Effectiveness of Late Spring Topdressing for Increasing Protein Quantity and Quality In Organic Hard Winter Wheat In Western Washington.

Small grains are currently used in rotations in the Skagit Valley of northwestern Washington to break disease cycles and improve soil quality.  These grains are sold through the commodity market and rarely generate much profit for the grower.  There has been a resurgence of interest from growers, bakers and consumers in Western Washington in the production of organic bread wheat for local consumption.  Protein is generally the limiting factor for the production of high quality organic winter wheat for bread.  Late season topdressing with a nitrogen fertilizer is sometimes used to improve protein levels in conventional wheat, however it has not been determined whether this type of technique would be effective or economical in organic systems.  Two winter wheat trials were planted in two Western Washington locations  during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 growing seasons to investigate the effects of cultivar and rate of application of a commercially available blended fertilizer approved for organic production. Three cultivars were planted in replicated blocks.  A blended fertilizer (Perfect Blend ^TM 7-2-2) was surface applied at five different rates ranging from 0 to 80 lbs N/acre at boot stage.   Yield, protein quantity, and baking quality results will be presented.