Regional variety trials provide locally-based insight into which crops are most capable of succeeding in the Peace region. During field tours, producers are offered the opportunity to observe on-site characteristics such as emergence, height, disease rates, and maturity. Harvest characteristics including yield, test weight, and protein content are compared in the fall.
These CPS wheat varieties were chosen for the 2024 trial by a survey completed by producers in the County of Northern Lights:
CS Accelerate
AAC Goodwin
AAC Penhold
AAC Foray
AAC Rimbey
AAC Westlock
Regional variety trials provide locally-based insight into which crops are most capable of succeeding in the Peace region. During field tours, producers are offered the opportunity to observe on-site characteristics such as emergence, height, disease rates, and maturity. Harvest characteristics including yield, test weight, and protein content are compared in the fall.
These CWRS wheat varieties were chosen for the 2024 trial by a survey completed by producers in the County of Northern Lights:
AAC Brandon
AAC Viewfield
AAC Wheatland
AAC Hodge
AC Stettler
CS Tracker
Performance and yield potential of popular wheat varieties grown in Northern Alberta:
- CWRS Wheat
- AAC Wheatland VB
- AAC Starbuck VB
- CDC SK Rush
- CDC Silas
- AAC Brandon
- AAC Viewfield
- CDC Landmark VB
- AAC Hockley
- CS Tracker
- AAC Hodge VB
- CPS Wheat
- AAC Foray VB
- AAC Goodwin
- AAC Penhold
- CS Accelerate
- AAC Crossfield
In collaboration with the Peace Region Living Lab project, we are demonstrating how different cropping systems affect growth, yield, soil health and weed control to see which BMP strategies could be successful in the Peace Region.
This trial will explore the practice of seeding ryegrass, fall rye, winter wheat and winter triticale into a newly seeded wheat crop. We will use GPS and RTK to align the drills so that the winter crops are seeded mid row. We will also look at 2 seeding rates for the winter crop. The light rate should still improve soil health but not steal moisture and nutrients from the following crop. The heavier seeding rate should improve soil health and still provide a strong crop the next year.
In collaboration with the Peace Region Living Lab project, we are demonstrating how different cropping systems affect growth, yield, soil health and weed control to see which BMP strategies could be successful in the Peace Region.
Objectives:
1. To build off previous research in the peace and to further identify which cereal or oilseed crop performs best with the most successful legume crops currently grown in the Peace region (field peas). Economic analysis will consider crop yield, market price, input costs, labor, and seed separation.
2. To investigate the optimum amount of N fertilizer required for intercrops in the Peace region.
3. To evaluate weed control, fertility, soil health and economics.
In collaboration with the Peace Region Living Lab project, we are demonstrating how different cropping systems affect growth, yield, soil health and weed control to see which BMP strategies could be successful in the Peace Region.
Our companion cropping trial involves seeding three different types of annual clover with either canola or wheat:
- Crimson clover
- White clover
- Subterranean clover
Objectives:
1. Investigate if the establishment and growth of annual clover species sown previously to main cash crops such as wheat and canola.
2. Determine which method provides the best establishment of both annual clover species and cash crop: seed drill or broadcast.
3. To evaluate weed control, fertility, soil health and economics.
Objective: investigate the effects of allelopathic cover crop mixes on weed counts, species diversity, and cash crop yield in rotation years following either roller-crimping or incorporation of the cover crops.
Allelopathic cover crops:
- Sunflower
- Rye
- Hairy vetch
- Annual ryegrass
Objectives:
• Determine the impact of this cropping system on soil drainage and water holding capacity
• Provide evidence to producers that spring sown cover crops aid to increase water availability in the soil
• Encourage adoption of agricultural sustainable practices and build resiliency to climate change side effects such as flooding and drought
This project was made possible by funding from RDAR (Results Driven Agriculture Research).
Testing of Cropland Solutions’ foliar sprays and Annelida’s worm castings on the growth and yield of wheat, canola, and field peas.
The foliar sprays did not arrive on time and could not be used this year.
Objective: Educate ourselves more on how Insure Cereal FX4 works in the Peace Region weather conditions against untreated.
Testing the effects of a foliar spray containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria on wheat growth and performance.
Objective: evaluate yield and quality of wheat varieties seeded at different seeding rates based on thousand kernel weight (TKW) in the Peace region
This research will build on previous research done in 2019, 2020, 2021 in the Peace region that evaluated the impact of seeding rate on crop yield, test weight and protein content on both AAC Brandon and AAC Connery. The study demonstrated that higher seeding rates (28 and 37 seeds foot-2), led to significantly higher yield and test weights on both varieties. However, the highest seeding rate (37 seeds foot-2) also had significantly lower protein content. Thus, we wish to evaluate two more commonly grown varieties grown in the Peace region (AAC Viewfield and AAC Redberry). AAC Redberry is not prevalent in the North Peace and Mackenzie regions, however it is early maturing (three days earlier than the AAC Brandon variety) and thus would likely be a good fit. AAC Wheatland VB was selected as it is a new midge tolerant variety with a similar maturity to AAC Brandon, and a slightly higher yield advantage of up to 4 bushels acre-1 (AFSC Yield Alberta 2021).