Organic Management of Heritage Winter Wheat Varieties in the Northeastern US.

An increased demand for locally grown small grains in the northeast has accompanied the broader movement to revitalize regional food systems.  Our project proposed to add value to the small grain component of the food system by cultivating heritage varieties with desirable agronomic and culinary traits, and producing those varieties organically.  Heritage wheats included varieties bred and released in the northeast prior to the 1950’s, and some of the evaluated varieties date back to the late 1800’s.  In comparison with modern varieties, the heritage wheats tend to be taller and produce more tillers, and best organic management practices were expected to differ.  The objectives of this study were 1) to identify optimal seeding rates, and 2) to evaluate organic fertility management strategies for heritage winter wheat varieties.  In field trials in New York and Pennsylvania heritage varieties exhibited an extensive capacity to compensate for differences in plant population through tillering.  Seeding rate recommendations of 65-70 lbs/acre were found to be solid.  The yield response of heritage wheat varieties to nitrogen fertilizer additions depended on the soil type and cropping history of the field.  In lower fertility soils heritage wheat yields responded to topdressed organic nitrogen fertilizer, while plowed down alfalfa-timothy sods on a fertile soil provided sufficient fertility to optimize winter wheat yields.