OSU Wheat Varieties Remain Most Popular for Winter Wheat Crops

Oklahoma State University is responsible for the top eight hard red winter wheat varieties planted in Oklahoma this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Statistics Service’s March report.

Doublestop CL Plus is the No. 1 wheat variety planted for the 2022 wheat crop in Oklahoma, with Gallagher in second place, followed by Green Hammer, a newer variety placing in the top three for the first time.

“Choosing a wheat variety to plant is a critical management decision that matches plant genetics with anticipated conditions on a given farm,” said Brett Carver, OSU wheat genetics chair in the OSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. “The NASS survey data indicates to me that Oklahoma wheat producers place considerable faith in OSU wheat genetics when making that decision. This further motivates OSU’s Wheat Improvement Team to never take this continued trust for granted and to discover new solutions and opportunities for our wheat producers to use and capture.”

OSU-developed wheat varieties were in the top four leading wheat varieties planted in the state for the fifth year in a row. Doublestop CL Plus and Gallagher have been the top two wheat varieties planted since 2018, while Endurance and Bentley have been in the top six. OK Corral skyrocketed to fifth place this year from 20th place in 2021. Other OSU varieties listed in the survey included Baker’s Ann, Showdown, OK Bullet and Ruby Lee.

The following are the top eight varieties planted in 2022 according to percentage of seeded acres:

• Doublestop CL Plus at 9%
• Gallagher at 8.4%
• Green Hammer at 7.9%
• Smith’s Gold at 6.2%
• OK Corral at 2.9%
• Endurance at 2.3%
• Iba at 1.9%
• Bentley at 1.5%

Carver said a common theme in the past seven growing seasons has been that producers want varietal protection from diseases and late-winter freeze events. He said it is always the hope that producers will consider more than one variety when planting.

“What is even more pleasing to me as a wheat breeder is that our producers have chosen varieties with a wide genetic base for fungal disease resistance, which is essential to keeping disease epidemics at bay in any given year,” he said.

According to the NASS report, wheat growers were surveyed by the USDA-NASS Oklahoma Field Office as part of the December Agricultural Survey and Crop Acreage and Production Survey. Funding was provided by the Oklahoma Wheat Commission in cooperation with OSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.

“The continued excellence demonstrated through the Wheat Improvement Team’s breeding program has resulted in a set of wheat varieties that are unparalleled, and our wheat producers have truly benefitted,” said Scott Senseman, associate vice president of OSU Ag Research. “The relationship between this team and Oklahoma’s producers is an excellent example of how the land-grant system not only effectively works but has the ability to flourish.”