Objective: Evaluate the yield potential of winter wheat varieties in northern Iowa.
Key Takeaways:
- 2024 wheat yields had excellent yield potential in northern Iowa, ranging from 80.9 to 121.9 bu/acre.
- 2025 was not a high-production year in northern Iowa; dry fall conditions limited wheat emergence and wet June and July weather let to a poor production environment. As a result, wheat yields at Nashua ranged from 31.4 to 55.3 bu/acre with no wheat harvest at Kanawha because of severe lodging across the entire trial. At Nashua the trial was harvested at a slightly higher grain moisture due to a wet weather forecast.
Table 1. Management information for winter wheat variety trials in Kanawha and Nashua in 2024.
| Kanawha 2024 | Nashua 2024 | Nashua 2025 | |
| Previous crop | soybean | soybean | soybean |
| Replications | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Harvested plot size | 5 ft by 57 ft | 8.125 ft by 50 ft | 8.125 ft by 50 ft |
| Fertilizer applied | 52 lb P2O5 on 20 Oct 2023; 240 lb K2O on 20 Oct 2023; 17 lb S/acre on 11 Oct 2023; 35 lb N/acre on 13 March 2024 | 31 lb P2O5 on 7 Nov 2023; 200 lb K2O on 7 Nov 2023; 25.5 lb S/acre on 19 Nov 2023; 35 lb N/acre on 7 March 2024 | 31 lb P2O5 on 25 Oct 2024; 200 lb K2O on 25 Oct 2024; 31.8 lb S/acre on 17 Jan 2025; 35 lb N/acre on 27 March 2025 |
| Tillage | no-tillage | no-tillage | no-tillage |
| Planting date | 5 October 2023 | 6 October 2023 | 11 October 2024 |
| Row spacing | 7.5 inches | 7.5 inches | 7.5 inches |
| Seeding rate | 53.5-97.6 lb/ac depending on seed size | 66-91 lb/ac depending on seed size | 77-99.8 lb/ac depending on seed size |
| Seeding depth | 1.25 inches | 1.25 inches | 1.25 inches |
| Harvest date | 16 July 2024 | 18 July 2024 | 21 July 2025 |
Table 2. Entrant, brand/variety, and type of winter wheat.
| Entrant | Brand/Variety | |
| Merschman Seeds | Bintee 12 | Soft red winter wheat |
| Merschman Seeds | Katie 15 & 16 | Soft red winter wheat |
| Merschman Seeds | Millie 8 | Soft red winter wheat |
| Albert Lea Seed | Pheasant | Hard red winter wheat |
| Albert Lea Seed | Viking 211 | Hard red winter wheat |
| Albert Lea Seed | Viking 801 | Soft red winter wheat |
| Albert Lea Seed | Winner | Hard red winter wheat |
Table 3. Yield, test weight, and plant height of winter wheat varieties in 2024.
| Location | Variety | Grain Yield | Test Weight | Plant Height |
bu/ac | lb/bu | In | ||
| Kanawha 2024 | Bintee 12 | 99.4 | 58.0 | 28.3 |
| Katie 15 | 113.8 | 59.1 | 31.8 | |
| Millie 8 | 95.7 | 55.2 | 32.5 | |
| Viking 211 | 94.8 | 55.6 | 32.5 | |
| Viking 801 | 121.9 | 55.5 | 34.3 | |
| Winner | 107.9 | 59.8 | 34.5 | |
p-value | 0.0717 | 0.0860 | 0.0001 | |
LSD (0.10) | 16.1 | 3.6 | 1.4 | |
| Nashua 2024 | Bintee 12 | 84.3 | 56.5 | 28.8 |
| Katie 15 | 83.7 | 57.0 | 30.5 | |
| Millie 8 | 74.5 | 56.6 | 29.7 | |
| Viking 211 | 67.0 | 53.2 | 32.5 | |
| Viking 801 | 93.4 | 55.4 | 32.8 | |
| Winner | 80.1 | 56.3 | 32.0 | |
p-value | 0.0012 | 0.0001 | 0.0008 | |
LSD (0.10) | 7.2 | 0.6 | 1.5 | |
| Nashua 2025 | Bintee 12 | 31.4 | 48.2 | 23.8 |
| Katie 16 | 37.8 | 50.6 | 24.7 | |
| Millie 8 | 37.9 | 51.9 | 26.2 | |
| Pheasant | 55.3 | 53.5 | 30.8 | |
| Viking 211 | 49.9 | 53.2 | 28.0 | |
| Viking 801 | 35.5 | 49.0 | 28.0 | |
p-value | 0.0009 | 0.0005 | 0.0002 | |
LSD (0.10) | 9.9 | 1.7 | 1.8 |
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- Associate Professor
- Extension Cropping Systems Specialist