PRODUCTIVITY OF TWO COMMERCIAL BREAD WHEAT CULTIVARS IN THE YAQUI VALLEY, SONORA, MEXICO, DURING THE 2024-2025 CROP SEASON

In Mexico, wheat is an essential cereal in the population diet, due to its nutritional contribution and low cost; wheat production is carried out under irrigated and rainfed conditions, and almost 90 % of the production is concentrated in the states of Sonora, Guanajuato, Sinaloa, Baja California, Jalisco, and Chihuahua. In this work, grain yield potential of the most recently released bread wheat commercial cultivar CIANO C2018 was evaluated, as well as the check Borlaug 100 F2014, during the crop season 2024-2025. Sowing was carried out on December 06, 2024, at the Norman E. Borlaug Experimental Station, in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico. Experimental plots consisted of two beds 3 m long with two rows and with 0.80 m of separation, and with three replications. Seed density was 100 kg ha-1, and fertilization consisted of 150 kg ha-1 of urea applied before sowing; an irrigation was applied for seed germination and three other complementary irrigations were applied during the season. Before the first complementary irrigation, 100 kg ha-1 of urea and phosphorus were applied, and 100 kg ha-1 of urea before the second complementary irrigation. Average thousand grain weight of Borlaug 100 F2014 was 35 g, 5.14 % superior than CIANO M2018, and 11.9 % superior in grain yield (avg yield for Borlaug 100 F2014 was 4.2 ha-1). Both cultivars showed similar avg grain length (0.7 cm) and grain weight (0.04 g). Cultivar Borlaug 100 F2014 continues being an excellent option for wheat producers in southern Sonora. The average hourly temperature was 18.0 °C with a maximum of 37.8 °C and a minimum of 2.9 °C, the average relative humidity was 50.4 %, there were 0.1 mm of precipitation, and the number of heat and cold units were 322 and 702, respectively.