WestBred Wheat Launches New Spring Wheat Lines
January 30, 2021
A balance of yield, protein and standability is a highlight of the new releases.
Three new WestBred brand spring wheat varieties available for planting in 2021 continue the drive to bring new genetics to market with increased yield and profitability potential for growers.
“Two of these new spring wheat varieties were national winners in the 2020 National Wheat Yield Contest [NWYC], illustrating the performance potential of the products,” said Jeff Koscelny, Global Wheat Business Strategy Lead for Crop Science, a division of Bayer. “They also represent the next WestBred wheat entries with good straw strength and disease packages. And for the Pacific Northwest, there is a new dryland variety offering excellent resistance to yellow (stripe) rust and Hessian Fly. We continue to strive to address the needs of growers for balanced varieties that lead to profit potential.”
The new WestBred brand spring wheat varieties for 2021 planting include:
WB9303 Variety — A hard red spring wheat variety offering Pacific Northwest wheat growers excellent yield and protein potential, as well as excellent resistance to yellow (stripe) rust and Hessian Fly. A companion variety for WB9668, the new medium-height and medium- to early-maturing WB9303 has a very good straw strength and disease package and is well-suited for the Pacific Northwest dryland growing conditions.
“WB9303 seems a little earlier in maturity and throws up a head quicker than WB9668,” said Trevor Stout from Genesee, Idaho, who won NWYC Bin Buster for the spring wheat dryland production category with the WB9303 variety. “We thought the head size had more yield potential and the protein was as good as WB9668. We liked that a lot in this variety and are going all WB9303 next season.”
WB9707 Variety — A hard red spring wheat variety for southern Idaho and Montana offering medium-late maturity with excellent yield potential and standability. WB9707 is best suited for irrigated acres and has good dryland potential. This new variety serves as an excellent companion variety to WB9668.
“Despite a late start and an uneven emergence due to non-ideal field conditions, WB9707 performed well,” said Dallin Wilcox of Rexburg, Idaho, who won first place in the NWYC irrigated spring wheat category by growing WB9707. “Even with harvest delayed, this variety yielded well, and lodging was not an issue for us.”
WB9606 Variety — A medium- to late-maturing hard red spring wheat variety with excellent yield potential and suited for growers in the northern High Plains. It serves as a companion variety to WB9719 and is best suited for dryland acres west of Highway 281 in North Dakota and central/western South Dakota.
“WB9606 showed excellent standability and grew well from start to finish,” said Lynn Kinnischtzke in Glen Ullin, North Dakota. “It was a really thick, nice-looking wheat field that neighbors commented on all season long. At harvest, it was easy to thrash, and we were happy with the yield we made with it.”
About WestBred
WestBred® wheat provides seed suppliers and their growers access to the highest yield potential wheat seed, as well as testing, education, resources and experienced representatives to help maximize their yield potential.
Performance may vary, from location to location and from year to year, as local growing, soil, and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible and should consider the impacts of these conditions on the grower’s fields. Bayer, Bayer Cross, WestBred and Design®, and WestBred® are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2021 Bayer Group. All Rights Reserved.
