Impacts of drought, wheat disease to highlight discussion
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M AgriLife Research in Amarillo will host a Small Grains Plot Tour from 9-11:30 a.m. on May 26 at Bushland.
The free tour will be held entirely in the irrigated wheat field plots at the Conservation and Production Laboratory, operated by AgriLife Research and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.
“Regionally, we’ve had a really tough year,” said Jourdan Bell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist, Amarillo. “Most of the wheat has been negatively impacted by drought, Russian wheat aphids, wheat streak mosaic virus, and recently hail and above-average temperatures. We are even seeing lower yield potentials in irrigated wheat. So the plot tour will provide producers an opportunity to see which varieties are performing well under these conditions.”
AgriLife Extension county agents Rick Auckerman, Deaf Smith; Amanda Spiva, Oldham; Megan Eikner, Potter; and J. D. Ragland, Ph.D., Randall, will all join Bell in hosting the tour and are inviting producers from throughout the region to attend.
On the agenda
Bell said participants will hear from several experts before having the opportunity to walk the wheat plots.
Topics and speakers will be:
— Current conditions and the High Plains Uniform Variety Trials – Bell.
— New and upcoming wheat and triticale varieties — Jackie Rudd, Ph.D., AgriLife Research wheat breeder, Amarillo; and Jason Baker, AgriLife Research senior research associate, Amarillo.
— Current wheat disease issues — Ken Obasa, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension plant pathologist, Amarillo.
— Introduce Kiran Gadhave, Ph.D., AgriLife Research entomologist.
— Texas Wheat Producer Board Update — Darby Campsey, Texas Wheat Producers director of communications and producer relations, Amarillo.
— Tour 2021-2022 Irrigated Uniform Variety Trial – Bell, Rudd.
For more information, contact: Bell at jourdan.bell@ag.tamu.edu; or county agents Auckerman, rick.auckerman@ag.tamu.edu; Spiva, amanda.spiva@ag.tamu.edu; Eikner, megan.eikner@ag.tamu.edu; or Ragland, jd.ragland@ag.tamu.edu.