K-State Research and Extension

Everyone is invited to attend and learn about the latest news on wheat varieties in our area. This year we will have two plot tours on one day, Friday June 1st.

The first tour stop will start at 3:00 pm at 8600 S Hillside. Directions – from the corner of K-196 and South Hillside, go South 1 ¼ mile, east side of the road.

At 6:00 PM will be the wheat plot dinner at Camp Hawk, 1801 SW 36^th, Newton.  Then on to the KSU/DeLange wheat plot following dinner. That plot is located at SW 48^th and Meridian ¾ south of the intersection.

The speakers from Kansas State University Extension for the tours will be Doug Shoup, KSU Crops and Soil Specialist; Eric DeWolf, Extension wheat and pathology specialist and Romulo Pisa Lollato, Extension wheat & forage production specialist.

The other speaker is Steve Ahring, agronomist from DeLange Seed.

They will provide information on wheat variety comparisons and much more information.

This in an excellent opportunity for you to see the new wheat varieties and compare the established varieties growing in Harvey County. Mark your calendars and plan on a fun time at out Wheat Plot Tour!

If you plan on attending the meal please give us a call at the extension office 316-284-6930 and let us know that you will be attending the event by May 29^th.

The dry conditions that have prevailed over much of Kansas since the fall of 2017 have left some wheat growers with relatively dim prospects for grain production for the summer 2018 harvest. An alternative use for that wheat is as a forage crop – silage or hay – which may still have considerable value at a time when pasture grazing prospects and hay supplies may be uncertain.

Wheat silage and hay can both be valuable feedstuffs for cattle producers. Wheat harvested at the dough stage should contain approximately 56-62 percent total digestible nutrients (TDN) and 8-11 percent crude protein, on a dry matter (DM) basis. Wheat silage and hay may be used in the diets of feeder cattle, calves, replacement heifers, and beef cows. However, if the wheat is harvested post-heading, producers should grind the wheat hay if the variety has awns, since awns can cause health problems if fed unground.

Producers looking at these alternative uses for their wheat crops should also consider their options for marketing each type of feedstuff. For those who do not have their own cattle to feed, prospective demand for either silage or hay from nearby livestock producers could play an important role in their decision. Hay is more flexible in that it can be hauled farther and may be of use to a wider potential clientele.

Finally, insured wheat growers should check first with their crop insurance agent regarding insurance requirements to document potential grain yield losses before harvesting a forage crop. If producers believe they would have low grain yields and otherwise be entitled to an insurance indemnity, they may be required to leave small areas of uncut wheat to provide a way to estimate grain yields for the insurance loss calculation. Insurance agents can also inform producers of any other restrictions which may apply.

The Wheat Production Group at Kansas State University has joined forces with the Kansas Wheat Commission to learn from wheat producers around Kansas. We are conducting a wheat management survey across several fields around the state so we can analyze and evaluate the collected data later in order to develop best management practices for different regions around the state.

On-farm research surveys are different than a typical controlled research experiment as they collect management strategies which a producer has adopted on their individual fields. The main objective of this project is to collect field-level information about wheat management for hundreds of wheat fields around Kansas so we can learn about the most successful management practices adopted for each region. We are currently collecting data from the past two growing seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17), and from 2017-18 in the near future. Continue reading “Wheat Survey” →

Chloride (Cl) is a highly mobile nutrient in soils and topdressing is typically a good time for application, especially in regions with sufficient precipitation or with coarse-textured soils are prone to leaching. One of the main benefits from good Cl nutrition is the improvement in overall disease resistance in wheat. Wheat response to Cl is usually expressed in improved color, suppression of fungal diseases, and increased yield. It is difficult to predict whether Cl would significantly increase wheat yields unless there has been a recent soil test analysis for this nutrient. Chloride fertilization based on soil testing is becoming more common in Kansas. Continue reading “Chloride as Top Dressing Nutrient for Wheat” →

When you get a combination of low temperatures, dry soils and poorly developed wheat crops it creates a concern among farmers about the wheats chances of surviving the winter. Will the wheat survive the combination of those conditions?

“Where wheat plants have a good crown root system and two or more tillers, they will tolerate the cold better. If plants are poorly developed going into winter, with very few secondary roots and no tillers, they will be more susceptible to winterkill or desiccation, especially when soils remain dry,” Jim Shroyer, K-State Research and Extension crop production specialist said. “Poor development of secondary roots may not be readily apparent unless the plants are pulled up and examined” he added.

If the seed is not planted at the correct depth, about one and a half to two inches, the crown will not be protected good enough from the weather conditions. The crown needs to be reasonably well protected in the soil so it can be protected from cold temperatures. If the wheat seed was planted to shallowly then the crown will not be buffered from the winter weather and will be more susceptible to winterkill.

Temperature ranges in the fall also have an effect on winterkill. If the temperatures suddenly drop into the low teens the wheat plants will not have had enough time to winter harden. If the fall temperatures gradually drop then the wheat will be adequately cold harden and should be able to handle the winter.

In most cases, producers won’t know for sure if the wheat has survived cold temperatures until early next spring.

 In Harvey County, recent rains have stimulated yet another flush of volunteer wheat. Volunteer wheat is known to be an important reservoir for wheat streak mosaic and wheat curl mites that spread this disease. Many growers are asking if this newly emerged volunteer elevates the risk for problems with wheat streak mosaic becoming established this fall.

While volunteer wheat is known to be an important reservoir for wheat streak mosaic, all volunteer wheat is not equal in its contribution to disease outbreaks. The greatest risk comes from volunteer wheat that emerged shortly after harvest and was left all summer long. This volunteer wheat is rapidly colonized by the curl mites and infected with viral diseases. When this volunteer wheat is removed, the risk is reduced because the virus and curl mites do not survive more than a few hours without a living host. If new volunteer wheat emerges during the summer or fall, the risk of disease returns but not to the same degree. The risk is lower relative to the initial flush because there is less time for it to be colonized by curl mites and infected with virus prior to wheat planting. Volunteer wheat that emerges at planting, or just as the new wheat crop is emerging, is less likely to become a reservoir for disease than volunteer that has been present all summer. If fact, the late emerging volunteer wheat may pose no more risk than early planted wheat fields.

The need to control this volunteer wheat depends on the density of the stand and rotational plans for individual fields. A thin stand of sparse volunteer wheat may be able to wait until other planned herbicide applications are made in the spring. In contrast, a heavy or thick stand of volunteer wheat or other winter annual grasses like jointed goat grass, downy brome, or other brome species may necessitate some action this fall. Glyphosate is our best herbicide for controlling these winter annual grasses. Glyphosate can be tank-mixed with other residual herbicide programs that often are used to manage winter annual broadleaf weeds such as mustards, henbit, or mares tail.