Rainfed wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is planted each year on 1.5 million ha in the low-precipitation region (150 to 300 mm) of north-central Oregon and south-central Washington. Precipitation occurs mostly (75%) from late autumn (October) to early spring (April) and the amount is highly variable from year to year. Winters are cold and intervals of frozen soil are common. Warm to hot days and co...

BACKGROUND Lower Saxony (Germany) has the highest installed electric capacity from biogas in Germany. Most of this electricity is generated with maize. Reasons for this are the high yields and the economic incentive. In parts of Lower Saxony, an expansion of maize cultivation has led to ecological problems and a negative image of bioenergy as such. Winter triticale and cup plant have both shown...

A quantitative trait locus (QTL) controlling wheat grain protein content (GPC) and flour protein content (FPC) was identified using doubled haploid (DH) lines developed from a cross between the hard red winter wheat variety 'Yumechikara' with a high protein content used for bread making, and the soft red winter wheat 'Kitahonami' with a low protein content used for Japanese white salted noodles...

Rhizoctonia oryzae causes root rot and stunting of wheat, barley, and other small grains, and is widely distributed in eastern Washington State. The spatial distribution of both the pathogen and the disease were studied over two seasons in a 36-ha field north of Pullman, Wash. The field was direct seeded with spring barley in 2000, then divided and planted to winter wheat and spring wheat in 20...

During a study on the genetic control of winterhardiness in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. group aestivum), a gene that affected vernalization was found on chromosome 3B in the winter wheat cultivar ;Wichita.' When chromosome 3B from Wichita was substituted into the winter wheat cultivar ;Cheyenne,' the resultant substitution line exhibited a spring growth habit. This is unusual since a cro...

An improved genetic algorithm was applied and examined to optimize the weights of a neural network model for estimating root length density (RLD) distributions of winter wheat under salinity stress. Thereafter, soil water and solute transport with root-water-uptake in a soil-wheat system were simulated numerically, in which the estimated RLD distributions were incorporated. The results showed t...

Nitrogen fertilizer is commonly applied to winter wheat in the High Plains to achieve moderate to high yields. Typically, anhydrous N is applied in the summer or early fall with a tillage operation. Some growers apply liquid N in the spring if winter and spring moisture are high to take advantage of higher yielding condition. Phosphate fertilizer is less frequently used on winter wheat than N f...