Dr. Joyce Eckhoff, local agronomist and interim superintendent of the Eastern Agricultural Research Center (EARC) in Sidney, has released a new durum variety, which she has named Silver. The new variety, released in January, features day length insensitivity, a trait that will enable growers all over the country to use this variety.
“Other durum varieties are day length sensitive, which means they need a longer day to mature,” Eckhoff explains. “The further south you go, the longer it takes day length sensitive varieties to mature, as these varieties require a long day to develop. An example of this is the variety Kyle. Kyle was popular in the Plentywood area, but when growers tried it here, it matured later than everything else. Silver won’t do that. Silver will mature as quickly in the Billings area as it will in the Plentywood area.”
Silver performs equally well in different regions. It also does better on dryland than it does on irrigated land.
Eckhoff spent a decade perfecting this variety. She selected the advanced line in 2003. The EARC is growing foundation seed this year; next year Silver will be available to certified seed growers, and the following year growers will have the opportunity to grow Silver as part of their crop rotation.
Eckhoff expects to release another durum variety in the next few years. This variety will be a solid stem durum.
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