MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University has released the results of the winter wheat variety trials to help farmers plan for fall and winter wheat planting.

The university’s Official Variety Trials program evaluates the performance of agricultural crops planted throughout the state.

Researchers planted 82 varieties of wheat this past fall at eight locations in Mississippi. Fourteen companies provided seed for the trials.

“Due to a wet June, harvest of the 2,624 plots was delayed,” said Brad Burgess, director of the Official Variety Trials program. “Wheat harvest began June 5 and was completed by July 2.”

The Official Variety Trials are experiments in which varieties are randomly assigned to areas in several small plots. The experiments are designed to provide statistically valid results. “The average yield for winter wheat in the Official Variety Trials was a little over 74 bushels per acre,” said Reuben Moore, associate director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. “The state average yield, as provided by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, is 63 bushels per acre.”

A relatively small crop in Mississippi, winter wheat production in 2013 was valued at $126 million. About 1,006 farms planted winter wheat in 2012 and harvested 22.3 million bushels in 2013. Complete data for 2013 planting and 2014 harvest are not yet available.

The Official Variety Trials are conducted each year by faculty and staff in the Mississippi Agricultural Forestry and Experiment Station. The program is improved each year as new varieties and techniques become available.

To find out more about the Official Variety Trials visit http://www.mafes.msstate.edu/variety-trials. To see the yield data for winter wheat, visit http://www.mafes.msstate.edu/variety-trials/includes/crops/wheat.asp.