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​Evaluating survival of Winter Wheat

04/03/2019
​Evaluating survival of Winter Wheat

The winter wheat crop has generally avoided many of the potential winter survival issues.

In most years, late planting, extended warm weather or warm spells, alternating with bitter cold, wet soils, heavy snow, ice sheeting, and possible frost heaving all can take a toll on wheat stands. Generally mild winter conditions and little ice sheeting have allowed the wheat crop to come through the winter in generally good shape. Spring green-up of wheat is starting in some areas. For your area, as soon as temperatures start to consistently warm up, we should begin to evaluate stands of winter wheat for survival.

There are two things we will need to look for this year. One is overall survival. Make sure that the wheat is actively growing before making decisions. Split representative plant stems from the crown, upward, using a sharp knife or razor blade. Healthy wheat has a firm, yellow to green growing point, not mushy, brown, or water-soaked in appearance. The growing point is near the soil early in the spring but will later be above the top joint.

The second thing we need to look for is possible frost heaving. In most years, frost heaving is uncommon in wheat because of the fibrous root system. In years where we have late planting, the wheat root system does not offer as much of an anchor and plants will sometimes have the crown lifted above the soil surface as soils freeze and thaw. A general rule of thumb is that wheat should have three well established tillers as it enters winter dormancy. Plants that have heaved will often survive, but not be as productive.

Frost heaving tends to be worst in heavy textured soils or soils that have high clay content. These soils tend to hold water, and alternate freezing and thawing causes significant expansion and contraction. During soil expansion, the plants can be lifted. When the soil contracts, it sometimes leaves the wheat crowns elevated above the normal growing position. Uneven seeding depth is also often noted as a source of winter plant loss and frost heaving.

A full stand of wheat is generally regarded as having an average of 25 to 30 plants per square foot, but stands having as few as 15 plants per square foot should be kept. The wheat population can be counted by using any rigid frame, such as a hula-hoop. Toss the hoop or frame randomly at several places in the field. Count the number of wheat plants within the frame and divide by the number of square feet defined within the frame to arrive at the number of plants per square foot.

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