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Genetic Contribution to Increased Wheat Yields in the USA Between 1979 and 1984
Author(s) -
Feyerherm A. M.,
Kemp K. E.,
Paulsen G. M.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1989.00021962008100020021x
Subject(s) - agronomy , triticum turgidum , yield (engineering) , cultivar , productivity , biology , grain yield , winter wheat , bushel , economics , materials science , metallurgy , acre , macroeconomics
Genetic yield potential of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. and T. turgidum var. durum ) and its impact on production need to be documented to determine past and future gains in productivity. This study provides such documentation on growers' yields of wheat from 1979 to 1984 in states where each major class is grown. Cultivar‐specific differential yielding ability (DYA) values were calculated and weighted by sown hectarage to measure state‐wide genetically imputed increases in farmers' yields. Yield increases in spring wheat states ranged from 44 kg ha −1 in Montana to 88 kg ha −1 in South Dakota for the 5‐year period. Increases in the hard red winter region ranged from 40 kg ha −1 in South Dakota to 199 kg ha −1 in Nebraska. Soft wheat yield increases ranged from 211 to 438 kg ha −1 in Corn Belt states and was 151 kg ha −1 in Washington state. We concluded that there has been continued genetically induced improvement in farmers' wheat grain yields during the first half of the 1980s, and that productivity gains should continue at approximately the same rate into the next decade.