CORPUS CHRISTI – Growers in the Coastal Bend area of Texas will have the opportunity to view wheat varieties and learn about the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, at the Spring Wheat Field Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 7 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Corpus Christi.
The center is located at 10345 State Highway 44.
Jason Ott, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent for agriculture and natural resources in Nueces County, said growers need to know more about wheat variety options available to them.
“Right now we are heavily reliant on one or two varieties that have performed very well for us,” he said. “However, growers need to remain aware of other variety options, since we know that new foliar disease strains eventually develop in the Rio Grande Valley and move up the wheat belt, and can overcome our tolerant varieties.”
Ott said the field day will give growers the chance to see how multiple varieties perform under local growing conditions in a head-to-head comparison, which serves as “an excellent tool for future variety selection.”
Wheat production in terms of planted acres is down this year in the Coastal Bend area, a contrast from the sharp rise in acreage last year, he said.
“But wheat remains an appealing option to many growers who are looking to add an alternative crop to their cotton and grain operations,” Ott said.
The field day will include a tour of the spring wheat and canola variety trials at the center. Two AgriLife Extension specialists are on the agenda to discuss spring wheat production in the area, including Dr. Josh McGinty, an agronomist in Corpus Christi, and Dr. Clark Neely, the state small grains specialist in College Station.
The program will incorporate a couple of hours of classroom lectures with a tour of wheat research plots at the center and a demonstration on the use of drones there.
“While in the field, participants will have the opportunity to observe unmanned aerial vehicles in flight,” Ott said. “This year’s wheat plots in Corpus Christi are being routinely flown with UAV drones by the center director, Dr. Juan Landivar. He and his team of scientists have been using UAV imagery to make observations on leaf rust pressures, plant height and more.”
“Drone technology offers a lot of new opportunities to agriculture in terms of field scouting, so it’s exciting to highlight a portion of their efforts in this field day,” Ott said.
Program participants will also receive updates on variety selection and performance, as well as management strategies in insect, disease, weed and nutrient control for the small-grain producer.
Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units are available for attendees holding a pesticide applicators license.
The event fee of $20 includes a catered lunch. To determine a meal count, those planning to attend should contact the AgriLife Extension office for Nueces County at 361-767-5223.