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Alternate Wheats
In the dryland small-grain producing areas of eastern Washington,
alternate crops, such as safflower, corn, mustard, sunflowers and
flax, are often thought of as non-traditional crops for the region.
However, alternate, non-traditional crops may be any crop other
than soft white and white club wheats, either winter or spring types,
which are normally produced in the region.
Alternate
wheat types which fall into this category, and which have shown
potential for the region, include hard white spring wheat, dark
northern spring wheat and durum. The advantage of alternate types
of wheats is that they can be produced using the equipment already
in use to produce the soft white and white club wheats.
PRODUCTION
INFORMATION
DURUM
Durum is a
separate species of wheat. There is one winter cultivar and several
spring cultivars which are grown in the Pacific Northwest. Durum
is almost always grown under contract in the Pacific Northwest.
Durum wheat is ground into semolina which is used to produce pasta
products.
In general,
durum is a relatively short plant with good straw strength. It has
a compact spike, long awns and a very large seed. The yield potential
of durum is within 10% of the commonly grown soft white wheats.
Quality is
judged by a hard vitreous amber color (HVAC). This is a red amber
transparent-appearing color in the grain, and is related to protein
content. Other quality concerns are crop seeds, mainly wheat, wild
oats, and black point, caused by fusarium head scab. The wild oats
and black point are of concern because they will leave black specks
on the pasta. A kernel has excessive black point when more than
a third of the kernel is affected. Other wheats will have a detrimental
effect on pasta quality.
Durum is a
difficult crop to establish and is one of the weaker crops in terms
of vigor. It is a hard crop to get out of the ground, so compaction
and seeding depth are important considerations. Seeding rates are
generally 7 to 10% higher than those used for hard red or soft white
wheat. Timing of seeding is also important. Compared to Alpowa soft
white spring wheat, emergence for durum is poorer. The maturity
date for durum is about the same as for other wheat varieties.
Protein levels
are important in durum. Protein is heavily influenced by environment
and weather, which growers cannot control. However, a fertility
program can influence protein levels. In this regard, both nitrogen
and sulfur are important.
Fertilizer
application rates have to be based on soil test results on an individual
field basis. Production goals should be matched to a fertilizer
program. Grower commitment is needed to successfully grow durum.
In general,
3.8 pounds of N are needed to produce a bushel of durum. This is
in the four-foot depth and includes both residual and applied N.
A 3:1 nitrogen to sulfur ratio is considered optimum.
Durum is sensitive
to late fertilizer applications. This is because the plant goes
through its physiological changes earlier than other types of wheats.
For this reason, the advice is to apply three quarters of the fertilizer
pre-plant. The plant requires adequate fertility at the third leaf
stage, and if it does not have it at this time, proper tilling of
the plant may not occur.
Tissue testing
is recommended to track plant fertility. McKay Seed Company, which
contracts durum production, is developing guidelines for tissue
test results. If three quarters of the fertilizer is applied pre-plant,
the remainder must be applied before the plant flowers. Applying
fertilizer after this point won’t influence the plant in any way,
and will be a waste of time and money, according to Brian Van Pelt,
an agronomist for McKay Seed Company. It is essential to get the
fertility on the crop up front, he emphasizes.
In a trial
that compared Penawawa soft white spring wheat and WPB 936 dark
northern spring wheat with the durum variety Kronos, the respective
yields were 119, 117 and 106 bushels per acre. The protein levels
were 11.4, 13.4 and 13%, and the HVAC for the Kronos was 97.8%.
In another trial using the same varieties, but with a cool, damp
spring, the respective yields were 130, 123 and 113 bushels per
acre. The respective protein levels were 10.5, 12 and 12.3%, and
the HVAC count for the durum was 88.8%. This, Van Pelt says, shows
the influence climate and environment can have on protein, which
is related to HVAC. A condition called yellow berry reduces HVAC.
Yellow berry refers to kernels that do not meet HVAC standards.
Van Pelt says
McKay Seed Company has several varieties coming along that show
promise. One of these is called Amass.
Durum was produced
last year near Almira under dryland conditions. It yielded 50 bushels
per acre with about 14 inches of precipitation.
If durum is
produced using no-till practices, the key is the amount of pressure
above the seed. Compaction inhibits germination and emergence. Also,
the recommendation is to not plant durum if there is any chance
ofa rainstorm immediately after planting.
Hessian fly
is a potential insect problem for durum, as are rusts. Breeding
programs are in place to develop resistance to these two problems.
In general,
herbicides labeled for wheat can be used for durum, but growers
are cautioned to check labels. Goat grass has not been a problem
to date.
Timely harvest
can also be important. Van Pelt says rain makes durum dull and mills
like shiny reddish-amber kernels.
MARKETING
DURUM
Durum production
in the United States is between 2 and 3 million metric tons. Durum
markets tend to be variety specific. Certain pasta producers tend
to like specific varieties. At the present time, domestic use of
durum is increasing and exports are decreasing. In the Pacific Northwest,
between 3,500 and 5,000 acres were contracted two years ago. Last
year, the acreage was down sharply because of a government program
which impacted production in other durum-producing areas of the
United States. There is a market for high-quality durum, and U.S.
pasta producers are importing durum from Canada.
In terms of
price, traditionally durum is higher priced than the other classes
of wheat, but yields are lower. On January 3, 2000, the Portland
price for durum was $4.65, 14% DNS was $3.87, SW was $2.91, and
11.5% HRW was $3.26.
For Pacific
Northwest growers, there is a high potential for variety specific
marketing. However, the PNW durum program is five years old, which
makes it relatively new. Van Pelt says durum processors are still
looking at varieties produced here and how they perform in their
mills. This will affect future market development.
One of the
factors that processors look at is percent moisture because wet
durum deteriorates in storage. At the present time, the durum coming
out of Canada is wet durum that runs around 13% moisture. A moisture
content of 8% is desired, and the PNW can produce 8% moisture durum.
In addition to moisture content, other grain quality factors are
protein content, test weight, hardness, kernel weight, HVAC, and
kernel uniformity. Hardness affects absorption levels. Kernel weight
provides an indication of the potential yield during the milling
process.
After the grain
is ground, semolina quality is also evaluated. Processors also evaluate
the quality of flour ground from the semolina, and pasta made from
the flour.
Kronos is the
variety grown most widely in the Pacific Northwest. This can be
compared with No. 1 CWAC which is the major variety grown in Canada,
Kofa which is very high quality durum produced in the Southwest,
and Connie which is the winter variety grown around Pendleton.
At the present
time, Kronos provides the best blend of yield and quality. Its quality
isn’t quite as high as Kofa, but the yield is substantially better.
In terms of protein and moisture, Kronos is nearly as high as Kofa,
and the Canadian variety is slightly lower. The advantage for Kronos
compared to the Canadian durum is the moisture level which runs
about 5% higher in the Canadian durum. The moisture content for
the Kofa is generally about 1% less than Kronos.
In the other
quality factors, Kronos compares quite favorably with the Kofa and
Canadian variety.
So far as the
future of the PNW durum production is concerned, the market will
depend on developing a positive relationship with foreign markets.
The durum industry is old and tight, Van Pelt points out. The advantages
for the Pacific Northwest are high protein levels and low moisture
content.
For producers,
the risk of not making quality does not appear to be very high.
In four years producers under contract to McKay seed company have
always made quality. The key is for the grower to be committed and
ready to provide needed inputs.
GROWER
EXPERIENCES
MIKE CARSTENSEN
– DURUM
Mike Carstensen
grew durum under contract in 1998 in the same year that he grew
mustard. The durum averaged 49.1 bushels per acre and the mustard
yield was 572 pounds per acre.
Carstensen,
who called the durum yield “fairly decent,” said his barley yield
was 1.86 tons per acre, which is above his 10-year average, and
the soft white wheat averaged 52 bushels per acre.
The durum
was grown on re-cropped winter wheat ground which had produced 60
to 65 bushels per acre. The winter wheat had had a severe cheat
grass problem and it was re-cropped to control both the cheat and
wild oats.
The field
is mostly a southern exposure. It was sub-soiled in the fall and
then harrowed and disked in the spring. Fertilizer was shanked in
at a rate of 80 pounds of N and 20 pounds of S. The field was cultivated
and packed to make a firm seedbed. The durum was planted with a
John Deer 9350 with points and round packer wheels.
Carstensen
seeded at a rate of 80 pounds per acre, which is at the low end
of the recommended rate of 80 to 100 pounds. He said he normally
uses a seeding rate of 70 to 75 pounds for his spring wheat. He
put down 16-20-0-14 with the seed and the crop came up “real good.”
Carstensen
said he had some scattered wild oats but they were not a factor
and he did not spray. Cosmetically, he said the crop did not look
good and it didn’t seem to stool out as much as it should have.
Because of this, he thinks maybe he should have seeded at a higher
rate.
The durum was
planted on about May 1, after he planted his barley. He feels soil
temperature might be a factor for germination and emergence if it
is cold.
The durum graded
No. 1 at harvest. He said the durum is “a fun crop to cut.” It threshed
nice and stood up well. It left a heavy residue.
His HVAC was
97 and dockage was low. Carstensen said he wanted to raise the crop
in 1999, but wasn’t able to. He hopes it will become a viable crop
for the Pacific Northwest.
Cooperating
Agencies: Washington State University Cooperative Extension, United
States Department of Agriculture, Eastern Washington Counties. Cooperative
Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.
Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Cooperative
Extension office.
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