Soft red winter wheat (Triticum apstivum L.) producers in the southeastern
USA are adopting no-till production practices. Official wheat cultivar test
ing programs, however, are conducted in conventional-till. The objective of
this research was to determine whether soft red winter wheat cultivars per
form differently across tillage systems, indicating the need for no-till cu
ltivar testing programs. Twelve winter wheat cultivars commonly produced in
the southeastern USA were tested in a split-plot design with tillage syste
m as the main effect. The test was located in the North Carolina Piedmont a
nd Coastal Plain in 1996 and 1997. In the Piedmont the soil type was Hiwass
ee clay loam (fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Rhodudults), and in the Coast
al Plain the soil was Goldsboro sandy loam (fine-loamy, siliceous, subactiv
e, Aquic Paleudults). Plant density after emergence, head density at harves
t, kernel weight, grain yield, and test-weight were determined and compared
across cultivars and tillage systems. For each of these variables, environ
ment and cultivar effects were significant (P less than or equal to 0.05).
Tillage system had a significant effect only on plant density with average
no-till stands being 8.3 % lower than those in the conventional-till system
. Relative cultivar performance, or rank, did not change across tillage sys
tems for any of these variables. Consequently, soft red winter wheat cultiv
ars that perform well in conventional-till will probably be the best adapte
d for no-till production. Separate cultivar trials are not required for the
two tillage systems.