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Title: Durum cultivar evaluations for the Western Golden Triangle area of Montana
Principle Investigator: Gadi V.P. Reddy, Professor of Entomology/Ecology, Western
Triangle Ag Research Center
Personnel: John H. Miller, Research Scientist, Julie Prewett, Research Assistant, WTARC,
Conrad, MT, and Mike Giroux and Andrew Hogg, MSU PSPP Dept., Bozeman, MT.
Objectives: The objective is to evaluate durum varieties under the local conditions with respect
to yield, test weight, plant height, and seed protein. The research center strives to provide
growers of the western triangle area unbiased information of various durum varieties.
Methods: Plots were seeded with a four row plot seeder on one foot spacing and planted on no-
till chemical fallow barley stubble. Plots were trimmed, measured for length, and then harvested
with a Wintersteiger Classic plot combine. Durum wheat seed was cleaned prior to collecting
data.
Results: Results are tabulated in Tables 1 and 2. Table 3 is the soil test results from each
location.
Overall, the crop year temperatures where cooler than 32 year average at the research center,
May, when we could have used some cooler temperatures, was 5.2 degrees warmer than the
average. But the overall average temperature for the year from September to August was 3.8
degrees cooler than the 32 year average. The winter temperature, from September to March was
well below average, with February being 15.5 degrees colder than the 32 year average. March
and April were 9.6 and 7.1 degrees colder than the 32 year average. May was the only month that
had a temperature that was above the average with a temperature 5.2 degrees. September through
March were at or above the average precipitation for those months. Then May through August
were drier than the 32 year average. Overall, precipitation was average for the year with respect
to the 32 year average.
The durum plots were seeded into soil that had good soil moisture storage from the late summer
and fall moisture in 2017. Overall, the durum did well this year. Late seeding, a warmer and
dryer May and lack of summer moisture probably affected test weight and seed protein.
Durum yields ranged from 76.1 to 51.2 bu/acre (Table 1). With Montana State University line
MTD16006, Riveland, and MTD16007 being the top three yielding varieties at 76.1, 75.3, and
70.5 bu/ac. The 2018 yields were about 3.8 bu/ac higher than the five year average (Table 2).
Test weights were 0.2 lbs/bu lighter than the long term average. Durum seed protein was 1.2
percent higher than the five year average.
Summary: The data from the off station plots is supported by the local producers and advisory
committee as well as the seed industry. It is planned to continue the off station variety plots at
the same locations as the environmental conditions at each location are unique to the western
triangle area. No insect incidence or damage was noticed in any of the varieties.
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These data should be used for comparative purposes rather than using absolute numbers.
Statistics are used to indicate that treatment or variety differences are really different and are not
different due to chance or error. The Least Significant Difference (LSD) and Coefficient of
Variability (CV) values are useful in comparing treatment or variety differences. The LSD value
represents the smallest difference between two treatments at a given probability level. The LSD
at p=0.05 or 5 % probability level is usually the statistic reported, and it means that the odds are
19 to 1 that treatment differences by the amount of the LSD are truly different. The CV value
measures the variability of the experiment or variety trial, and a CV greater than 15 % indicates a
high degree of variability and less accuracy.
Funding Summary: Office of Special Projects will provide expenditure information. No other
grants support this project.
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Table 1. Durum Variety Trial located WTARC. Pondera County. Western Triangle Ag.
Research Center. 2018.
Variety
Yield
1
Test Wt
1
Height
Head
Protein
Lodging
(bu/ac)
(lb/bu)
(inches)
Date
(%)
(%)
MTD16006
76.1
60.1
36.0
177.7
14.6
11.7
Riveland 75.3 60.4 34.3 177.0 15.4 8.3
MTD16007 70.5 60.5 33.0 177.3 15.4 6.7
MTD112219 69.9 61.6 25.7 174.0 13.9 1.3
MTD16010
69.6
60.4
35.3
179.3
15.6
5.7
MTD16004 69.6 60.3 32.0 177.7 14.9 15.0
Fortitude 69.1 59.4 31.7 177.3 15.9 2.0
MTD16001 68.7 58.3 34.0 180.0 15.1 1.7
Grano
68.0
59.4
35.0
178.3
15.9
11.7
Alzada 67.7 59.7 30.3 174.3 14.7 5.7
Carpio 67.4 58.7 33.0 178.7 15.0 4.7
MTD16005 67.1 59.4 34.7 179.7 15.4 4.7
Dynamic
65.8
57.8
34.0
178.3
16.6
8.7
Mountrail 65.8 58.3 31.3 177.7 15.3 2.7
Alkabo 61.4 59.4 32.3 176.3 15.3 8.0
Joppa 61.0 59.3 32.3 176.7 15.2 8.0
MTD16011
60.2
57.9
34.3
178.7
16.5
5.0
Grenora 59.6 58.8 30.7 174.0 14.4 5.7
Vivid 59.6 59.3 32.7 178.3 16.5 2.3
MTD16003 59.4 59.4 32.0 177.7 14.6 4.0
Precision
57.1
59.0
33.3
177.3
17.1
3.7
MTD16002 56.7 58.7 35.7 181.3 15.8 2.0
Tioga 55.7 58.0 33.7 178.0 17.1 4.0
MTD16009 52.6 55.2 32.7 180.3 16.9 4.3
MTD16008
51.3
57.0
32.7
177.3
16.6
5.7
Divide 51.2 58.8 33.0 179.3 16.4 1.7
Mean 63.7 59.1 32.9 177.8 15.7 5.5
LSD (.05) 16.5 1.6 2.7 1.9 1.4 7.1
C.V. 15.8 1.6 5.0 0.7 5.6 79.3
P-Value 0.1279 <0.0000 <0.0000 <0.0000 0.0006 0.0425
Cooperator and Location: WTARC Pondera County.
Planted on 5/4/2018 on chemical fallow barley stubble. Harvested 8/23/2018.
Fertilizer, actual lbs/ac: 11-22-0 applied with seed and 230-0-20 side shot while planting. Fertilizer rates
are based on a yield goal of 70 bu/ac.
Herbicide: The plot area was pre-plant sprayed with 40 oz/ac RT3 on 5/3/2018.
Precipitation from seeding to harvest: 4.92 inches
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Yield and test weight are adjusted to 13% seed moisture.
Conducted by MSU Western Triangle Ag. Research Center.
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Table 2. Five-year means, dryland Durum varieties. Western Triangle Ag. Research Center
Conrad, MT, Pondera County, 2012 – 2015 and 2017.
6 year mean
Yield
Test
Height
Head
1
Seed
Variety
Source
(bu/ac)
weight
(inches)
date
Protein
(lb/bu)
(%)
Alzada
ND
63.6
58.8
33.7
62.3
14.0
Alkabo
ND
61.6
59.4
33.6
64.9
14.0
Grenora
ND
61.3
58.9
33.3
64.7
14.5
Tioga
ND
58.3
59.4
27.9
65.5
15.3
Mountrail
ND
57.6
57.6
31.1
66.0
14.6
Divide
ND
56.9
59.2
32.7
64.9
14.8
Nursery Mean
59.9
58.9
32.0
64.7
14.5
1
Days from seeding to heading.
Table 3. Soil test values for off-station and on-station plots, 2018.
Location
N
(lbs/ac)
1
Olsen-P
(ppm)
K (ppm) pH OM (%)
EC
(mmhos/cm)
Cut Bank
19.1
13
449
7.9
2.7
0.55
Devon 5.1 21 400 6.4 1.2 0.19
Knees
23.8
19
568
7.4
3.4
0.55
Choteau 57.8 10 556 8.1 2.7 0.75
WTARC-
Variety Fall
21.1 17 257 8.1 2.8 0.29
WTARC-N
Fall
15.5 30 421 7.5 2.6 0.57
WTARC
Spring
15.9 30 528 7.4 2.6 0.36
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Nitrogen soil samples were to a depth of four feet in one foot increments. All other soil tests
were for zero to six inches in depth.
WTARC- Western Triangle Ag. Research Center
