PREC Tour: UW showcases latest crop research during annual field day in Powell 

On July 18, the University of Wyoming’s (UW) Powell Research and Extension Center (PREC), located just north of Powell, hosted its annual field day to share results from the center’s latest research projects. 

According to the university’s website, PREC is the primary irrigation research center housed under UW, with 175 of the center’s 220 total acres defined as irrigated cropland, where research focuses on agronomic weed control, irrigation, cropping systems, high tunnel production, variety performance testing, transgenic variety response to herbicide treatments and alternative crops. 

Field day highlights

During this year’s annual field day, UW PREC researchers and staff discussed several agricultural trial topics on drought-tolerant crops and alternative management strategies.

Participants also had the opportunity to visit prepared exhibits and tour PREC facilities, where they were able to see various field plots examining sprinkler irrigation trials and furrow irrigation experiments.

In addition to field tours, attendees were able to directly interact with researchers and staff at booth displays, and to conclude the event, participants enjoyed a casual dinner.

According to UW PREC Director Jim Heitholt, the annual event was free and open to individuals of all ages. 

“We had a great turnout,” he stated. 

Heitholt also noted, “We are excited about several of our pea and chickpea lines, which are showing drought tolerance. Several of our dry bean progeny lines with high yields and earliness are showing to be drought tolerant as well. It is exciting news to share.”

The dry bean accessions screened for drought tolerance at PREC are in their third full year of the project and 30 lines are being screened, according to Heitholt.

With limited rain in the northwest corner of Wyoming, PREC researchers can simulate various drought conditions, from moderate to severe, and analyze how fertilizer rates on chickpeas respond under different drought conditions.

UW is also conducting research on the effects of foliar fertilizer and fungicide applications on sugarbeets.

Currently, UW has multiple trials but some of them were not included in the tour, including the barley, dry bean and sugarbeet trials.

Research study tour

During the research tour, participants heard from UW Graduate Student Michael Atiemo on interceding forage species into corn in PREC’s sprinkler irrigation trial.

UW Assistant Professor of Forage Crop Production and Weed Management Dr. Clint Beiermann discussed research being conducted on forage barley.

Beiermann and his research team are focusing on improving productivity and resilience of forage crop production systems.

Participants also heard from PREC Assistant Farm Manager Cody Hurford who shared information on the furrow irrigation trials on ORO-Agri dry bean research being done at PREC, as well as a trial on ORO Agri corn.

Other topics covered in the tour included malt barley variety trials, controlling fungal diseases in sugarbeets, dry bean seed treatments and several presentations about products to help plants grow or improve plant-soil interactions, also known as biostimulants.

More information

Results from crop variety trials conducted at UW’s various research and Extension centers with cooperating farmers are available online. 

Variety trials dating back to 1999 are listed at uwyo.edu/uwexpstn/research-results-impacts/variety-trials/index.html.

Data is posted annually as a service to producers and others interested in the performance of alfalfa, barley, spring wheat, winter wheat, oats, corn, sunflower, canola, dry peas, chickpeas and proso millet. 

This data can help producers make decisions about plant varieties, as producers are always trying to grow a profit with thin margins and little room for experimentation.

Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.