Doing With
by Sean Hubbard
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10
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rought has quite a history of slamming the door shut on Oklahoma producers’ hopes of a successful harvest. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s, the terrible conditions in 1957 and the extremely hot and dry climate much of the state has experienced over the past few years are some easily recalled examples. However, DASNR researchers and OSU Cooperative Extension specialists have wedged their collective foot in that slamming door, leaving a crack of optimism for producers to succeed in these drought conditions. “We have made some advancements with genetics in terms of drought and heat tolerance, but we still have a long way to go,” said Jeff Edwards, OSU Cooperative Extension small grains specialist. “Crop biomass production and yield are a linear function of the amount of water transpired through the plant during the growing season.” Genetic improvements have been made in how efficiently the plant uses available water. This research is greatly appreciated by David and Brandon Bush, a father and son combo who manage Bush Farms in southwest Oklahoma. “It’s surprising how much we’ve done on what little moisture we have had,” Brandon said. “It still makes you feel good when that seed jumps out of the ground and you know you’ve done all you can to make it grow.”