UTAH
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
Plant Science Department, Logan, UT 84321, USA.
Winter wheat.
J.D. Hole.
Production, diseases and insects. Utah harvested acreage
dropped to 150,000 acres in 1998. Yields were up from 1997 at
50 bu/acre, and overall production was similar to that in 1997.
Diseases were light, but there was a good infection in the artificially-inoculated
dwarf bunt nursery.
Breeding program. The HWWW UT1944-158 was grown in foundation
field, although a release decision has not been made. The line
has good noodle and good bread-making properties. We continue
to evaluate breeding lines and germ plasm under organic as well
as conventional dryland and irrigated conditions.
Spring wheat.
R.S. Albrechtsen.
Production, diseases and insects. The spring wheat acreage
harvested in 1998 was slightly smaller than that of the previous
year, but was more than offset by a higher yield (58 bu/acre versus
48 bu/acre), which resulted in a 16 percent larger total production.
A wet spring caused some difficulties in planting and spraying
weeds but eventually resulted in a good crop overall.
Spring wheat diseases were generally light. Losses from cereal
leaf beetle and RWA were spotty, but generally minor. Grasshopper
infestations were heavy in certain areas.
Breeding program. We continue to identify improved cultivars
from the Western Regional Spring Wheat Nursery and from other
breeding programs in the west.
Cultivars. The HRSW Rick, released from our program, continues
to perform well under both irrigated and non- irrigated conditions.
Whitebird, Fieldwin, Vanna, Centennial, Treasure, and Penawawa
are the better performing SWSW cultivars.