Winter wheat trail results
Sockeye CL+ had the best yield among the Clearfield lines in the low-rainfall CLOAX trials (Table 3). A group of lines with the CoAXium trait, LCS Hydra AX, Nova AX, and LCS Kraken AX, performed similarly. In the high rainfall zone, Sockeye CL+, VI Voodoo CL+, and Piranha CL+ were the best Clearfield lines, and LCS Scorpion AX and Nova AX were best in the high rainfall zones (Table 4). Yields of the CoAXium lines were slightly lower than those of the soft white wheat and Clearfield lines, but several experimental entries are doing well.
As with soft white wheat, the average yields of the high rainfall CLOAX trials were double that of the low rainfall trials. The average test weight of the CLOAX lines was slightly low in the low rainfall trials, while the average protein was slightly high in the high rainfall trials.
The top performers across the hard wheat nurseries included Scorpio, LCS Missile, LCS Jet, and LCS Eclipse AX (Table 5). Scorpio and LCS Jet had slightly low test weights, while the protein of LCS Missile and LCS Eclipse was slightly low. The average yield was better than the state average yield at 75 bushels per acre, protein averaged 12%, and test weight averaged 61.6. Several of the new experimental lines had competitive grain yields in all trials, so stay tuned for new releases (Tables 1-5).
The 2026 winter wheat trials were planted in the fall of 2025. The variety testing team has visited all sites, and most look good, though some trials are affected by variable emergence due to dry soils at planting. All have been sprayed with fungicide to control stripe rust.
Staffing for the WSU variety testing program is changing in 2026. The 2026 trials are currently managed by Mike Pumphrey and Kim Garland Campbell until a new project leader is hired. WSU technicians Patricia DeMacon, Vadim Jitkov, and Alex Brown manage the day-to-day activities. Our Dryland Extension Team, Aaron Esser, Morgan Menaker, and Rachel Wieme developed the summer field day and plot tour schedule (see page 48 for schedule). We are grateful for the support
of the Washington Grain Commission, the Variety Trial Advisory Committee, and all the farmers who use the data.
Full results from the 2025 winter wheat trials are posted on the WSU Small Grains website at smallgrains.wsu.edu. This site will take you to location maps and GPS coordinates for all 2026 trials, as well as current and archived data. You can also join the Variety Trial PrelimData listserv to receive yield data within a week of harvest.
Contact the dryland extension team if you have questions about tours or field days. All other questions about the trials can be submitted through the variety testing website. Let’s hope the next five months remain kind to the 2025 wheat crop.
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