Monday, September 19, 2011
Do You Plant Wheat In Dust, Or Wait For It To Rain?
While many Cornbelt farmers are focused on harvest, many others in the western part of the Cornbelt and in the Great Plains are trying to determine the best time and method for planting wheat. The season to do that is here, but the soil is dry and unsuitable for production of a good wheat stand before winter, at least at the mid-point of September. If you have wheat to plant, and a lack of soil moisture, here are some options to consider.
Kansas State University agronomist Jim Shroyer and his colleague Loyd Stone who is a specialist in soil and water management at KSU present three primary options for wheat growers faced with a lack of soil moisture. The fall of 2010 presented wheat growers with dry soils, and resulting spotty stands. But the current lack of moisture seems to be considerably more serious. While Grandpa would say, “Plant it in dust and the bins will bust,” few producers today are willing to put much trust in that adage. But wheat has to be planted sometime.
1) The best option, say Shroyer and Stone, is to plant seed wheat in the dust at the normal seeding depth and normal planting date and hope for rain. It will take a lot of gumption to do that, but the specialists say the seed will remain viable in the soil until moisture arrives. However, they suggest a bit of a hedge and tell you to look at the long term weather forecast, gauge the time when rain may develop and delay your planting as much as possible as the calendar will allow.
Shroyer and Stone say, “Rather than cutting back on seeding rates and fertilizer to save money on a lost cause, producers should increase seeding rates, consider using a fungicide seed treatment, and consider using a starter fertilizer. The idea is to make sure the wheat gets off to a good start and will have enough heads to have good yield potential, assuming it will eventually rain and the crop will emerge late.” Late emerging wheat will have fewer tillers than earlier planted wheat, which is no surprise.
There are pros and cons to this option. A hard rain will cause the soil to crust and result in emergence problems. The lack of moisture prior to winter may cause the wheat to wait until spring. A light rain would create enough moisture for germination, but without successive rains, there may not be enough moisture to sustain the crop into winter.
2) Shroyer and Stone say another option is a hoe drill to create a furrow deep enough for the seed to reach moisture for germination, but the wheat variety has to have a long coleoptile that will reach the surface. That would allow it to create a stand prior to winter and reduce wind erosion. But poor emergence is a possibility, and if that is your choice, then higher seeding rates should be used. The specialists say, “Any time you increase the seeding depth, the seedling will have to stay within the soil just that much longer before emerging through the soil surface. Delayed emergence leads to more potential for disease and pest problems, and reduced tillering potential late in the season.” A 3-inch planting depth is about the maximum for most wheat varieties.
3) The third option is to wait for rain then plant when the soil moisture level is appropriate. The agronomists say if conditions are right it would create a good stand, with the help of a high seeding rate and a starter fertilizer. However, if rain does not come during the optimum planting window, then the producer could keep the seed in the bag and plant it next fall with other seed used to plant a spring wheat crop.
You are risking a wet fall and no opportunity to plant before the planting window closes. That will also create soil loss problems if there is no protection against winter winds.
Shroyer and Stone suggest that your crop insurance agent is part of your evaluation process. And they also say to not depend on moisture migration toward the surface of the soil. While some will, there is not enough to germinate wheat and sustain it, which can only be accomplished by rain.
Summary:
Planting wheat in dry soil will be a hard decision for many farmers which a looking at the time to plant, but insufficient moisture to germinate wheat seedlings and sustain the crop. Planting can be done with the hope that it will rain, but the seed may also remain stored in the soil for the winter and will germinate next spring. Wind erosion is a concern, along with spotty stands if a small amount of moisture arrives, but not enough to keep it growing.
Posted by Stu Ellis on 09/19 at 12:00 AM | Permalink