Top winter wheat varieties in Manitoba – 2022
Each year, Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) publishes a Variety Market Share Report based on information provided by Manitoba Farmers. Not only is this information valuable to track trends and patterns, it can also be useful to farmers for marketing and cropping decisions.
In the 2022 edition, Manitoba farmers reported seeding 51,972 acres of winter wheat in the fall of 2021, up by about 15,000 acres from the previous year. Emerson was the most popular variety, seeded on 36 per cent of acres, followed by AAC Wildfire (28 per cent) and AAC Gateway (16 per cent) (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Most popular winter wheat varieties in Manitoba, based on the MASC 2022 Variety Market Share Report.
How have winter wheat varieties changed over time?
It is no surprise that winter wheat breeders are continually working to improve the varieties available to farmers, but how do past varieties stack up against new genetics?
With a short height and high yield, CDC Falcon was the long-standing favourite variety in Manitoba. In 2014, it was moved out of the Canada Western Red Winter class and into the Canada Western Special Purpose class.
Registered in 2012, Emerson has been a top variety in Manitoba in recent years, in part due to its Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance. AAC Wildfire (registered 2015), AAC Gateway (registered 2012) and AAC Goldrush (registered 2016) are also popular varieties. See how they compare to one another in Table 1!
Table 1: CDC Falcon Canada Western Special Purpose winter wheat compared to popular Canada Western Red Winter wheat varieties in Manitoba. Variety descriptions are based on the Seed Manitoba 2022 Variety Selection Guide.
For more information, the entire market share report can be found here. The Manitoba Management Plus Program (MMPP) also has a number of Regional Analysis Tools, including the Variety Yield Data Browser, which allows past variety yield data for many crops to be filtered based on municipality or MASC risk area.
Crop nutrient management research roundup
Manitoba Crop Alliance strives to provide tools and resources to you, our farmer members, so you can make informed decisions to optimize production and minimize nutrient loss on your farm. To do so, we have funded a range of research projects that support farmers in making decisions. Check out the list below for a roundup of our research and extension efforts on the topic of nutrient management!
Optimizing Nitrogen Management Under Conditions of Extreme Moisture
Background: Manitoba farmers are no strangers to conditions of extreme moisture. The objective of this project was to develop data-based decision-support tools to help farmers assess and manage risks associated with fall nitrogen fertilizer management under extreme moisture conditions. The information developed helps indicate when extra measures to protect nitrogen are warranted, based on the risk of nitrogen losses.
Project Details | Report and Nitrogen Risk Tables
Optimum Nitrogen Fertilizer Management Strategies for High-Yielding Spring Wheat in Manitoba
Background: Manitoba farmers are growing new varieties of spring wheat and using crop management tools that improve yield potential above the spring wheat production systems in which traditional nitrogen recommendations were developed. This research evaluated the most effective rates, timing, placement and sources for nitrogen fertilizer in spring wheat.
Agronomic Practices to Minimize Lodging Risk While Maintaining Yield Potential in Spring Wheat
Background: New wheat varieties come with a new set of management challenges. This project aimed to understand how new high-yielding spring wheat varieties respond to nitrogen management, PGR application and seeding rate, as well as how these factors interact to influence lodging, yield and protein.
Project Details | Factsheet 1 | Factsheet 2
On-Farm Nitrogen Management for High Yield Wheat
Background: This Research on the Farm project evaluated three different nitrogen management strategies for increasing yield and protein in new high-yield spring wheat varieties.
Optimum Nitrogen Fertilizer Management Strategies for Modern Corn Hybrids in Manitoba
Background: Manitoba farmers are planting corn hybrids with higher yield potential than when the last corn nitrogen recommendations were developed. This study evaluated the most appropriate rates, timing, placement and sources for nitrogen fertilizer in corn.
Project Details | Summary Report | Summary Poster
Assessing the Effects of Split Nitrogen Application in Corn
Background: This Research on the Farm project evaluated the agronomic and economic impact of split nitrogen application in corn.
Additional resources
Spring Nitrogen Application Options Factsheet
Winter Wheat Fertility Checklist for Spring
