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Synthetic auxin herbicides do not injure intermediate wheatgrass or affect grain yield
- Erica D. Shoenberger, Jacob M. Jungers, Eugene P. Law, Clair L. Keene, Antonio DiTommaso, Craig C. Sheaffer, Donald L. Wyse, Valentin D. Picasso, David E. Stoltenberg
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- Journal:
- Weed Technology / Volume 37 / Issue 5 / October 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 04 October 2023, pp. 560-568
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Intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) is a cool-season perennial grass developed as a dual-purpose grain and forage crop. One barrier to adopting this crop is a lack of information on the effects of herbicides on IWG for grain production. An experiment was conducted to evaluate herbicide effects on IWG grain yield, crop injury, and weed control over 2 yr (2019 to 2021) at sites in Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, and North Dakota. This evaluation included broadleaf herbicides registered for use on wheat: 2,4-D amine, clopyralid, MCPA, and a mixture of clopyralid + MCPA (all are categorized as Group 4 herbicides by the Weed Science Society of America). Each herbicide or mixture was applied at 1× and 2× the labeled wheat application rate to newly planted and established (1- to 5-yr-old) IWG stands in the fall or spring. Herbicides were applied during IWG tillering or jointing stages in the fall or during the jointing stage in the spring. Across site years, application timing, herbicide, and application rate showed no effect on IWG grain yield or plant injury. Broadleaf weed control ranged from 71% to 92% across herbicide treatments relative to the nontreated check at the Wisconsin site, whereas weed control at the Minnesota site was variable among treatments. At the New York site, herbicides were equally effective for broadleaf weed suppression, whereas weed pressure was very low at the North Dakota site and treatments did not affect weed cover. The results show that newly planted and established stands of IWG are tolerant to the synthetic auxin herbicides 2,4-D amine, clopyralid, and MCPA when applied during tillering or jointing in the fall or during jointing in the spring. Synthetic auxins represent a potentially useful tool for weed control in IWG cropping systems, especially for problematic broadleaf weed species.
Fungal plant pathogens observed on perennial cereal crops in New York during 2017–2018
- Michael R. Fulcher, Eugene P. Law, Sandra Wayman, Matthew R. Ryan, Gary C. Bergstrom
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- Journal:
- Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems / Volume 37 / Issue 4 / August 2022
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 March 2022, pp. 279-291
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Perennial grain crops are emerging as a promising addition to sustainable agricultural systems because of their low-input requirements and delivery of ecosystem services. However, adoption of these crops is expected to bring novel management challenges, including those related to plant diseases. In New York, fungal pathogens of annual grains have a significant impact on crop yield and value and are generally controlled through a combination of host resistances, cultural practices and chemical fungicides. Without the availability of crop rotation and soil tillage practices, disease control in perennial grain systems may be problematic, and little is known about perennial grain crop susceptibility to local plant pathogen populations. During 2017 and 2018, ongoing field trials of two perennial grain crops recently introduced in New York, intermediate wheatgrass (IWG; Thinopyrum intermedium) and perennial cereal rye (PCR; Secale cereale), were assessed for the presence of putative fungal pathogens on actively growing plants, overwintered crop residue and harvested grain. A total of nine potential host–pathogen combinations were recorded based on symptomology, pathogen morphology and DNA sequences. Common annual crop pathogens were recovered most frequently, but, at one site, Phyllachora graminis, causal fungus of tar spot and a pathogen not previously reported on crops in New York, was found on IWG. Residue colonization by an important toxigenic pathogen (Fusarium graminearum) was high in both crops, though mycotoxin levels in associated grain were low, indicating either the hosts or environment were unsuitable for disease development. Seed-borne fungal communities differed across crops and locations, and black point, a condition caused by Alternaria and Bipolaris fungi and indicative of compromised grain quality, was prevalent in PCR under some conditions. Growing PCR with intercropped red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) resulted in less Stagonospora colonization of stem residue, and PCR grown with an oat (Avena sativa L.) nurse crop had a reduced incidence of black point. These alternative cultural practices may prove useful for managing disease in perennial grains. Our results suggest that the incorporation of perennial crops into the agricultural landscape will lead to familiar plant disease problems requiring new solutions as well as new problems that may require significant research investments.
Nutritional and quality characteristics expressed in 31 perennial wheat breeding lines
- Kevin M. Murphy, Lori A. Hoagland, Philip G. Reeves, Byung-Kee Baik, Stephen S. Jones
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- Journal:
- Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems / Volume 24 / Issue 4 / December 2009
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 19 November 2009, pp. 285-292
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Soil erosion due to annual cropping on highly erodible farmland is a major ecological concern in the wheat growing regions of Washington State. In response to requests from farmers, the winter wheat breeding program at Washington State University has been developing perennial wheat selected from crosses between wild wheatgrass species and commonly grown annual wheat cultivars. In 2005/06, we conducted field trials of the most promising perennial wheat breeding lines derived from interspecific crosses between tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum elongatum) and bread wheat (Triticum aestivum). Thirty-one perennial breeding lines and two annual winter wheat cultivars were evaluated for nutritional value in the form of grain mineral concentration, multiple baking and milling quality traits, and ease of grain threshability. The objective of this study was to identify the strengths and weaknesses of these post-harvest traits in the perennial wheat lines derived from these interspecific crosses. Mineral nutrient concentrations in the perennial lines were 44, 40, 24, 23, 32, 30 and 33% higher than the annual control cultivars for calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and zinc, respectively. The annual cultivars had a higher grain mineral content per unit area of land than the perennial lines, due primarily to the higher grain yields of the annual cultivars. Compared to the annual wheat cultivars, the perennial lines produced grain with smaller seed size, lower test weight and reduced flour yield, mix time and loaf volume. Protein content was 3.5–4.5% higher in the perennial lines than in the annual cultivars. The threshability index (TI) ranged from 0.63 to 0.89 in the perennials (μ=0.75); significantly lower than the mean TI of the annual cultivars (μ=0.97). The significant genotype×location interaction found for TI suggests that the variation in annual precipitation positively influenced some perennial lines to express greater threshability. In addition to transferring traits important to the perennial growth habit in wheat, the wild wheatgrass species also introduced beneficial characteristics (i.e. increased protein and mineral concentration) and deleterious traits (poor threshing grain and inferior baking qualities). This research gives researchers a platform from which to direct further research and selection in the development of perennial wheat.