The Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Research Report Number 694
July 2004
SMALL GRAINS UPDATES
VARIETY RELEASES
Dr. J. W. Johnson, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Griffin
Campus, Griffin, GA 30223-1797.
USG 3592 is a high yielding, excellent test weight, medium maturing and tall soft red
winter wheat variety. It is resistant to currently predominate races of Hessian fly, leaf rust,
septoria nodorum blotch, and soil-borne mosaic virus. It is moderately resistant to stripe
rust and powdery mildew. USG 3592 is marketed by UniSouth Genetics.
Horizon 321 is a winter oat which performs well for both grain and forage production
in the Southeast. It is high yielding, excellent test weight, good crown rust resistance, and
medium maturing.
AGS 104 is a rye for early season forage productions that will work well in blends with
ryegrass for long season forage production with excellent leaf rust resistance. In
appearance, AGS 104 most closely resembles Wrens 96 and is slightly later than Wrens
96 in maturity, but similar in height and seed appearance. AGS 104 has been released
exclusively to AGSouth Genetics.
“342” (likely will be referred to as Trical brand 342) is a triticale which performs well for
grain production. It is high grain yielding, medium maturing and good test weight.
Releases by private companies for production in Georgia: AgriPro Panola and Hornbeck
HBK 3266.
The Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Research Report Number 694
July 2004
DISEASES
John D. Youmans, Department of Plant Pathology, Griffin Campus,
Griffin, GA 30223.
Once again the wheat growing season presented Georgia wheat growers with a
challenge. The fall temperatures were mild with the majority of colder winter temperatures
occurring later in December. This encouraged aphid activity, and from the Piedmont and
north to Calhoun Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) was severe. Lesser amounts of BYDV
were observed at Plains and Tifton. A true yield loss number is difficult to pinpoint, but the
losses due to BYDV were real this year, from the Piedmont and north.
Virtually no stripe rust was found in the state, this after Georgia had widespread stripe
rust last year in commercial fields. Leaf rust on wheat was also not an issue this year
thanks in part to an extremely dry spring with rainfall well below the average and with more
resistant
cultivars being planted in commercial fields. Additionally, many growers had applied
fungicides earlier after finding powdery mildew in fields. Rust was observed on rye grain
plots in Tifton earlier in the season but was not a yield reducing factor. Crown rust on oats
was low as well this season.
Fusarium foot rot was sporadically found in southern Georgia and may have
contributed to the early decline of some fields. Take-all may have played some role in this
observed decline as well.
Powdery mildew could have been a huge yield reducer this season but again with the
drier spring and early fungicide applications most epidemics were controlled. Mildew was
observed at fairly high levels across a wide range of cultivars early in the season at Plains
and Tifton.
Glume blotch (Stagonospora) on heads and leaves was at some of the lowest levels
in years. This again due to the extremely dry conditions observed within the state this year.
Again the single most important piece of the disease management puzzle is the
cultivar selection.
The Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Research Report Number 694
July 2004
INSECTS
G. David Buntin, Department of Entomology, Griffin Campus, Griffin,
GA 30223.
The variety test was planted in the fall of 2003 at the Southwest Branch Experiment
Station near Plains and was sampled for Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor, infestations in
late April 2004. A second test was conducted at the Bledsoe Research farm near Griffin,
but infestations were too low for meaningful comparisons of varieties. Results of the test
at Plains are shown in the next table. Several varieties showed good levels of Hessian fly
resistance. Varieties marked by § rated as resistant in this year's test but were susceptible
in previous trials. 'Pioneer Brand 2684', Roberts, and ‘Fleming’ contain resistance genes
but are susceptible in Georgia and will not stand up to a heavy infestation. Varieties with
good resistance in southern GA may not be resistant in northern GA because of the
presence of biotype L in northern GA. The only currently available variety with biotype L
resistance is 'Pioneer Brand 26R61'. Both rye and oats are good Hessian-fly resistant
alternatives to wheat for forage production, because rye is highly resistant, and oats are
immune to the insect. In general Hessian fly infestations and damage were low in
2003/2004.
Warm weather also encouraged aphid populations in the winter months throughout the
state. Aphids caused direct injury to wheat and also transmitted barley yellow dwarf virus
(BYDV), which caused high levels of symptoms and losses in some areas. Although the
level of expression of symptoms varies between varieties, no varieties are truly resistant
or tolerant of BYDV infection. Systemic insecticide seed treatments and properly timed
foliar applications of insecticides can reduce aphid numbers and minimize BYDV incidence.
The cereal leaf beetle now is established throughout northern and most of southern
Georgia. Populations continue to increase and caused noticeable damage this year in the
Coastal Plain region. Larvae and adults are present in the spring during grain filling where
they remove the upper leaf surface and chew elongated holes in leaves. Populations in
most areas still are below the treatment threshold of 0.5 larva or adult per stalk. However,
damage was very evident in the northwestern and central Piedmont regions of the state
as well as the Upper Coastal Plain from Milledgeville to Statesboro with some fields
needing treatment with an insecticide. Cereal leaf beetle can be effectively controlled by
a number of insecticides when applied to active larvae.
Consult your local county extension agent and 2004 Georgia Pest Management
Handbook for a list of recommended insecticides and for management practices for these
and other insect pests of small grains.
Hessian fly infestations in entries of the Georgia
State Winter Wheat Variety Trial at Plains, GA,
late-planted in 2003-2004.
Entry
% infested
stems1
HF larvae & pupae
per stem
SS535
AgriPro Savage
NK Coker 9295
GA961591-3A46
NC99-13022
54.7
40.0
37.3
34.7
29.3
a*
ab*
abc*
a-d*
b-e*
1.08*
0.67*
0.64*
0.67*
0.75*
AR910-9-1
GA951395-2E19
Vigoro Tribute
Pioneer Brand 26R24
GA951395-3A31
28.0
25.3
18.7
17.3
17.3
b-f*
b-g*
c-i*
c-g*
d-j*
0.40*
0.37*
0.35*
0.21
0.27*
Fleming
AgriPro Crawford
GA951216-2E14
AgriPro Panola
Croplan Genetics 514W
17.3
17.3
16.0
14.7
14.7
d-j*
d-j*
e-m*
e-k*
e-k*
0.25*
0.27*
0.19
0.21
0.19
HBK 3266
NC Neuse
GA961591-3E42
SS520
GA961526-3E15
14.1
12.0
12.0
10.7
9.3
e-l*
e-m*
e-m*
f-m*
g-m
0.23
0.12
0.19
0.16
0.13
Roberts§
GA951395-3E25
USG 3592
GA931630E48§
NK Coker 9152§
8.0
8.0
8.0
6.7
6.7
h-n
h-o
h-o
h-o
h-o
0.21
0.12
0.09
0.09
0.12
Pat§
GA95652-2E56
Pioneer Brand 26R12§
USG 3209§
GA96229-3E39
6.7
5.3
5.3
5.3
5.3
h-n
l-o
l-o
i-o
j-o
0.07
0.05
0.07
0.11
0.08
Pioneer XW02M
UGA931233E17
GA961176-3A48
McCormick
5.3
4.0
4.0
4.0
j-o
k-o
mno
k-o
0.08
0.12
0.04
0.09
NK Coker 9375 (NK B960457)
4.0 j-o
0.04
AGS 2485
AGS 2000
GA951395-3E27
Croplan Genetics 8308
Pioneer Brand 26R38
4.0
4.0
2.7
1.3
1.3
0.07
0.05
0.05
0.01
0.11
k-o
k-o
l-o
no
no
Hessian fly infestations in entries of the Georgia
State Winter Wheat Variety Trial at Plains, GA,
late-planted in 2003-2004.
Entry
% infested
stems1
HF larvae & pupae
per stem
Continued:
GA951079-2E31
GA941208-2E35
Pioneer Brand 26R61
GA951079-2A25
GA96229-3A41
0
0
0
0
0
o
o
o
o
o
0
0
0
0
0
GA961171-3E38
0 o
0
LSD (0.05)
LSD (0.1)
12.7
10.7
0.29
0.24
1. Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different
(P = 0.05, LSD).
* Entry significantly different than zero (P = 0.10).
§
Entry not significantly (P = 0.1) different than zero, but rates as susceptible in
previous trials.