Performing Department
Plant Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Winter pea, as a nitrogen-fixing, cool-season annual legume, might serve as a partial or complete replacement for fallow in the winter wheat-summer fallow dryland system (WW-SF) traditionally practiced in eastern Wyoming. A legume could make farming and ranching in the region more economically profitable and environmentally sustainable. A legume in rotation can integrate cereal and livestock production. In addition to providing high quality livestock feed as either forage or grain, legume benefits include added soil nitrogen, increased soil organic matter, reduced soil erosion, better pest control, increased soil water-storage and crop-water-use efficiency, and greater economic diversity. Growers elsewhere around the world have successfully integrated cereal and livestock production with winter feed pea in crop rotation.The traditional WW-SF system has helped to assure successful establishment of wheat in alternate years in a semi-arid environment. However, approximately 50% of native soil organic matter has been lost on the Central Great Plains since the inception of the WW-SF. Also, only 20-30% of precipitation during the long 14-month fallow is conserved. A WW-WP system might more efficiently use water and, at the same time, provide a sufficient short true fallow prior to wheat planting.Finally, many eastern Wyoming agriculture producers are both wheat growers and livestock producers but, generally, the two aspects of their operations are not integrated. Perhaps a locally adapted legume, such as winter feed pea, might sustainably and synergistically integrate crop and livestock production in Wyoming.This producer-driven project involving the University of Wyoming is to evaluate the initiation of a winter wheat-winter pea (WW-WP) rotation in comparison with WW-SF over two growing seasons at four sites, three farms/ranches in Laramie and Platte Counties, and UW SAREC in Goshen County. Producers will plant, manage, and harvest the crops. UW will evaluate wheat grain yield (in both rotations), pea yield (for both forage and seed in the WW-WP system) and changes in soil water content over time (in both rotations).This project is distinctive because it will utilize the first winter pea line bred in Wyoming for the Central Great Plains. In local trials, 'Wyo No.11' has proven superior in terms of adaptation and yield to existing cultivars that were bred elsewhere in the U.S. 'Wyo No.11' is currently under seed increase for cultivar release under the auspices of the Wyoming Crop Improvement Association. For both growing seasons, UW will provide 100 pounds of 'Wyo No.11' seed in the Foundation Seed Class, more than sufficient to plant five acres. At harvest, most of that land (minus a small amount sampled for experimental purposes) can be harvested and sold by the growers as high-value Certified Seed, thus entering 'Wyo No.11' into the marketplace and making it available to other Wyoming producers.In sum, UW has bred a winter pea for local adaptation and superior yield. However, the potential for adoption of peas into rotations by producers is not yet known. Ultimately, producers will determine whether or not these locally adapted peas can be adopted into their operations. Thus, we will evaluate performance of Wyoming-bred pea, and compare and contrast two rotations (WW-SF and WW-WP), on Wyoming farms/ranches in this producer-driven project.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
40%
Applied
40%
Developmental
20%
Goals / Objectives
GOAL: This project is to evaluate the performance of a new winter wheat-winter pea (WW-WP) rotation, using new genetically improved Wyoming-bred winter feed pea lines, in comparison with traditional winter wheat-summer fallow (WW-SF). This will be accomplished over three years on three producer/cooperator farms (in Platte and Laramie Counties) and one University of Wyoming Research and Extension Center (SAREC, in Goshen County).OBJECTIVE 1: Evaluate winter wheat yield in both rotations (WW-SF and WW-WP).OBJECTIVE 2: Evaluate winter pea yield, for both forage and seed, in the WW-WP rotation.OBJECTIVE 3: Evaluate soil water content at critical points in both rotations, especially at planting, flowering, and harvest.OBJECTIVE 4: Widely disseminate research results to Wyoming agriculture producers on a timely basis.
Project Methods
Three Wyoming sites will be used for producer field studies. The Lingle site (SAREC) will be used to establish very intensive monitoring of crop, soil, and weather parameters.Experimental procedures include: (1) evaluate winter wheat yield in both rotations (WW-SF and WW-WP); (2) evaluate winter pea yield, for both forage and seed, in the WW-WP rotation.; (3) Evaluate soil water content at critical points in both rotations, especially at planting, flowering, and harvest; and (4) widely disseminate research results to Wyoming agriculture producers on a timely basis.