Code: 870-0766-09

 

Absteact: National examinations of wheat Varieties for forage - season 2008-9

Submitted by: Zuckerman E., Nir U., Noy B., Rabinovic O., Goren O.,
Giladi Y.and Naftlihoo U.

 

The main forage crop in Israel is spring wheat, planted in winter using the winter rain water. 2/3 of the annual quantity of the silage is wheat and half of the hay produced from wheat too.
Wheat varieties tests for forage are accomplished annualy. The targets of the tests were:
1. To examine new wheat varieties for forage comparison to commercial varieties.
2. To examine the yield in two growing stages – anthesis complete and end of milk.
3. To certify results of wheat varieties yield from previous years.
4. Adapt the wheat varietis to the Israeli zones conditions.
Feeding components quality of the wheat varieties are tested evry few years.
The national wheat varieties tests were accomplished in few Israeli zones, in order to adapt the wheat varieties to the Israeli zones conditions. The reccomendations for growing wheat for forage are based on the results of these tests.
The yield results of the wheat varieties for forage examinations in Israeli zones and the national average in 2007/8, showed in the following table.

The recommendations for growing wheat for forage according to the previous years examinations:
1. In the rainy zones or in irrigated fields, the new varieties "Galile" and "Shoham" replace the old variety "Dariel". The yield of the new varieties is higher than Dariel yield and their resistance for laying and to Yellow Rust disease is better.
2. The influance of diseases on the yield, was examined in Upper Galile and West Negev. Those experiments showed, economic profitability to in using fungicides to reduce the damage.
3. The very late variety "Ayalon" found with high yield potential during long growing period and late rainy season. In most of the years we don't have these conditions and the plants wilt befor anthesis and the accumulated yield is very low. In zones with late rainy season or in irrigated fields, we can reap this variety in anthesis stage for hay or for "kosher" wheat silage.
4. New herb wheat varieties for forage were examined in some places. The yield of these varieties was very low and its laying level was high. Their feeding quality is high and therefore we have to examine new varieties like them.

Table – Dry mater yied of wheat for forage in the end of milk stage from the Israeli zones and the national average.