07-09-2008, 11:17 PM
Hooligal,
The wheat will be a problem in Puna. Generally wheat is a dry-land crop because it yields reasonably well with less inputs (irrigation, insecticides, etc) than most major grain crops. However, it actually isgrown in just about every mainland state, so there must be varieties that are more tolerant - searching for information on wheat in southern states would be a place to start. The winter wheat you planted will turn in fescue and not form grain heads. "Winter" means it needs a cold spell to "vernalize" - switch to a seed producing mode instead of just forming lots and lots of leaves; i.e., look like fescue. So spring wheats are better since they don't need the vernalization. One way to trick the winter wheat is to germinate the seeds on small containers of sand/soil, wait until they're about 3-5 inches high, and then put them in a refrigerator for a couple of weeks - but not practical for larger scale plantings. The durum is likely to not do well since it is not as resistant to fungal diseases as is bread wheats. Climate-wise, corn should do well in Puna, but the problem is corn takes more inputs - not good if you're trying to be organic.
Olin
The wheat will be a problem in Puna. Generally wheat is a dry-land crop because it yields reasonably well with less inputs (irrigation, insecticides, etc) than most major grain crops. However, it actually isgrown in just about every mainland state, so there must be varieties that are more tolerant - searching for information on wheat in southern states would be a place to start. The winter wheat you planted will turn in fescue and not form grain heads. "Winter" means it needs a cold spell to "vernalize" - switch to a seed producing mode instead of just forming lots and lots of leaves; i.e., look like fescue. So spring wheats are better since they don't need the vernalization. One way to trick the winter wheat is to germinate the seeds on small containers of sand/soil, wait until they're about 3-5 inches high, and then put them in a refrigerator for a couple of weeks - but not practical for larger scale plantings. The durum is likely to not do well since it is not as resistant to fungal diseases as is bread wheats. Climate-wise, corn should do well in Puna, but the problem is corn takes more inputs - not good if you're trying to be organic.
Olin