South Dakota State University is out with its list of recommended spring wheat varieties for 2012.

On the recommended list are:

Albany -- all crop adaption areas

Breaker -- all crop adaption areas

Brick -- all crop adaption areas

Faller -- all crop adaption areas

Prosper-- all crop adaption areas

RB07 -- all crop adaption areas, except area for area 3 (southeast South Dakota)

Steele ND -- all crop adaption areas, except for area 3 (southeast South Dakota)

Traverse -- all crop adaption areas

Select -- all crop adaption areas

On the "acceptable and promising" list are Barlow and Howard, both of which SDSU specialists say are adapted to all of South Dakota.

All SDSU small grain yield trial information is available online. See igrow.org/up/resources/03-3001-2011.pdf.

In addition to variety recommendations, the SDSU trial results include disease reactions, yield, grain protein, and bushel weight, lodging scores or resistance, and plant height data.

Yield is an important factor to consider when selecting varieties. However, a variety with good disease resistance, lodging resistance and high grain quality may be more profitable than if selected for yield alone, note the report's authors.

Disease resistance ratings are based on reactions to current prevalent races of a disease. Since diseases change over time, inspect variety disease reactions annually and do not assume they have not changed, the specialists advise.

They also note that certified seed is the best source of seed and only way to assure genetic and variety purity.

North Dakota

North Dakota doesn't have a list of recommended and promising varieties like South Dakota. But results from North Dakota State University trials for wheat and other crops can be found online, too. See www.ag.ndsu.edu/varietytrials.