Wheat Production in WA State Summary Report
Part II. WSU Wheat Breeding Programs
Growers' satisfaction with WSU's winter and spring wheat breeding programs.
Growers’ perceptions of how much priority WSU’s wheat breeding programs should give to the following wheat characteristics.
| High Priority (%) |
Medium Priority (%) |
Low Priority (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat requiring less nitrogen for given yield and protein content | 68.3 | 30.0 | 1.7 |
| Wheat with greater genetic diversity for pest and disease control | 65.5 | 31.3 | 3.2 |
| Specialized wheat for market segments | 55.3 | 36.5 | 8.3 |
| Herbicide tolerant wheat | 45.5 | 44.0 | 10.5 |
| Wheat suited for marginal production areas | 37.7 | 35.6 | 26.7 |
| Wheat with non-food uses (industrial, energy) | 30.2 | 43.3 | 26.5 |
| Perennial wheat | 29.0 | 41.2 | 29.2 |
Growers’ interest in working directly with WSU scientists in participatory wheat breeding programs within the next 1 – 3 years.
Participatory Wheat Breeding uses both breeder and farmer expertise to develop varieties particularly suited to a specific set of environmental challenges.
Growers' familiarity with WSU's effort to breed perennial wheat.
| Very familiar (%) |
Somewhat Familiar (%) |
Somewhat unfamiliar (%) |
Not familiar (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Familiarity with WSU's perennial wheat breeding effort | 6.2 | 41.0 | 23.2 | 29.6 |
Growers' interest in planting perennial wheat with the following characteristics.
| Very interested (%) |
Somewhat interested (%) |
Somewhat uninterested (%) |
Very uninterested (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixes well with annual wheat, using the same equipment | 52.3 | 33.2 | 8.6 | 5.9 |
| Meets minimum yield requirement | 48.8 | 35.4 | 8.6 | 7.2 |
| Grows well in highly erodible areas | 48.3 | 35.0 | 9.6 | 7.1 |
| Works well under specific conservation programs or regulations | 35.8 | 45.7 | 11.7 | 6.7 |
| Suited for currently unproductive parts of fields | 35.5 | 33.9 | 20.3 | 10.4 |
Percentage of growers who planted private and public wheat varieties during 2003 – 2005.
| 2003 (%) |
2004 (%) |
2005 (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Private wheat varieties | 40.4 | 43.8 | 44.2 |
| Public wheat varieties | 94.0 | 94.8 | 94.8 |
Percentage of growers who saved private and public wheat varieties during 2003 – 2005.
| 2003 (%) |
2004 (%) |
2005 (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Private wheat varieties | 9.4 | 8.8 | 7.8 |
| Public wheat varieties | 24.7 | 25.6 | 24.9 |
Growers' frequency of planting wheat seed saved from their own fields.
| Every year (%) |
Every other year (%) |
Sometimes but less than every other year (%) |
Not at all (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency of planting saved wheat seed | 20.0 | 5.1 | 13.4 | 61.5 |
Growers' perception of the importance of various factors when deciding whether or not to save their wheat seed.
| Extremely important (%) |
Mostly important (%) |
Slightly important (%) |
Not important (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge necessary to ensure quality | 42.4 | 29.8 | 12.9 | 14.9 |
| Extra storage capability | 30.8 | 30.6 | 18.7 | 19.8 |
| Time/management | 30.3 | 36.0 | 17.4 | 16.3 |
| Availability of necessary machinery | 28.9 | 33.9 | 18.2 | 19.1 |
Percentage of growers who save seed for crops other than wheat.
| Yes (%) |
No (%) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Save seed for crops (other than wheat) | 19.7* | 80.3 |
| *Seeds saved include barley, oats, lentils, peas, triticale and garbanzos | ||