MANDAN, NORTH DAKOTA, U.S. — The 2010 North Dakota wheat variety survey shows that Glenn hard red spring wheat and Divide durum are again the most popular variety choices for producers, the North Dakota Wheat Commission announced July 19.

Glenn accounted for one-fourth of the 6.7 million acres of hard red spring wheat planted and Divide claimed 27%t of the 1.8 million acres planted to durum. In the hard red winter wheat class, Jerry continued to dominate acres with 48% of the 340,000 acres planted. The results are based on a June survey of approximately 2,200 producers conducted by the North Dakota Field Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Funding for the survey was provided by the North Dakota Wheat Commission and the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Agriculture Experiment Station.

The top two varieties, Glenn and Faller, account for 40% of total acreage, with Kelby, RB 07 and Briggs rounding out the top five. Glenn has been the leading variety in North Dakota since 2007. It remains popular for its balanced agronomics and disease resistance traits, and comparatively higher protein levels. A plus for customers is its superior milling and baking quality.

Faller is again second despite a slight decline in acres. It accounts for 15% of the acres and is most popular in the eastern one-third of the state. Faller is one of the elite varieties for yield potential and foliar disease resistance, but it is typically lower in protein content. Both varieties are NDSU releases.

Kelby advanced to third position this year with 6.4% of the acres, up slightly from last year due to its competitive yield and higher protein levels. An AgriPro release, it is the top variety in east-central North Dakota.

The remaining top 10 varieties all were fairly even in their percent of acres planted, ranging from 3% to 5%. RB 07, a release from the University of Minnesota, had the largest net gain in acres of all varieties, increasing from 1.3% to 4.9%, moving it into fourth position. It is a strong yielding variety which has excellent milling and baking qualities that gained acres in eastern districts as well as the southwest. Other varieties that made gains this year include Brennan, Jenna, Breaker, Barlow, Choteau, Mercury and Vantage, slowly replacing long-time popular varieties like Reeder, Alsen, Freyr and Briggs.

Divide remains the leading durum variety followed by Mountrail, Lebsock, Alkabo and Pierce. The top five are the same as last year and all are releases from NDSU. Divide had the largest net gain in acres in 2010, finding favor with producers in all of the major durum districts. It is a variety that is near the top for yield and disease resistant traits, and also has good end-use quality characteristics.

Mountrail and Lebsock account for roughly 25% of the acres combined, but this is down from their peak of nearly 60% in 2006. Other varieties that are replacing some of those acres include Alkabo, Grenora and DG Max, a release from Dakota Growers Pasta Company, with 9.5%, 7% and 2% of the acres, respectively.