Lillian, a milling wheat variety launched last year, is already the most commonly seeded red spring wheat on the Prairies, the Canadian Wheat Board found in its annual variety survey.
Lillian, known for a solid stem that resists damage caused by the wheat-stem sawfly, made up 14.8 per cent of all CWRS seeding on the Prairies in 2007 and was the top seeded variety in Saskatchewan, the CWB said Thursday.
Lillian replaced AC Superb in the top spot. Superb remained the third most seeded CWRS at 12.8 per cent.
Read Also
Alberta Crop Report: Rains in the south, dryness in the north
Rain fell onto the southern half of Alberta last week, while hot and dry conditions persisted in the northern half, according to the province’s crop report released on July 18.
AC Barrie, which had been the top CWRS for over 10 years until it was knocked off by Superb in 2006, was the second-most seeded variety at 13.8 per cent, and was the “overwhelming” favourite in Manitoba, where growers remain concerned about fusarium head blight.
Harvest, the fourth most seeded variety at 10.3 per cent, was also the top variety in Alberta due to its sprouting resistance. McKenzie was fifth at 7.1 per cent.
Farmers are adopting new varieties more quickly to handle their “very specific needs,” said CWB agronomist Mike Grenier in a release. “The days of farmers relying on a single variety for many years are over. That makes knowledge of varietal trends more important than ever.”
CWRS varieties were seeded on 65.8 per cent of Prairie wheat acres, while Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) varieties were on 23.7 per cent and Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) on five per cent.
Strongfield more than doubled in popularity among durum growers, to become the leading CWAD variety at 41.5 per cent of acres. CDC Buteo also more than doubled its acres to be the top Select CWRW variety, while CDC Falcon was the top non-select CWRW.
AC Metcalfe, at 59.1 per cent of two-row malting barley acres, remained in the top spot for a sixth year. Legacy was the top six-row variety at 49 per cent, but Tradition rose to 22.5 per cent.
Xena remained the top two-row feed barley for a fourth year, while AC Ranger, a forage six-row barley variety, was the top six-row feed variety for a second year, the CWB said.
