Lang-MN is the newest hard red spring wheat variety released by the University of Minnesota.

Released in January, Lang-MN is a high-yielding spring wheat variety well-suited for much of the spring wheat-growing region, according to university wheat breeders.

Lang-MN is named after Ben Lang, past president and CEO of the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association.

"In state trials, Lang-MN yielded equal to the popular varieties Faller and Prosper, but with higher protein,” says Jim Anderson, U-M wheat breeder, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics. “The heading date of Lang-MN is similar to Faller. It possesses a good disease resistance package with an excellent rating for resistance to scab, stripe and stem rust. Plus, it has moderate resistance to leaf rust and bacterial leaf streak. Lang-MN is about an inch taller than Faller, with similar straw strength. It has good test weight and preharvest sprouting resistance. Overall, it is a well-balanced variety that has exhibited good end-use quality characteristics."

Unlike Faller and Prosper, Lang-MN is not susceptible to stripe rust, says Jochum Wiersma, U-M Extension agronomist.

“Although stripe rust is an intermittent disease problem, control can be a bit challenging, as the timing of a fungicide application to control stripe rust effectively does not always coincide with the optimum timing to control of other leaf diseases or scab,” he adds.

Before becoming president of MCIA, Ben Lang had worked with MCIA for more than 25 years, originally joining the organization as a seed analyst and field inspector. During his career, he served the association in several senior management positions, culminating in leading the organization until his retirement in 2015.

Wheat seed certification has been a key part of MCIA for more than 100 years, says Roger Wippler, MCIA Foundation Seed Services manager, and Lang strongly believes in the benefits certified seed provides to farmers.

“Ben truly enjoyed working with seed producers from around the state,” Wippler says. “He was very humbled when notified that the variety would be named Lang-MN."

Prior to being formally named Lang-MN, the wheat variety was tested as MN10261-1.

Distribution and planting previews
Lang-MN will be distributed through MCIA members, with seed available for planting in spring 2018. Visit the MCIA website, where a list of certified seed producers will be available in September. Or contact MCIA at 800-510-6242.

Lang-MN plantings can be previewed July 19 during field days at the U-M’s Northwest Research and Outreach Center, Crookston.

Plots of Lang-MN and competing varieties are also at on-farm trials at the following Minnesota sites, with two-hour tours scheduled for the days listed:

• Fergus Falls, July 17, 5 p.m. (GPS: 46.122287, -96.164292)
• Crookston, Northwest Research and Outreach Center, July 19 (details at nwroc.umn.edu)
• Oklee, July 24, 9 a.m. (GPS: 47.778944, -95.859375)
• Humboldt, July 25, 9 a.m. (GPS: 48.910165, -97.107035)
• Strathcona, July 25, 1 p.m. (GPS: 48.572609, -96.154839)

Lang-MN joins several other recent University of Minnesota spring wheat varieties — Shelly (2016), Bolles (2015), Linkert (2013) and Rollag (2011). These varieties offer growers a good combination of strong characteristics, and they perform well across the upper Midwest.

More detailed performance data and comparisons of previously released varieties can be found on the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station website.

Source: University of Minnesota