Research Article

Disease Resistance of Wheat Varieties: Can Private Varieties Withstand the Pressure?

Table 1

Results from statewide disease resistance comparison of group means between public and private wheat varieties in Kansas (2001–2008).

Type of diseaseOwnershipNumber of varietiesMean Statistical significance of difference in group means (at 5%)

BYDPublic1097.2
Private656.7Yes
WSMPublic1226.8
Private746.0Yes
SBMPublic1204.9
Private723.6Yes
Leaf rustPublic 1217.4 Yes
Private776.5
Stripe rustPublic1204.9
Private704.6No
PMPublic1094.4
Private715.2Yes

(Source: Official Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service Report of Progress, Kansas Performance Tests with Winter Wheat Varieties) Note that disease resistance rankings range from 1–9, with 9 as the lowest resistance.