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'MT Sidney' (Reg. no. CV‐1199; PI 699957) hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was released by the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station in January 2021 as a new cultivar adapted to Montana's rainfed growing environments. MT Sidney was a selection from the cross MT1274/'RB07' and was tested in Montana as experimental line MT1716 from 2018 to 2020. MT1274 is an unreleased, Montana experimental line, and RB07 was released by the University of Minnesota in 2007 for high yield, moderate Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance, and good end‐use quality. MT Sidney was in the top‐yielding statistical group in our advanced yield trial that includes 'Vida' (PI 642366), the most widely grown cultivar in Montana. MT Sidney also has significantly higher test weight and an earlier heading date than Vida. Multiple years of FHB resistance screening indicate MT Sidney is moderately resistant to FHB. MT Sidney was released based on high yield potential, high test weight, early heading date, and moderate FHB resistance. Core Ideas: MT Sidney is a new high‐yielding hard red spring wheat cultivar adapted to Montana rainfed environments.MT Sidney has an early heading date and above‐average test weight.MT Sidney has moderate FHB resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Lustre' (Reg. no. CV‐1193, PI 695072) is a spring durum wheat [Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum (Desf.)] developed by the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station and released in 2020. Lustre was bred using the single seed descent method and was selected for its yield performance under dryland conditions across Montana, low grain Cd accumulation, good pasta firmness, high grain protein, high yellow semolina color, and low semolina ash. Lustre performs well in both the north central and northeast regions of Montana, where most Montana durum is produced and intended for pasta production. Lustre has similar stripe rust tolerance and susceptibility as top‐grown durum cultivars in the state with susceptibility at the seedling stage and high‐temperature adult‐plant resistance. Lustre is moderately susceptible to Fusarium head blight like other durum cultivars. Lustre is resistant to the predominant races of stem and leaf rust and is moderately tolerant to fungal leaf spot complex. Lustre is approximately 89 cm tall, with a yellow green color and a heading date 1 d later than the cultivar 'Mountrail'. Lustre has an erect flag leaf and an erect tapering head having white glumes and awns. Core Ideas: Lustre is a new durum wheat.Lustre yields well in north central and northeast Montana.Lustre is a standard height durum with white glumes and awns.Lustre has low grain Cd content, high grain protein, and high yellow semolina color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimizing nitrogen (N) fertilization is critical to ensure high-yield and high-quality wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production while minimizing its environmental footprint and production costs. A two-yr field trial was conducted in a dryland research farm in Montana with a clay loam soil to evaluate the response of spring bread wheat (cv. Velva) and durum (Triticum durum Defs cv. Joppa) to N rate (45 vs. 90 kg ha−1), N source (urea vs. SuperU®), and application method (broadcast vs. banding). Compared to broadcast application, fertilizer banding reduced plant density by 6% without affecting the final grain yield. Nitrogen rate had a significant effect on grain yield. Neither nitrogen source nor application method affected grain yield when N was applied at 90 kg N ha−1. Grain yield increased from 3171 to 3652 kg ha−1 with increasing N rate from 45 to 90 kg ha−1 in the year with ample rainfall, whereas yield remained unchanged in the drier year. Protein concentration was higher in broadcasting treatment compared to banding at 90 kg N ha−1. However, at 45 kg N ha−1, protein concentration in the grain was not affected by method of application. The source of fertilizer did not show a significant effect on grain protein concentration. Our data indicated no agronomic benefit in using SuperU compared to conventional urea or banding fertilizer vs. broadcasting in this dryland system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rotational effects and economic potential of incorporating fall-seeded pea (Pisum sativum L.) and lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) into conventional wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-based cropping systems in the northern Great Plains are not well understood. Two 2-yr crop rotation experiments were conducted in central Montana to investigate how winter pea hay, lentil green manure, and lentil grain affects subsequent winter wheat yield and protein content, as well as the economic returns of the systems under no-till conditions. In Exp. 1, a winter pea hay-winter wheat (WP-WW) rotation was compared to fallow-winter wheat (FW-WW) and spring wheat-winter wheat (SW-WW) rotations. In Exp. 2, a winter lentil for green manure-winter wheat [WL(m)-WW] rotation was compared to a winter lentil grain-winter wheat [WL(g)-WW] rotation. Four different rates of N were applied to the winter and spring wheat. Winter wheat yield in the WP-WW rotation was 2193 kg ha-1, which was equivalent to the yield in the FW-WW rotation (2136 kg ha-1), and much greater than the SW-WW rotation (1155 kg ha-1). Averaged over all N rates, the WP-WW, FW-WW, and SW-WW systems had $196, $116, and $41 ha-1 net return, respectively. In Exp. 2, the WL(m)-WW rotation produced greater grain yield and protein content at lower N input levels, indicating a greater N benefit. Nevertheless, the WL(g)-WW system generated $213 ha-1 net profit while the WL(m)-WW system produced $92 ha-1. Therefore, the winter pea cover crop, used for livestock feed, improves the system profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a critical role in the cycling of nutrients and long-term agricultural sustainability. The composition of DOM in soil is likely altered due to management, yet there is limited knowledge on the effect of long-term cropping on DOM chemical character. Here, we characterized water extractable DOM composition along a gradient of soil organic carbon (SOC) affected by differing cropping and tillage intensity in a semiarid climate of the northern Great Plains, USA. Soil samples (0–10, 10–20, 20–30 cm) were collected from conventional till-fallow winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.; F till -W), no-till spring pea/oilseed-wheat ( Pisum sativum L.; P g /O-W), and no-till continuous wheat (W-W) fields, and analyzed using UV/Vis absorbance and excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy. The concentration of DOM decreased with depth and was significantly greater ( P < 0.05) under W-W or P g /O-W than F till -W. The absorbance at 254 nm (Abs 254 ), a proxy for DOM aromatic nature, indicated that aromaticity decreased with depth and lower biomass-C inputs (i.e. W-W ≥ P g /O-W ≥ F till -W). Multidimensional parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis revealed humic-like (C1, C2), monolignol-like (C3), and protein/tannin-like (C4) components with varying fluorescence intensities as a function of cropping system and soil depth. DOM humification, indicated by the humification index (HIX), increased significantly with depth ( P < 0.05) and was higher for F till -W (2.95) than W-W (2.61) or P g /O-W (2.28). Overall, DOM became depleted of plant-derived constituents and was enriched by more decomposed, condensed substances in F till -W, as compared to W-W or P g /O-W soils. DOM composition is strongly affected by cropping intensity and such changes are important drivers controlling SOC accretion in arable soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]