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FFL-JA-Forskningsmidlene for jordbruk og matindustri

Climate resilient and market adapted Norwegian winter wheat production

Alternative title: Klimarobust og markedstilpasset norsk høsthveteproduksjon

Awarded: NOK 6.8 mill.

Interest in winter wheat is growing in Norway. Climate change is expected to expand the wheat producing regions, yet warmer, wetter conditions in autumn and winter will increase soil erosion and nutrient loss risks. Soil tillage practices that protect the soil and provide optimal plant development are needed. Three tillage trials have been established during the autumn 2021, where direct sowing is compared with plowing and harrowing, to look at plant establishment and winter survival. At the same time more precise autumn fertilization strategies are needed to optimize plant growth and freezing tolerance and reduce the risk of snow mould while minimizing nutrient losses to the environment. Six fertilization experiments have been established during the autumn 2021 to investigate the effect of N and P fertilization in autumn and/or in spring. The experiments include two sowing dates, and with the degree of snow mould damage will be quantified in non-fungicide treated versus fungicide treated plots within the same fertilization regime. The variability of grain quantity and quality from year to year is a challenge for the industry to manage. In some years the supply is larger than what the milling industry is willing to use, leading to a large surplus of Norwegian winter wheat of food grade. There is a need to identify varieties and management strategies to improve the quality of Norwegian winter wheat, thus increasing the bread making market potential. Dialogue is started about the quality needed in the Norwegian winter wheat to develop strategies to increase the amount for milling and at the same time achieve an increased proportion of Norwegian wheat totally in the flour blends. Quality characterization of the Norwegian wheat production this season has shown that there is a need for weaker gluten quality types that some of the currently used winter wheat varieties can contribute to fulfill. Wheat samples from field trials conducted at different locations and with a large number of varieties and breeding lines from different countries is collected. These will be analyzed thoroughly for variation in gluten quality and protein content. New field trials were sown the autumn 2021, including combined varity* N fertilization trials with regimes for late N fertilization. These will be used to develop models for variety- and site-spesific N fertilization strategies to achieve optimal protein content based on monitoring with handhold N-sensor and multispectral aerial imaging using the NIBIO UAV/drone platform. More customized production strategies are also needed for the growing domestic feed wheat market. The objective of the project is to develop climate resilient production strategies to produce winter wheat that fulfills the needs and requirements of the Norwegian market. Prohøst will 1) Investigate the impact of soil tillage strategies on plant establishment, winter survival and yield, 2) Evaluate the influence of autumn fertilization strategies on plant development, cold hardening, winter survival and yield, 3) Quantify the influence of autumn fertilization strategies on development of Microdochium spp. related diseases in winter wheat, and possible impacts on grain quality, 4) Increase the utilization of winter wheat for human consumption through improved variety selection and optimal, sensor-based fertilization, 5) Identify agronomic and socioeconomic factors impacting the profitability of winter wheat production for feed and bread making, thereby allowing for more customized/site-specific winter wheat production strategies.

Interest for winter wheat is growing in Norway. Climate change is expected to expand the wheat producing regions, yet warmer, wetter conditions in autumn and winter will increase soil erosion and nutrient loss risks. Efficient soil tillage practices that protect the soil and provide optimal plant development are needed. At the same time more precise autumn fertilization strategies are needed to optimize plant growth and freezing tolerance, and reduce the risk of snow mould while minimizing losses to the environment. The variability of quantity and quality from year to year is a challenge for the industry to manage, and the supply in some years is larger than what the milling industry is willing to use, leading to a large surplus of Norwegian winter wheat of food grade. There is a need to identify varieties and management strategies to improve the quality of Norwegian winter wheat, thus increasing the bread making market potential. The domestic market for feed wheat is also growing, and more customized production strategies are needed. The objective of the project is to develop climate resilient production strategies to produce winter wheat that fulfills the needs and requirements of the Norwegian market. Prohøst will 1) Investigate the impact of soil tillage strategies on plant establishment, winter survival and yield, 2) Evaluate the influence of autumn fertilization strategies on plant development, cold hardening, winter survival and yield, 3) Quantify the influence of autumn fertilization strategies on development of Microdochium spp. related diseases in winter wheat, and possible impacts on grain quality, 4) Increase the utilization of winter wheat for human consumption through improved variety selection and optimal, sensor-based fertilization, 5) Identify agronomic and socioeconomic factors impacting the profitability of winter wheat production for feed and bread making, thereby allowing for more customized/site-specific winter wheat production strategies.

Funding scheme:

FFL-JA-Forskningsmidlene for jordbruk og matindustri