2010-2013 Organic Winter Wheat Variety Trial Results – Maine & Vermont

2010-2013 Organic Winter Wheat Variety Trial Results – Maine & Vermont (PDF)

Ellen Mallory, Heather Darby, Thomas Molloy, Erica Cummings

Bread wheat is a new crop option for farmers in New England due to increasing consumer demand for locally grown food. In 2010, the University of Maine and University of Vermont began a series of trials evaluating varieties of hard red wheat to identify those that perform well in Northern New England under organic production. This publication presents results for winter wheat varieties tested from 2010 through 2013. Separate publications of each year’s full results for both spring and winter wheat variety trials are available online.

This collaborative work was funded by a grant from the USDA Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative to improve bread wheat production in our region.

TRIAL DESIGN AND VARIETIES

Trials were established each year at four locations in Northern New England: Alburgh, VT; Old Town, ME; Athens or Houlton, ME; and Willsboro, NY. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replications, which means that each variety was planted in four separate plots at each location. All of the varieties evaluated from 2010 to 2013 are listed in Table 1. Over the course of the trials, some varieties were added as new ones became available and some varieties were removed if they were found to be unsuitable for our region (ex., highly susceptible to Fusarium head blight) or for bread flour markets (ex., low grain protein levels). The results for varieties that were dropped from our trials can be found in previous years’ reports.

Table 1. Winter wheat varieties planted in ME, VT, and NY in 2010-2013.

Year Grown
Variety Origin and Year of Release† 2010 2011 2012 2013
AC Morley Advantage Seeds, Canada x x x x
Alice§ SDAES, 2006 x x
Alliance NAES, 1993 x x
Anton§ NAES, USDA-ARS, 2007 x
Appalachian White§ USDA-ARS, 2009 x x x
Arapahoe NAES, 1988 x x x x
Banatka Heritage Grain Conservancy, MA x x x
Bauermeister WAES, 2005 x
Bezbanat Heritage Grain Conservancy, MA x
Borden# Semican, Canada, 1983 x x x x
Camelot NAES, USDA-ARS, 2008 x x x x
Expedition SDAES, 2002 x x x x
Harvard C&M Seeds, ON, 2003 x x x x
Ideal SDAES, 2011 x
Jerry NAES, 2001 x x x x
Mace NAES, USDA-ARS, 2007 x x
Maxine C&M seeds, Canada, 2001 x x x x
MDM§ WAES, 2005 x
Millennium NAES, USDA-ARS, SDAES, 1999 x x x x
NuEast USDA-ARS, 2009 x x x
Overland NAES, USDA-ARS, 2007 x x x x
Redeemer Canada, 2008 x x x x
Robidoux NAES, USDA-ARS, WAES, 2010 x
Roughrider NDAES, 1975 x x x
Sherman OR, 1928 x x x
Wahoo NAES, USDA-ARS, WAES, 2001 x x
Warthog Semican, Canada, 2001 x x x x
Wesley NAES, SDAES, WARC, 2000 x x
Zorro Canada x x x x
† Year of release not always available.
‡ Abbreviations: OR = Oregon, NAES = Nebraska Agric. Expt. Station, NDAES = North Dakota Agric. Expt. Station, SDAES = South Dakota Agric. Expt. Station, USDA-ARS = United States Dept. of Agric. Agricultural Research Service, WAES = Washington Agric. Expt. Station.
• Hard white
# Medium hard red
≠ Soft white

WEATHER CONDITIONS

Seasonal precipitation and temperature were recorded at or near the trial locations. The Alburgh, VT, Old Town, ME, and Willsboro, NY locations had weather stations in close proximity to the trial sites. The Athens, ME and Houlton, ME sites had stations within 25 and 5 miles, respectively. Weather conditions varied greatly from year to year, affecting the overall development and quality of the wheat (Table 2).

Weather conditions in 2010 were ideal for growing winter wheat. Mild conditions throughout winter and spring pushed wheat development 1-2 weeks ahead of normal. Except for June, the pattern of above average temperatures and below average rainfall continued through the growing season.

In 2011, fall weather conditions for planting and early growth were good at all sites. In Houlton, snow cover was inconsistent and temperatures were above normal in early winter. Spring-time precipitation was above normal, especially at the VT and NY sites where rainfall for both April and May was about 5 inches above normal. Summer temperatures were slightly cooler than normal in ME and slightly warmer than usual at the VT and NY sites. Summer precipitation levels were normal or slightly below at all sites.

A very mild winter and spring in 2012 led to excellent growing conditions for winter wheat. Spring-time conditions were substantially warmer and somewhat drier than usual allowing for good early growth of winter wheat. The VT and NY locations also experienced above average temperatures during the middle and later part of the growing season. In ME, precipitation was above average in June prior to and during wheat flowering and conditions were warmer and drier than average during grain fill and harvest.

Weather conditions proved challenging in 2013 at all sites. In ME, several severe freeze/thaw cycles occurred during the winter leading to icing in areas of the Old Town, Me location. The lack of consistent snow cover in conjunction with cold conditions at the Houlton, ME location caused almost complete winter-kill and subsequent discontinuation of this site. Conditions improved at the Old Town, ME site with normal temperatures and only June experiencing above normal precipitation levels. At the VT and NY sites starting in late May through June, precipitation levels were well above normal with these sites receiving two times the average rainfall for the month of June. July precipitation levels returned to normal at these sites.

Table 2. Precipitation, temperature, and growing degree days in ME, VT, and NY in 2010-2013.†

Site and Month Total Precipitation (in.) 30 Year Average Average Temperature (°F) 30 Year Average Growing Degree Days #
2010 2011 2012 2013 1981 – 2010 2010 2011 2012 2013 1981 – 2010 2010 2011 2012 2013
Old Town, ME
September 1.4 4.8 1.9 8.0 3.8 56 60 61 57 57 700 839 864 730
October 5.6 4.7 4.3 7.0 4.0 43 47 49 50 46 334 440 514 545
November 4.2 4.5 2.6 1.6 4.4 39 36 41 33 36 207 165 268 110
March 4.6 4.1 2.0 2.6 4.1 37 30 36 33 30 195 67 200 85
April 2.3 5.7 3.7 1.4 3.8 46 42 44 40 42 426 294 356 229
May 1.9 3.8 4.3 4.2 3.9 56 54 55 54 53 726 680 707 667
June 4.0 4.2 6.0 6.0 4.1 62 61 61 61 62 857 844 867 855
July 2.2 2.1 1.0 4.4 3.6 71 69 69 69 68 1182 1127 1114 1104
Houlton or Athens, ME
September 0.9 5.0 3.4 3.4 59 58 59 55 808 781 796
October 6.1 3.6 3.3 3.7 44 44 47 43 385 374 461
November 6.1 4.9 1.7 4.0 41 33 38 33 263 126 225
March 5.1 5.2 1.5 2.6 38 26 33 26 205 39 154
April 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.9 48 38 42 39 479 205 297
May 1.8 5.9 3.5 3.3 58 52 53 51 779 604 637
June 4.3 5.3 11.5 3.7 64 60 60 60 945 836 844
July 2.3 4.6 0.6 3.7 72 66 68 66 1223 1056 1098
Alburgh, VT
September 4.0 4.3 5.6 5.4 3.6 58 64 63 61 61 771 991 932 896
October 5.2 6.7 3.5 4.1 3.6 44 51 50 52 48 396 578 978 652
November § 2.9 1.4 § 3.1 § 40 43 § 39 § 243 344 §
March 2.8 3.4 1.5 1.0 2.2 38 33 40 32 31 229 144 331 89
April 2.8 7.9 2.6 2.1 2.8 49 47 45 44 45 521 465 396 348
May 0.9 8.7 3.9 4.8 3.5 60 59 61 59 56 854 826 884 848
June 4.6 3.5 3.2 9.2 3.7 66 67 67 64 66 1019 1088 1046 967
July 4.3 3.7 3.8 1.9 4.2 74 74 71 72 71 1305 1314 1221 1235
Willsboro, NY
September 0.5 2.7 6.1 5.4 3.6 60 62 64 62 61 816 909 964 896
October 1.6 4.1 3.4 5.0 3.6 47 49 50 53 48 427 518 566 648
November § 2.7 1.4 § 3.1 § 39 43 § 39 § 236 368 §
March 3.4 1.1 1.0 2.1 2.2 39 30 43 33 31 239 104 411 25
April 2.1 6.6 2.8 2.1 2.8 50 46 46 45 45 532 423 435 383
May 1.1 7.8 4.4 8.7 3.5 60 58 62 61 56 876 809 917 890
June 4.8 2.8 3.2 9.9 3.7 66 66 68 67 66 1004 1064 1072 1034
July 2.4 1.8 3.8 4.5 4.2 74 73 73 74 71 1294 1277 1271 1253
†Bases on National Weather Service data from cooperative observer stations in close proximity to field trials available at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/crn/report. Historical averages are for 30 years (1981-2010) available at https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/datatools/normals.
‡ From the previous year.
• Monthly averages not available due to missing data points.
# Base 32°F

CULTURAL PRACTICES

Trial plots were managed following practices similar to those used by farmers in New England (Table 3).

University of Maine Rogers Farm – Old Town, ME – Plots were moldboard plowed in early to mid-September prior to manure application. Pre-plant fertility was solid dairy manure applied with a targeted application rate of 70 lbs of available nitrogen (N) per acre. The plots were then harrowed to work in the manure and prepare a seedbed. Planting was done with an Almaco cone seeder with 6.5-inch row spacing with a targeted seeding rate of 33 live seeds per square foot, which corresponds to 1.4 millions live seeds per acre. In 2012 and 2013 the plots were topdressed with Chilean nitrate at 100 lbs per acre (16 lbs of nitrogen per acre) when the wheat was in the late tillering stage. Grain was harvested using a Wintersteiger Classic plot combine. Harvest area was 4’ x 33’.

Sites Farm – Athens, ME (2010) – Plot were moldboard plowed in early September. Poultry manure was applied at a rate of 4 tons per acre (approximately 70 lbs available N) and immediately incorporated with a disk and spike tooth harrow. An Almaco cone seeder with 6.5-inch row spacing was used to plant the wheat with a targeted seeding rate of 33 live seeds per square foot. The plots were harvested using a Wintersteiger Classic plot combine. The harvest area was 4’ x 33’.

Nature Circle Farm – Houlton, ME (2011 – 2013) – A chisel plow was used to prepare the plots prior to fertility application. Dehydrated pelletized poultry manure (“Nutri-Wave” (4-1-2); Envirem Technologies Inc.) was applied pre-plant at 800 lbs per acre. A spring tine harrow was used to incorporate the manure and prepare a seedbed. The plots were seeded with an Almaco cone seeder with a 6.5-inch row spacing at target rates of 33 live seeds per square foot in 2011 and 41 live seeds per square foot in 2012 and 2013. In the early spring the plots received a topdress application of Nutri-wave at a rate of 3000 lbs per acre. Nutri-wave N was assumed to be 50% available for both pre-plant and topdress applications. The plots were harvested with a Wintersteiger Classic plot combine. The harvest area was 4’x33”. In 2013, the plots were discontinued in the spring due to icing and winterkill.

Borderview Research Farm – Alburgh, VT – For the 2010 trials, the plot areas were plowed the prior spring to kill and incorporate a perennial forage stand and were disked and spike-tooth harrowed throughout the summer prior to planting. The estimated nitrogen availability from the sod plow down was 65-75 lbs per acre. In 2011, 2012 and 2013 where the previous crop was spring wheat, the plots were plowed in the fall just prior to planting. In 2011, the pre-plant fertility source was composted poultry manure applied at a rate to supply an estimated 70 lbs per acre of available nitrogen. In 2012 and 2013, no pre-plant fertility was applied. In 2012, a topdress application of a 1:1 blend of Pro-Booster and Pro-Gro was applied in the spring at a rate of 1000 lbs per acre. In all years, wheat was seeded using an eight-row Kincaid Cone Seeder with 6-inch row spacing at a rate of 32 live seeds per square foot, equivalent to a target population of 1.4 million plants per acre. Wheat was harvested using an Almaco SPC50 plot combine. Harvest area was 5’ x 20’.

Willsboro Research Farm – Willsboro, NY – For the 2010 and 2011 crops, a three-year-old sod of timothy and alfalfa was plowed in the year prior to planting wheat and the site was fallowed during the summer before planting to control perennial weeds. For the 2012 and 2013 crops, the sod was plowed in and incorporated two to three weeks before seeding wheat. Wheat was seeded using a custom eight-row cone seeder with 6-inch row spacing at a rate of 32 live seeds per square foot. The plots were harvested with a Hege plot combine. Harvest area was 4’ x 13’.

Table 3. Plot management for the winter wheat variety trials in ME, VT, and NY in 2010-2013.

Trial Location
Old Town, ME Houlton or Athens, ME† Alburgh, VT Willsboro, NY
Soil type
2010 Melrose fine sandy loam Adams loamy sand Benson rocky silt loam Kingsbury silt clay loam
2011 Caribou gravelly loam
2012 Caribou gravelly loam
2013
Previous crop
2010 Mixed vegetables Winter rye sod Reed canary/alfalfa sod timothy/alfalfa sod, fallow
2011 Mixed vegetables Fallow Spring wheat timothy/alfalfa sod, fallow
2012 Fallow Oats Spring wheat timothy/alfalfa sod
2013 Flax Spring wheat timothy/alfalfa sod
Pre-plant fertility source (rates are per acre)
2010 Solid dairy manure: 20 ton Chicken manure: 4 ton Sod plow down Sod plow down
2011 Solid dairy manure: 22 ton Pelletized chicken manure: 0.4 ton Composted poultry manure: 2 ton Sod plow down
2012 Solid dairy manure: 32 ton Pelletized chicken manure: 0.4 ton None Sod plow down
2013 Solid dairy manure: 32 ton None Sod plow down
Topdress nitrogen (rates are per acre)
2010 None None None None
2011 None Pelletized chicken manure: 60 lb available N None None
2012 Chilean nitrate: 16 lb N Pelletized chicken manure: 60 lb available N Pro-Booster, Pro-Gro: 75 lb available N None
2013 Chilean nitrate: 16 lb N None None
Planting date
2010 24-Sep 25-Sep 26-Sep 25-Sep
2011 23-Sep 22-Sep 23-Sep 27-Sep
2012 9-Sep 22-Sep 21-Sep 27-Sep
2013 24-Sep 21-Sep 27-Sep
Harvest date
2010 20-Jul 23-Jul 21-Jul 26-Jul
2011 25-Jul 6-Aug 20-Jul 28-Jul
2012 20-Jul 3-Aug 11-Jul 20-Jul
2013 2-Aug 18-Jul 20-Jul
†The trial was located in Athens in 2010 and in Houlton in 2011-2013.

‡ The target rate for pre-plant N applications was 70 lbs of total N with no more than 25 lbs in the inorganic form.

MEASUREMENTS AND METHODS

Thomas Molloy staging spring wheat in the Sidney trial.
Recording plant development stage. Photo by Ellen Mallory.

Flowering date was recorded for each variety where possible. Plant heights were measured at each site at the peak biomass stage. Prior to harvest, the incidence and severity of lodging was noted for each variety. All varieties were harvested on the same day at each site once the latest maturing variety threshed free in hand tests and weather and logistics allowed. Following harvest, grain was cleaned with a small Clipper cleaner and weights were recorded. Harvest moisture and test weights were determined using DICKEY-john GAC-2100 grain moisture meters.

Subsamples were ground into flour using a Perten LM3100 Laboratory Mill. The ground material was analyzed for crude protein, falling number, and mycotoxin levels. Protein content was determined using a Perten Inframatic 8600 Flour Analyzer. Most commercial mills target 12-14% protein. Falling number was determined on a Perten FN 1500 Falling Number Machine. The falling number is related to the level of sprout damage that has occurred in the grain due to enzymatic activity. It is measured as the time it takes, in seconds, for a plunger to fall through a slurry of flour and water to the bottom of the tube. Falling numbers less than 200 seconds indicate high enzymatic activity and poor quality wheat. Concentrations of deoxynivalenol (DON), a mycotoxin produced by the fungus that causes Fusarium head blight, were determined using the Veratox DON 2/3 Quantitative test from the NEOGEN Corp, which has a detection range of 0.5 to 5 ppm. Samples with DON values greater than 1 ppm are considered unsuitable for human consumption.

All data were analyzed using mixed model Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in which replicates were considered random effects. The LSD procedure was used to detect whether differences among varieties were statistically significant and was only conducted if the ANOVA F-test was significant (P<0.05) (see below for a description of a “significant difference”). There were significant differences between the locations for most parameters, so results from each location are reported independently.

Shaping the loaves.
Bakers conducting tests of flour at King Arthur Flour in Vermont. Photo by Erica Cummings.

Bake testing was conducted in 2011 and 2012 of 15 varieties. Test samples came from individual field sites harvested in 2010 and 2011 and were selected based on protein, DON, falling number levels and quantity of available grain. Each sample was milled at Gleason Grains in Bridport, VT on a Meadows Mills Inc. stone burr mill and then sifted on a Meadows Mills Inc. bolter, which produced a finely ground flower with an extraction rate of approximate 92%. The first bake test was conducted in 2011 at King Arthur Flour in Norwich, VT by bakers Randy George, Red Hen Baking Company, Duxbury, VT; Jeffery Hamelman, King Arthur Flour, Norwich, VT; Alison Pray, Standard Baking Co., Portland, ME; and Jim Amaral, Borealis Breads, Wells, ME. The following varieties were tested: AC Morley, Jerry, Redeemer, and Zorro. The remaining 11 varieties were tested by bakers individually their respective facilities in 2012. Each baker followed the same recipe for a naturally leavened bread and used a predetermined list of criteria to score for certain characteristics from the beginning of the baking process to the final loaf. Scores from the 2011 test are the average of the four bakers’ individual scores, while scores from 2012 are from individual bakers.


What Is a Significant Difference?

Variations in yield and quality can occur not only due to genetics but also due to variability in soil, weather, and other growing conditions. Statistical analysis makes it possible to determine whether a difference between two varieties is real or whether it might have occurred due to other variability in the field. The Least Significant Difference (LSD) is the minimum difference needed between two averages to consider them statistically different. LSDs at the 5% level of probability are presented at the bottom of each table for each measure. Where the difference between two varieties within a column is equal to or greater than the LSD value, you can be sure in 19 out of 20 chances that there is a real difference between the two varieties.

In the example below, variety A is significantly different from variety C because the difference between their yields (1454) is greater than the LSD value (889). Variety A is not significantly different from variety B because the difference between their yields (725) is less than the LSD value (889).

Throughout this bulletin, the greatest value at each site for each measure is indicated with an underline and bold type. Varieties that are not significantly different from the greatest value are also in bold type. Using the example below, variety C had the highest measured yield (underlined and bolded) but it was not significantly different than the yield of variety B (bolded).

Example Table

Variety Yield
A
B
C
3161
3886
4615
LSD 889

RESULTS

Growth and Development

Winter wheat growth and development were influenced most by over winter and early spring weather conditions. In all years, fall planting was timely and plant growth was good going into the winter. In 2012, and to a lesser extent in 2010, the subsequent mild winter and early spring led to vigorous early growth and high yields. In contrast, winter thaws followed by icing, in 2011, and inconsistent snow cover and extreme cold, in 2013, negatively impacted growth and yields at a number of sites. Winterkill was so severe in Houlton in 2013 that the plots were discontinued. Heavy precipitation in early spring and summer did not impact yields (as compared with its effects on our spring wheat trials), but did appear to increase leaf diseases and DON levels, especially in 2013 at the Alburgh, VT and Willsboro, NY sites. Background soil conditions had a strong impact at the Athens, ME site where plant growth was noticeably poor. Subsequent soil tests indicated low pH (6.0) and low phosphorus availability.

Flowering occurred predominately during the first and second weeks of June in Old Town, ME, Alburgh, VT, and Willsboro, NY, and a week later in Houlton, ME. Across all sites and years, Appalachian White, Expedition and NuEast were the earliest varieties to flower, while Zorro was the latest (Table 4).

Plant heights ranged from 32 to 51 inches over the four years of trialing (Table 4). Banatka, Bezbanat, and Sherman were the tallest and are all heritage varieties, while Appalachian White, Camelot, and Ideal were the shortest.

Lodging was noted in 2012 and 2013. In 2012, there was partial lodging of Appalachian White and Sherman in Alburgh, VT and severe lodging of Banatka in Old Town, ME. In 2013, Sherman, Roughrider, Borden and Jerry all severely lodged in Alburgh, VT and Willsboro, NY.

Weed pressure was generally low at most sites and did not negatively impact yields and quality with the exception of the Athens, ME site in 2010 and the Willsboro, NY site in 2013 where perennials, such as quackgrass, were the predominant weeds present. Sheperd’s purse, a winter annual weed, was noted most years in Old Town, ME. While it is unlikely that it negatively impacted yields, it was able to flower and set seed, contributing to the weed seed bank at this location.

Table 4. Relative flowering time and plant height of winter wheat grown in ME, VT, and NY in 2010-2013.

Relative Flowering Time Plant Height (in)
AC Morley Medium 40
Appalachian White Early 32
Arapahoe Medium 34
Banatka Medium 51
Bezbanat Medium 45
Borden Medium 41
Camelot Medium 32
Expedition Early 33
Harvard Medium 34
Ideal Medium 32
Jerry Medium 36
Maxine Medium 31
Millennium Medium 34
NuEast Early 33
Overland Medium 34
Redeemer Medium 35
Robidoux Medium 34
Roughrider Medium 40
Sherman Medium 43
Warthog Medium 35
Zorro Late 40

Grain Yield

Winter wheat yields were good to excellent and fairly stable (Table 7). Average yields by site and year were near or above the long-term estimated average of 2500 lb/acre (Matt Williams, personal communication). The exceptions were Athens, ME, where soil conditions and perennial weeds were problematic, and Houlton, ME in 2013, which was severely impacted by winterkill. Yields did not appear to be impacted by above normal precipitation during the growing season. Varieties that were among the highest yielding across sites and years were Borden, Warthog, AC Morley, Harvard, Overland, Jerry, and Zorro; and those that were among the lowest yielding were Roughrider, Banatka, Robidoux, and Sherman, with exceptions in particular site-years.

Grain Quality

Commercial mills use a variety of measurements to determine if a particular lot of wheat is suitable for bread flour, including grain protein, test weight, falling number, and mycotoxin (DON) concentration.

Grain protein levels were consistently low in ME, with the exception of Athens in 2010 (Table 6). Protein levels were generally higher in VT and NY but variable among years. Protein ranged from 8.9 to 12.0% in ME, 10.9 to 12.5% in VT, and 10.0 to 13.0% in NY. Overall, Redeemer and Maxine had the highest protein levels across sites. Roughrider, Sherman, and Banatka also had high protein levels but were grown in fewer site-years. Expedition, Overland, and NuEast consistently had the lowest protein levels.

The standard test weight for hard red winter wheat is 60 lbs per bushel, with a minimum acceptable level around 56 lbs per bushel depending on the buyer. Test weights ranged from 49 to 64 lbs per bushel (Table 7). Test weights often reflect growing conditions but can also vary among varieties. Varieties that consistently had high test weights were NuEast, Roughrider, Camelot, Banatka, and Expedition, while Jerry and Millennium tended to be relatively low.

Falling number values were all above the acceptable level (250 seconds) in all cases (Table 8).

Fusarium head blight, which produces the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON), is a disease of major concern for wheat growers in northern New England. It infects the plant primarily during flowering and is favored by cool, humid weather. The United States Food and Drug Administration has established a maximum DON guideline of 1 ppm for finished human products. Millers may accept grain with slightly higher DON levels because, through cleaning, they can remove some of the infected grain and reduce DON levels. DON level was a major criteria used for removing varieties from trials in subsequent years.

In ME, DON levels were below the 0.05 ppm detectable limit for the testing kit used in all years (Table 9). In VT and NY, measurable DON levels were recorded for most varieties, except in Alburgh, VT in 2012, and, in 2013, DON levels were extremely high among all varieties at both sites. Results among varieties were variable with none showing consistently low or high DON levels at these sites. It should be noted that DON levels were used as a major criteria for removing varieties from these trials with each successive year, so not all varieties tested are shown here. For results from previous years’ reports, see extension.umaine.edu/grains-oilseeds/topics/.

Baking Quality

Two separate bake tests were conducted. The first involved all four bakers and was at the King Arthur Four’s test kitchen in Norwich, VT to calibrate the scoring criteria to be used. Sample lots were chosen to give a range of proteins to help calibrate the testing procedure. From this first round of testing, Redeemer (12% protein) was the only variety that the bakers thought made good bread and indicated they would be willing to sell in their respective bakeries. In the second round of testing, each individual baker at their own facility tested another three to four varieties of varying protein levels. From this round of testing eight of the varieties were found to be suitable for baking (Table 10). It should be noted that protein level was not a good predictor of how a particular lot of flour was scored by the bakers.

DISCUSSION

Wheat grain sold for bread flour can receive up to twice the pay price as grain sold for livestock feed in New England, but the grain must meet higher quality standards. Therefore, when choosing varieties, it is important to consider their potential to produce grain with acceptable protein, test weight, falling number, DON levels, and baking performance, as well as their ability to produce high yields.

Overall yields were good to excellent. In our trials, timely fall planting was never limited by weather in any of our twelve site-years, which is a distinct advantage of winter wheat over spring grains. As well, annual weeds were never an issue. Perennial weeds and poor overwintering conditions had the most impact on yields, both of which could be alleviated to some extent by proper site selection.

There is commonly a tradeoff between grain yield and protein, which can be seen not only among the site averages but also among the individual varieties. Those that yield the highest often have lower protein levels than those that yield less. Over all of the sites and years, varieties that tended to be among the highest yielding are AC Morley, Borden, Harvard, Jerry, Warthog, and Zorro. Varieties that consis­tently had above average protein levels include Banatka, Maxine, Redeemer, Roughrider, and Sherman. Others with average protein levels include Warthog, Jerry and Zorro. Spring topdressing can help boost grain protein but given limited options for organic production, variety selection is a key management decision to optimize protein levels.

Fusarium head blight can be a major issue in the Northeast. However, in Maine, DON levels were consistently very low in these winter wheat trials, even when spring wheat variety trials conducted at the same site in Old Town showed higher levels. The reason for this is unclear but could be related to there being very little grain corn production in the area and winter wheat flowering occurring before inoculum levels build up at these cooler sites. In contrast, VT and NY have seen measurable levels in winter wheat, with extremely high levels in 2013 due to heavy precipitation. Variety selection can help, however none of the varieties tested in these trials are resistant to Fusarium. Options for managing the disease in organic systems are lim­ited and include rotation with non-grain crops (i.e. avoiding planting wheat after wheat, corn, or barley and rye), burying any disease-carrying residue, and choosing less susceptible varieties. While no current wheat varieties are resistant to Fusarium head blight, as evidenced by the 2013 results in VT and NY, some have shown better tolerance to the disease when it occurs in moderation. Varieties that had DON levels consistently below 1ppm in the other years in VT and NY are AC Morley, Borden, Redeemer, Roughrider, and Sherman.

Although a limited number of varieties and samples were selected for bake testing, the results showed that good to excellent artisanal breads can be baked from organic winter wheat grown in Northern New England. Regional bakers found that nine of the 15 varieties they tested were suitable for making bread. All of the samples tested, except for the sample of Redeemer, had a protein levels below 12%, the industry standard for bread flour, which supports bakers’ observations that flour with less than 12% protein can give excellent results using artisanal methods.

It may be helpful to compare these ME, VT, and NY results with results from variety trails conducted in other regions. Ultimately, though, it is important to evaluate data from test sites that are similar to your farm and region when deciding which varieties to grow.

Full reports of the 2010, 2011, and 2012 results are available as separate publications at extension.umaine.edu/grains-oilseeds/topics/.

Table 5. Yield of winter wheat grown in ME, VT, and NY in 2010-2013.

Yield at 13.5% moisture (lbs/acre)
Old Town, ME Houlton or Athens, ME† Alburgh, VT Willsboro, NY
2010 2011 2012 2013 Average 2010 2011 2012 Average 2010 2011 2012 2013 Average 2010 2011 2012 2013 Average
AC Morley 2746 2799 4812 3115 3368 1635 2993 4020 2883 3985 5171 5507 2975 4410 3798 3226 3887 3087 3500
App. White 2710 4257 2625 3197 2160 3540 2850 3839 4648 2898 3795 2501 4376 3614 3497
Arapahoe 2515 2337 3876 3075 2951 1853 1921 3083 2286 4041 3028 3948 2536 3388 4439 2653 4261 3312 3666
Banatka 2660 3596 2215 2824 2484 2484
Bezbanat 3791 3791
Borden 3344 2752 4652 3583 2127 2602 4089 2939 4615 4306 3872 3453 4062 4657 2331 3766 3160 3479
Camelot 2887 2332 4583 2472 3069 1962 1960 3242 2388 3631 3687 4824 2593 3684 4121 2387 4175 3115 3450
Expedition 2656 2504 4710 2930 3200 2371 2522 3724 2872 3466 3207 4748 2913 3584 4173 2436 5073 3803 3871
Harvard 3247 2696 4321 2648 3228 2409 2740 3538 2896 3237 4338 4221 3453 3812 4303 3006 3708 2983 3500
Ideal 3206 3206 3073 3073 3439 3439
Jerry 3469 2372 4385 3137 3341 1897 3024 3360 2760 4408 3609 3816 2469 3576 4432 2862 3740 3157 3548
Maxine 2388 1744 4080 2079 2573 1788 1651 2927 2122 3692 3324 4839 3056 3728 2822 1654 4198 2730 2851
Millennium 2511 2214 4298 3008 1521 1767 3056 2115 4319 3683 4585 1721 3577 4397 2501 4591 2479 3492
NuEast 2680 3932 2361 2991 1893 3729 2811 3758 5210 3054 4007 2913 4128 3563 3535
Overland 3001 2248 4155 3309 3178 1645 2237 3426 2436 4208 3904 4983 3331 4107 4372 3397 4229 3293 3823
Redeemer 2652 2537 3783 2557 2882 1905 2704 2925 2511 3886 4149 4159 2926 3780 3043 2217 3958 2898 3029
Robidoux 2860 2860 2316 2316 2863 2863
Roughrider 3146 3146 2479 2479 3423 3010 3650 1494 2894 3798 2457 3213 1573 2760
Sherman 3226 3043 1459 2576 2660 3396 1614 2557
Warthog 3387 3068 4695 3090 3560 1444 3330 3569 2781 3580 4202 4437 3228 3862 3178 1691 4440 3294 3151
Zorro 3145 2667 4413 2761 3247 2091 2379 3362 2611 2836 3933 3553 3260 3396 3746 2984 3320 3721 3443
Site Average 2919 2520 4217 2837 3123 1896 2392 3327 2538 3809 3787 4355 2748 3675 3949 2581 4027 3037 3399
LSD (0.05) 695 433 414 641 539 466 449 NS 518 451 819 564 811 NS 453
†The trial was located in Athens in 2010 and in Houlton in 2011-2013. Icing at the 2013 Houlton site caused severe winter kill and plots were discontinued.

Table 6. Protein concentration of winter wheat grown in ME, VT, and NY in 2010-2013.

Protein at 12% moisture (%)
Old Town, ME Houlton or Athens, ME† Alburgh, VT Willsboro, NY
2010 2011 2012 2013 Average 2010 2011 2012 Average 2010 2011 2012 2013 Average 2010 2011 2012 2013 Average
AC Morley 10.8 8.4 8.7 10.1 9.3 12.1 8.2 9.7 10.0 12.1 9.6 10.8 12.0 11.1 13.1 10.6 9.7 10.5 11.0
App. White 8.9 9.2 10.4 9.1 9.2 9.1 9.2 9.9 11.6 12.9 11.5 11.5 10.2 11.3 11.0
Arapahoe 9.8 8.9 9.8 9.4 8.4 10.0 9.2 9.6 11.0 12.4 11.0 10.6 9.4 12.2 10.7
Banatka 10.2 9.8 11.9 10.0 11.8 11.8
Bezbanat 9.4 9.4
Borden 10.1 8.2 8.5 8.9 11.7 8.4 9.1 9.7 9.7 9.7 10.5 10.7 10.2 12.1 9.8 9.5 10.5 10.5
Camelot 10.7 8.9 9.3 10.1 9.6 11.9 9.4 9.5 10.3 11.1 9.2 10.5 12.0 10.7 13.1 11.4 9.3 11.2 11.3
Expedition 10.2 8.6 8.9 9.5 9.2 12.1 8.4 8.6 9.7 10.1 9.4 10.7 11.4 10.4 13.1 10.7 8.7 11.4 11.0
Harvard 9.6 8.9 9.1 9.8 9.2 11.3 8.9 9.8 10.0 9.7 9.7 11.6 12.8 11.0 12.2 11.2 10.7 12.1 11.6
Ideal 9.0 9.0 11.0 11.0 10.1 10.1
Jerry 10.9 9.6 9.1 9.5 9.9 12.1 8.5 9.9 10.2 10.7 10.4 11.4 12.1 11.2 12.7 11.5 9.9 12.1 11.6
Maxine 11.7 10.6 10.0 11.2 10.8 12.3 10.4 10.2 11.0 10.8 10.3 11.9 12.5 11.4 13.6 12.7 10.5 12.2 12.3
Millennium 10.8 9.2 9.1 9.7 12.1 8.7 9.7 10.2 10.0 9.8 10.0 11.8 10.4 12.8 10.9 9.4 11.1 11.1
NuEast 8.9 9.2 9.8 9.1 8.8 8.8 8.8 8.6 10.3 11.4 10.1 11.1 9.4 10.6 10.4
Overland 10.5 8.4 8.9 9.7 9.3 12.1 8.2 9.5 9.9 9.6 9.7 10.2 12.3 10.5 12.8 11.0 8.4 10.4 10.7
Redeemer 11.5 10.5 11.0 12.1 11.0 12.0 10.4 12.6 11.7 12.9 12.3 12.8 14.8 13.2 14.3 13.0 11.4 13.2 13.0
Robidoux 10.5 10.5 12.0 12.0 11.7 11.7
Roughrider 10.4 10.4 13.3 13.3 11.4 10.3 10.9 13.9 11.6 13.6 11.7 10.5 13.3 12.3
Sherman 11.8 13.0 15.4 13.4 13.5 11.3 14.7 13.2
Warthog 10.7 8.8 8.9 10.2 9.5 12.1 8.8 10.1 10.3 11.1 10.0 11.3 13.3 11.4 13.1 12.0 10.5 11.7 11.8
Zorro 10.6 9.7 9.8 10.5 10.0 11.8 8.6 10.8 10.4 12.1 11.0 12.3 12.7 12.0 13.1 11.3 11.2 11.9 11.9
Site Average 10.7 9.2 9.3 10.2 9.9 12.0 8.9 10.1 10.3 10.9 10.1 11.2 12.5 11.2 13.0 11.4 10.0 11.7 11.5
LSD (0.05) 0.7 0.9 0.5 1.0 NS 0.9 0.8 1.5 0.9 0.6 0.6 1.1 0.7 0.6 0.7
†The trial was located in Athens in 2010 and in Houlton in 2011-2013. Icing at the 2013 Houlton site caused severe winter kill and plots were discontinued.

Table 7. Test weight of winter wheat grown in ME, VT, and NY in 2010-2013.

Test Weight (lbs/bu)
Old Town, ME Houlton or Athens, ME† Alburgh, VT Willsboro, NY
2010 2011 2012 2013 Average 2010 2011 2012 Average 2010 2011 2012 2013 Average 2010 2011 2012 2013 Average
AC Morley 58 61 59 59 59 56 57 59 57 57 65 62 56 60 59 60 60 49 57
App. White 62 61 57 60 51 57 54 66 62 59 62 59 58 54 57
Arapahoe 56 62 60 57 59 55 56 57 56 55 65 60 56 59 59 58 58 52 57
Banatka 62 60 60 61 60 60
Bezbanat 58
Borden 55 58 57 57 53 53 58 55 54 65 59 54 58 58 55 56 46 54
Camelot 57 63 61 58 60 55 53 57 55 56 63 61 57 59 59 58 60 52 57
Expedition 58 62 61 58 60 56 57 57 57 56 63 63 59 60 60 59 60 53 58
Harvard 58 62 58 59 59 56 57 59 57 56 63 60 55 59 60 59 59 48 57
Ideal 57 53 53 47 47
Jerry 57 61 60 57 59 55 55 58 56 56 63 59 55 58 59 58 58 46 55
Maxine 59 61 60 59 60 55 56 57 56 57 63 60 60 60 58 58 59 50 56
Millennium 58 62 60 60 56 55 57 56 56 64 60 56 59 59 58 59 45 55
NuEast 64 63 59 62 56 59 58 64 64 61 63 60 60 54 58
Overland 57 60 59 58 59 55 55 56 55 56 62 62 58 60 59 59 58 51 57
Redeemer 59 62 62 57 60 56 58 58 57 57 65 61 56 60 58 58 59 50 56
Robidoux 56 52 52 44 44
Roughrider 61 61 57 64 63 58 61 60 59 61 44 56
Sherman 66 62 57 62 59 59 44 54
Warthog 58 60 61 59 60 55 56 58 56 57 64 59 58 60 58 58 59 53 57
Zorro 59 62 58 59 60 55 56 59 57 56 63 59 55 58 59 58 59 49 56
Site Average 58 62 60 58 59 55 55 58 56 55 64 61 57 60 59 58 59 49 56
LSD (0.05) NS 0.9 0.9 0.5 2 0.7 1.0 1 NS 1.9 4.2 2 1.6 1.7 3
†The trial was located in Athens in 2010 and in Houlton in 2011-2013. Icing at the 2013 Houlton site caused severe winter kill and plots were discontinued.

Table 8. Falling number of winter wheat grown in ME, VT, and NY in 2010-2013.

Falling Number at 14% Moisture (seconds)
Old Town, ME Houlton or Athens, ME† Alburgh, VT Willsboro, NY
2010 2011 2012 2013 2010 2011 2012 2010 2011 2012 2013 2010 2011 2012 2013
AC Morley 383 463 507 345 413 368 370 377 356 349 402 354 340
Appalachian White 486 438 375 400 395 392 377 367 408 352
Arapahoe 397 748 436 328 452 396 429 404 386 400 420 394 372
Banatka 469 427 421
Bezbanat
Borden 393 396 508 386 508 364 402 354 369 361 408 377 353
Camelot 415 464 472 462 436 395 393 402 415 386 421 405 403
Expedition 404 453 511 340 479 388 391 405 391 363 412 395 361
Harvard 300 411 502 331 355 374 349 337 362 363 389 361 330
Ideal 366 337
Jerry 371 486 448 290 402 381 416 413 393 376 423 386 300
Maxine 292 477 525 410 484 385 412 391 392 375 367 405 392
Millennium 388 460 503 257 425 376 391 397 384 378 419 390 340
NuEast 518 456 441 458 410 403 410 440 396 391
Overland 416 484 438 396 477 382 404 382 367 399 436 384 376
Redeemer 426 499 466 322 488 421 428 407 383 420 452 439 408
Robidoux 391 391 352
Roughrider 478 434 399 412 369 408 365 432 387 308
Sherman 410 399 386 400 411 324
Warthog 426 463 463 413 461 412 413 388 440 422 466 435 421
Zorro 297 469 471 283 482 370 397 372 365 342 429 351 354
†The trial was located in Athens in 2010 and in Houlton in 2011-2013. Icing at the 2013 Houlton site caused severe winter kill and plots were discontinued.

Table 9. Levels of the deoxynivalenol mycotoxin (DON) in winter wheat grown in ME, VT, and NY in 2010-2013.

DON (ppm)
Old Town, ME Houlton or Athens, ME† Alburgh, VT Willsboro, NY
2010 2011 2012 2013 2010 2011 2012 2010 2011 2012 2013 2010 2011 2012 2013
AC Morley All values were <0.5 for all years at these sites 0.6 < < 9.2 0.7 0.6 < 15.6
Appalachian White 2.0 < 8.5 2.0 0.8 7.1
Arapahoe 0.6 1.3 < 6.6 0.6 0.9 < 10.2
Banatka <
Bezbanat <
Borden All values were <0.5 for all years at these sites < 0.6 < 9.6 0.5 0.5 < 14.2
Camelot 0.6 1.8 < 6.4 0 1.5 0.7 12.9
Expedition 0.6 1.3 < 4.1 0.8 1.2 0.6 9.1
Harvard 1.9 0.6 < 6.0 0.6 1.1 < 12.8
Ideal < 10.6 18.1
Jerry All values were <0.5 for all years at these sites 2.1 0.8 < 8.2 0 0.8 0.6 15.3
Maxine < 1.0 < 6.9 0.8 1.2 < 9.0
Millennium < 1.5 0.5 8.8 1 1.2 < 14.5
NuEast 1.2 < 4.7 2.4 0.6 8.4
Overland 0.8 1.6 < 6.5 < 1.3 < 8.9
Redeemer All values were <0.5 for all years at these sites < < < 4.0 < 0.7 < 11.2
Robidoux < 7.9 16.8
Roughrider 0.6 0.6 < 7.6 < < < 12.6
Sherman 0.6 < 6.6 0.6 < 11.0
Warthog 1.0 0.7 < 5.9 0.9 0.8 < 11.0
Zorro 0.9 1.0 < 8.6 0.9 < < 17.7
Site Average 0.7 1.0 < 7.2 0.5 1.1 0.7 12.4
†The trial was located in Athens in 2010 and in Houlton in 2011-2013. Icing at the 2013 Houlton site caused severe winter kill and plots were discontinued.< = < 0.5 ppm.

Table 10. Bake test results for select winter wheat varieties grown in ME, VT, and NY in 2010 and 2011.

Bake Performance
Variety Test baker† Flour quality characteristics Bake Score Notes from test bakers
Protein(%) Test wt (lbs/bu) Falling Number (seconds)
AC Morley all 8 57 374 42 Deficient, would not want to bake with
App. White C 9 62 486 81 Great potential as bread flour
Arapahoe B 10 62 475 78 Good, willing to bake with
Borden B 10 65 402 45 Very weak, wouldn’t want to bake with
Expedition C 10 58 403 82 Great potential as bread flour
Harvard B 10 65 349 78 Low absorption, excellent crumb structure, willing to bake with
Jerry all 10 64 435 43 Deficient, would not want to bake with
Maxine B 11 61 475 72 Great absorption, would have been better with more water
Millennium A 9 62 460 78 Good
Nu-East A 9 64 525 74 Good
Overland A 11 57 471 76 Good
Redeemer all 12 64 444 63 Made good bread
Roughrider C 10 64 412 50 Low absorption, weak, not interested in baking with
Warthog A 10 64 413 77 Made excellent bread
Zorro all 11 59 406 55 Would not want to bake with
† Letters represent the three individual bakers who performed the second round of testing.‡ 12% moisture.

grain growing in field
Winter wheat flowering. Photo by Ellen Mallory.

harvesting wheat
Harvesting winter wheat plots in Old Town, ME. Photo by Ellen Mallory.

Updated October 2015

Acknowledgements: The UVM Extension Crops and Soils Team would like to thank the Borderview Research Farm and the Willsboro Research Farm for their generous help with the trials, as well as acknowledge the USDA OREI grants program for their financial support. We would also like to thank Katie Blair, Chantel Cline, and Savanna Kittell-Mitchell for their assistance with data collection and entry. The University of Maine Sustainable Agriculture team thanks Luke Sites of Sites Farm and Dick York of Nature’s Circle Farm for providing their assistance and fields in Athens and Houlton, the University of Maine Rogers Research Farm, and Joe Cannon, Chris Illingworth, Maggie Lynn, Jess Richards, Michael Correl, Erin Roche, and Aaron Englander for their technical help.

Information in this publication is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.

This research is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Organic Research and Extension Initiative under Award No. 2009-01366, “Enhancing farmers’ capacity to produce high quality organic bread wheat.”

Published and distributed in furtherance of Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Land Grant University of the state of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Cooperative Extension and other agencies of the U.S.D.A. provide equal opportunities in programs and employment. Call 800-287-0271 or TDD 800-287-8957 (in Maine), or 207-581-3188, for information on publications and program offerings from University of Maine Cooperative Extension, or visit extension.umaine.edu.


University of Maine; University of Vermont Extension, Cultivating Healthy Communities