Southeast
Missouri
 |
 |
WHEAT ESTABLISHMENT TIPS
First, select fields that have good surface and internal drainage. Wheat will not tolerate having wet feet. You will notice that wet spots in fields are where the wheat does the poorest. Spend more time this year ditching your fields to get the water off if the field hasn't been precision graded. Too many ditches on some fields is probably not possible.
Choose only proven genetics, using several varieties. There are several wheat trials out there to compare performance between varieties. University Extension Centers have reports available from the state replicated wheat performance trials. We are fortunate to have two locations in the bootheel - one at Charleston and another at Portageville. There is also a large university strip test planted each year at several locations in the bootheel. Don't just settle on one or two varieties. Spread your risk by growing several varieties on your farm.
Apply 20-25 lbs nitrogen along with preplant phosphate and potash when following corn or milo. The P & K recommnedations from the soil testing lab are for both the wheat and the double crop soybean crop. This practice is often neglected but is vital to a healthy crop throughout the fall, winter and spring as well as the double crop soybeans to follow. Fields with no nitrogen applied following corn will usually be in the worst shape throughout the winter. A crop with a poor appearance on top reflects an unhealthy root system below. If you apply sulfur in the fall, only use elemental sulfur as a source. Other sulfur sources will not last through the winter for the spring growth. On the other hand, elemental sulfur is not recommended for spring use since it takes all winter to break it down into a usable form. Make a firm seedbed. A firm seedbed, free of heavy residue, will aid seedling establishment. Though burning aids in disease control and residue management, it is not advantageous in the long term on sandy soils that are in need of organic matter, therefore it is not recommended as a standard practice on these soils. Mowed corn stalks will aid in the chiseling and disking operations. Many growers have found rollers considerably help get a firm seedbed. . No-tilling wheat is also a growing practice which requires special consideration. It is often best to leave stalks on no-till ground as harvested without mowing. Mowing often 'windrows' the residue and may result in germination problems and may aid in winter damage due to frost heaving. Remember, since drainage is so important for wheat, you may have to work out major ruts with a disk before trying to no-till. Increase seeding rates by 5-10 percent. Remember to slow down, especially in dry conditions. Proper seed depth will be key to a healthy no-till crop.
Use treated seed only. Treated seed can improve germination 15%, a considerable savings in seed cost. It will also help prevent loose smut and head scab to some degree with the appropriate systemic fungicide along with seedling rots.
Place seed 1.5 inches deep using a drill. A 1.5 inch seeding depth is ideal for both conventional and no-till planting. Broadcasting is a common practice and it gets you by much of the time, but year-in and year-out drilling will make more grain at harvest and save you money in seed cost.
Base seeding rates on 1.5 million seeds per acre. This recommendation is the best way to insure you have plenty of plants in the field. Seeding bushels does not take into account seed size which varies greatly between varieties and growing conditions - sometimes as much as 25 percent. The same is true for soybeans. On a recent strip trial seed size and planting rate across the field based on one drill setting resulted in planted populations ranging from 800,000 to 2,100,000 seeds/acre between varieties. Seed size in the varieties ranged from 8500 seeds/pound to 15000 seeds per pound. While varieties can adjust somewhat to population thru tillering, adjusting the drill to 1.5 million seeds for each seed lot planted, allows for the best chance of good starting population.
Calibrate the drill frequently, especially when changing varieties. Since seed size varies between seed-lots, you should think seriously about resetting your drill more often. University Extension has seeding charts available that help you base your seeding rate on percent germination and drill row spacing. These charts make it easy for you to calibrate based on seeds per linear foot of row.
|
|
||||
 |
Southeast Missouri Region University Outreach and Extension Janet Kline, Southeast Regional Director Site maintained by Warren Cork, corkw@missouri.edu Updated 05/20/02 |
 |
||