bullet offers good yield potential in grain-only or dual-purpose environments (Table 1). OK Bullet is moderately resistant to current races of stripe rust, but the yield of OK Bullet can be greatly improved with the use of a foliar fungicide in environments where leaf rust is a factor. OK Bullet has performed very well under irrigation in the Oklahoma panhandle.

 

Table 1. Three-year average yield (bu/ac) for Oklahoma variety trials in 2007, 2008 & 2009

Unique Traits

OK Bullet is one of the best milling and baking quality wheat varieties available to producers. It is characterized by high test weight, large kernel size, high protein, and outstanding baking quality.

 

OK Bullet is similar in maturity to Jagger. This early-maturity trait lends itself well to double crop systems where ability to quickly harvest the wheat crop provides advantages to the subsequent crop.

OK Bullet offers very good straw strength. Ability to withstand higher nitrogen rates in a high-yield environment has made OK Bullet a popular choice among irrigated wheat producers in the Oklahoma Panhandle. OK Bullet also possesses the unique combination of pre-harvest sprouting tolerance and minimal heat sensitivity during germination.

 

Disease Package

OK Bullet was resistant to leaf rust when released in 2005, but shifts in leaf rust races have resulted in OK Bullet now being classified as susceptible. OSU data has shown that OK Bullet can benefit greatly from a foliar fungicide in environments where leaf rust is a major yield-limiting factor. At  the time of publishing this brochure (April 2010), OK Bullet is still moderately resistant to stripe rust in Oklahoma.

OK Bullet is susceptible to powdery mildew but moderately resistant to tan spot and septoria leaf blotch. OK Bullet is moderately susceptible to barley yellow dwarf virus, so aphids should be monitored and controlled when they reach threshold levels in OK Bullet.

 

Management

OK Bullet has a wide area of adaptation from Southwest Oklahoma to the Oklahoma Panhandle. OK Bullet is a very good forage producer but is also early to first hollow stem, so cattle should be removed from OK Bullet in a timely fashion to protect grain yield. If foliar disease is not a factor or is kept in check through the use of foliar fungicides after flag leaf emergence, OK Bullet can offer very good yield potential and great straw strength.