CROPS
Update on winter wheat growth and development in Kansas
Relative to the historical sowing pattern for Kansas, about 65% of the wheat crop was sown late. Excessive moisture during late September – early October is the reason for the delayed sowing. In the majority of the cases this moisture led to a very good stand establishment which is extremely important in setting the crop’s yield potential. However, very little precipitation has fallen since sowing across the majority of the state. In fact, a large portion of the wheat growing region in Kansas (central and western Kansas) received less than 0.35 inches of precipitation since November 1, and the southwest corner of the state received zero precipitation. To provide a historical perspective, this results in anywhere from - 0.6 to -3.15 inches departure from normal.
The late sowing coupled with a lack of significant precipitation in a large portion of the Kansas wheat growing region might bring challenges to the wheat crop, especially in making it through the winter. Dry conditions may reduce the soils ability to buffer temperature changes at the crown level. Additionally, late sowing and dry conditions might impact secondary root development, which would render the crop less winter-hardy.
In most regions of Kansas where wheat sowing was delayed due to early October precipitation, wheat is behind in development compared to the historical average. Many wheat fields in central and north central Kansas were delayed even further as producers finished summer crop harvest after the rainfall events. In these situations, it was not uncommon for producers to sow wheat after the first of November. This may not have provided the crop enough time to tiller during the fall.
Producers can assess the status of their wheat crop going into the winter in a few different ways. One important way is looking at the top growth and counting leaves and tillers. As mentioned previously, wheat needs at least 4-5 leaves and 1-2 tillers prior to winter dormancy for maximum cold tolerance. Wheat that has fewer tillers and leaves will be more susceptible to winter kill.
It is important to also look at the root system development. Roots coming out from the seed are called seminal roots and are used to take up water and nutrients throughout the entire growing season. There aren’t very many of these roots so their contribution to overall water and nutrient uptake is limited. Crown roots are the two white protrusions coming out of the white area about an inch above the seed. These roots take up most of the water and nutrients needed by the plant, and they are very important for the plant to survive the winter. If cattle were grazing on this wheat, they would probably pull the plant out of the ground as there aren’t many roots holding the plant in the soil yet. Consequently, this wheat crop still needs considerable fall growth prior to grazing or winter dormancy.
Article written by: Romulo Lollato, Wheat and Forages Specialist and Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
