High-level yield traits of Pacific Northwest soft white wheat varieties

Authors: Adams, Curtis

Submitted to: Oregon Wheat
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/9/2026
Publication Date: 4/2/2026
Citation: Adams, C.B. 2026. High-level yield traits of Pacific Northwest soft white wheat varieties. Oregon Wheat. April 2026:20-22. https://cdn.saffire.com/files.ashx?t=fg&rid=OWGL&f=OW_Apr26_Web.pdf&cb=465292f0

Interpretive Summary: When making variety choices for their farms, wheat producers in the inland Pacific Northwest get recommendations from various sources, but they could use some higher-level perspective on the potential risks and rewards. One goal of this research was to analyze the difference between top- and bottom-performing wheat varieties across the entire regionwide range of yield potentials of the Pacific Northwest. Another goal was to compare the performance of individual varieties across that yield gradient. Percent and absolute yield increases from choosing top-yielding rather than bottom-yielding varieties ranged from about 23 to 40% and from about 11 to 36 bu/ac, respectively. Some varieties are best adapted to adapted to low-yield environments, some were best adapted to high-yield environments, and were few broadly adapted, though the majority were near-neutral with average performance. This research provides quantitative expectations for potential gains from choosing the most productive varieties possible that are well-adapted to the environment.

Technical Abstract: Wheat producers in the inland Pacific Northwest recognize the importance of good variety selection in the success of their farming operations and they seek variety recommendations from multiple sources. Since the relative yield performance of varieties can be variable across different environments, it can be difficult to get a broader understanding of potential risks and rewards of their variety choices. In this research, I sought to bring better high-level understanding by: (1) quantifying expected variation in yield, due just to variety choice, across the Pacific Northwest regionwide range of yield potentials; and (2) to compare the performance of individual varieties across that yield gradient. This was done by compiling and analyzing a multi-environment, multi-year soft white winter wheat variety test dataset. The results showed that farmers can seize the largest percent increase in yield by choosing top-performing varieties in environments with the lowest yield potential (up to ~40% increase over the bottom-performers), though the actual yield gap between bottom- and top-performing varieties is the greatest in high-yielding environments (up to ~36 bu/ac). Individual wheat varieties could be categorized as better adapted to low-yield environments, better adapted to high-yield environments, or broadly adapted, though the majority were near-neutral with average performance. Varieties are rare that are broadly adapted and top-performing across all environments. Grain yield potential is not the only criteria farmers use in choosing wheat varieties (i.e., additional criteria include disease resistance, herbicide traits, etc.), but it pays to identify the most productive varieties possible that are well-adapted to the environment. This research provides quantitative expectations for those potential gains.