August 29, 2002

LINCOLN, Neb. — Dry, dusty fields have many winter wheat growers trying to decide whether it would be better to plant now or wait for rainfall to improve soil moisture.

Despite the lack of precipitation, most wheat growers should go ahead and plant seed on schedule, said Drew Lyon, dryland crops specialist at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff.

"We've been telling growers that if they summer fallowed, and if there is some subsurface moisture that they should go ahead and plant wheat even if they are dusting it into the dry soil," Lyon said.

If rains don't fall, growers aren't out that much money, he said.

"If we were planting hybrid seed corn, I would have a different recommendation, but seed wheat isn't that expensive," he said. "I don't think much of the idea of not planting wheat."

Summer-fallowed wheat fields should have adequate moisture. If a summer crop was planted and was stunted due to the drought, it may have used only the first foot of subsoil moisture leaving some available moisture for winter wheat. However, other wheat fields planted to a summer crop this year may not have enough subsoil moisture. In that case, growers should wait, Lyon said.

"If the field was planted to corn, it probably used most of the water," he said.

"Wait until the first week of October or until late next winter and see if there is moisture then," Lyon said. "If not, think of a different crop. In fields without subsurface moisture, it will be best to wait and see what rains bring and wait and look into planting into late winter."

Winter wheat should be planted as close as possible to the suggested planting date for the area, said Bob Klein, crops specialist at NU's West Central Research and Extension Center at North Platte. This ranges from Sept. 1 in parts of the Panhandle to Oct. 1 in the southeast corner of the state. Planting too early leads to problems with diseases such as wheat streak mosaic and insects such as the Hessian fly.

In the spring, winter wheat can be planted until Feb. 13 in eastern Nebraska to March 15 in the Panhandle.

"Usually there is an opportunity to plant in the late winter," Lyon said. "The yield may be lower, but it still is a worthwhile thing to do."

Seeding rates should be increased to 100 to 120 pounds per acre when seeding winter wheat in late winter to compensate for reduced tillering caused by the late planting.

A firm seed bed also is important. If a seed bed is loose, seeding should be delayed until moisture is received to firm the seed bed, Klein said. Seed placed in a loose seed bed is one of the leading causes of winter injury – root and crown rot.

Wheat growers deciding to wait until winter need to prevent soil erosion by maintaining residue and keeping tillage to a minimum, Lyon said.

"Each tillage is going to dry out the soil to the depth of tillage," he said.

Growers seeding wheat into dry soil also may want to avoid the expense of applying nitrogen fertilizer to their wheat crop; however, they should apply some starter fertilizer at planting to help establish the crop. Additional nitrogen applications could wait until early next spring when growers may have a better feel for the likely success of their wheat crop.

08/29/02-SA

Bob Klein
Agronomy
Professor
(308) 696-6705

Drew Lyon - Ph.D.
Agronomy
Associate Professor
(308) 632-1266

Sandi Alswager Karstens
IANR News and Photography
(402) 472-3030

Department: Agronomy & Horticulture