97th Lind Field Day attracts solid audience for wheat talks

The 97th Annual Lind Field Day continues to grow as an estimated 275 individuals traveled to the Washington State University (WSU) Dryland Research Station last Thursday to participate in a morning of field tours and discussing the wheat trials conducted at the local facility.

As per tradition, attendees traveled to the fields in busses, horse trailers and trucks on June 13. The groups visited six different fields to discuss topics concerning local farmers in dryland wheat country.

The morning’s presentations were highlighted by a new topic and option for farmers: the application of biosolids for dryland wheat. WSU Extension Specialist Craig Cogger presented the potential benefits for area farmers while also pointing out the drawbacks to using biosolids.

Biosolids are treated sewage from wastewater facility plants and are typically composed of rich organic matter, Cogger explained. The contents in the material generally provide an excellent supply of zinc, phosphorus and nitrogen to the soil, helping boost the quantity of the crop.

The biggest drawback to the use of the biosolids is quite simply the “yuck factor,” Cogger said, as the smell and general use of waste materials on crops can be bothersome. The material also has to be applied at an agronomic rate and if too much is applied, the crop generally suffers reduced yield.

One of the major benefits of biosolids is that it functions as a slow release fertilizer, helping provide consistent nutrients after being worked into the soil. Cogger explained farmers may not see an immediate increase in crop production, but the application of biosolids in research tests have proved to produce equivalent or slightly higher yields.

The use of biosolids falls under the Clean Water Act and any farmer who is interested in using biosolids must obtain a permit. Cogger explained the material must be tilled into the soil within days of application in order to be approved as acceptable use.

The use of biosolids on fields is being conducted over an eight-year experiment, meaning it will be utilized in four crop cycles, as fields lie fallow every other year. Over the course of those experiments, the fields should see significant changes in soil quality, Cogger explained.

Cogger continued to explain that the benefits of biosolids are generally more beneficial in a higher rainfall climate, but the benefits in soil quality can also be found in the dryland area.

During the tours, Kim Campbell presented on club breeding lines in winter wheat and discussed the benefits coming from continued research at the facility. Typically one of the highest yielding varieties, Bruehl has recently begun suffering from root rot and stripe rust. ARS-Crescent, released last year, has been competitive and is comparable with Bruehl, Campbell explained.

Campbell said that the recent grant money the facility received from the USDA has been put towards cold tolerance work and studying genes in the lab. The lab work provides the researchers with a huge advantage, Campbell said, as it allows them to test winter wheat hardiness before bringing the variety out to the field.

Ryan Higginbotham discussed Otto is showing better rust resistance than Eltan, one of the most common winter wheat varieties grown in the area. Otto was released in 2011 and is named for the long-time Ritzville area wheat farmer and state legislator, Otto Amen.

Last fall, WSU testing sites planted 14,000 plots in 13 different locations, Higginbotham said. There are over 3,000 plots currently in trial at the Lind site alone.

The main focus and research conducted at the Lind research facility is wheat breeding, winter wheat emergence, alternative crops, weed and disease control, soil fertility, erosion control and residue management.

For more information about the Lind Station, visit the website http://www.lindstation.wsu.edu.