119 www.seed.ab.ca | fall.2018 Authorized dealers of DuPont Pioneer Hi-Bred Ltd., Masterfeeds, Westway Feeds, Alfa-Tec Alfalfa Products.We are an authorized custom seed treatment applicator facility. We are proud supporters of: P.O. Box 1101 St. Paul, Alberta T0A 3A0 Phone: 645-3939 [email protected] www.stpaulseedcleaning.com Oats: CS Camden AC Morgan Barley: CDC Coalition CDC Austenson Amisk 6R Smooth CDC Maverick Smoothawn 2R Wheat: AAC Brandon Wheat CWRS Stettler – Go Early Wheat CWRS AAC Penhold Wheat CPSR LOCALLY GROWN PEDIGREED SEED AVAILABLE and have the potential to reduce risk for producers. Currently there are 48 varieties in the variety trials in Saskatchewan. These varieties range from 006 to 0006 maturity groups.” Something to Consider: Season and Varieties Cober states soybean production in Canada is one of continuously expanding to shorter-season areas. “Soybean cultivars are regionally adapted. Individual cultivar movement north-south is primarily limited by day length responses and season length, and as a result we see strips of adaptation, or maturity zones, running east-west.” He adds this is in contrast to wheat, a long-day plant, where moving north speeds maturity and helps fit it into the shorter season. Cober says that when making soybean variety selections for your farm, you need to start with a realistic maturity for your location. “Avoid the temptation to look at those higher yielding varieties further down the chart. Use actual days to maturity from your multiple location regional trials to judge maturity,” Cober says. “Seed composition may be an issue for you if there is a way to capture that value in an identity preservation system. Also, do you have the equipment and marketing infrastructure to grow soybeans?” But once a farmer determines they want to grow soybean, what are some ways they can pick the best variety for them? “They should determine what maturity they’re comfortable with, the season for their farm, tolerance for loss to frost — then look at a pool of varieties that fit into that maturity,” notes Cober. “They’ll also want to look at yield. Then there are the non-yield issues, possibility of iron deficiency chlorosis, or maybe they need herbicide tolerance traits for their cropping system.” Clezy took a look at the websites for companies that are currently selling soybean varieties in Western Canada, and reports that there now seem to be more than 90 varieties available in total. However, she notes that not all of these varieties will be suitable for all areas, and farmers in some areas will have a much smaller number of varieties to select from that may be suitable for their locations. Cober agrees that maturity is a requirement for reliable production on the Prairies. “Growers need to select lines that reliably mature,” he advises, “while recognizing they may give up a little yield in years when there is a long open fall.” Testing, Testing, Testing Over the last 15 years or so, Cober has been testing his early- maturing soybean lines with staff at the AAFC station in Morden, Man. He notes that while the growing season in that area is a long