In Cheyenne County, yields were poor due to severe moisture stress. The 386-pound-per-acre average of all lines was about 25 percent of the 1,000 to 1,500 pounds per acre produced most years. The 2020 Cheyenne County trial was not an average predictive trial. Test weight was unacceptable at 30 pounds per bushel, average seed weight was low (60 is normal), and average plant height was 12 inches, compared to 24 to 28 inches in normal years. Because of the severe moisture stress and possibly other compounding factors, the 2020 data from Cheyenne County has no direct value for farmers.
Yields ranged from 242 pounds per acre to 535 pounds (AAC Profit of Valesco Genetics). Other common varieties in the high-yielding group included Durwood, CDC Inca, Salamanca, AAC Carver, and CDC Saffron. In normal years, these varieties are also in the high-yielding group.
In Perkins County, severe moisture stress also produced yields similar to Cheyenne County. The overall average was 750 pounds per acre, compared to normal of 1,500 to 1,800 pounds. The range was 400 pounds to 1,050 pounds (SW Midas of Pulse USA). Again, common varieties that have shown high-yielding potential in more normal conditions were in the high group in this dry year, such as SW Midas, Durwood, CDC Inca, DS-Admiral, and Nette 2010.
Although heat and moisture stress reduced yield, test weight, and seed size, these conditions resulted in higher seed protein levels than recent years. High protein is normally associated with low yields, and vice versa, but the relationship is not understood well and more research is needed.
