Wheat and More….or less

It may have rained in central Kansas, but out here in the High Plains, we’re still praying. While we do have some fields that came up fairly well, there’s a heck of a lot of wheat seed still waiting in the ground for germinating moisture.

And to make matters worse, a lot of the wheat that has come up has a very poorly developed root system.

Jim Shroyer, Kansas State University Extension wheat specialist, just left the farm after a quick tour of wheat fields here in Lane County. He says without a doubt, much of the wheat in the western third of the state badly needs rain.

Here on our farm, I’d say 80% of what we planted would rate fair to poor. We have very little wheat in the good category.

In addition to the poor stands, Shroyer says he’s worried by the lack of crown root development. “It’s not the end of the world, but we definitely need some rain to get the crown roots better established before we get into really cold weather.”

He says in many cases, the crown roots may be only an eighth of an inch long. After germinating, the plant develops seminal roots from the wheat seed. These minor roots help get the plant established until the main root system takes over.  These roots develop from the crown which will be set about 1 or 2 inches above the seed. But because of dry soils, the crown roots have hardly any development.

That makes it very difficult for the plant to take in nutrients like nitrogen. Thus, in many cases, the plant may look yellow, for instance.

But far more serious is the threat of winterkill. Moisture in the soil helps insulate the plants. But if soils stay dry, the cold temperatures can penetrate further into the ground. And if those temperatures get down to l0 or l2 degrees, we can have winterkill. Too, if the soil stays dry, the roots won’t develop—and that’ll make the plant even more vulnerable.  With moist soils, the soil temperature may drop only to the low to mid 20s.

Shroyer says with just the seminal root system, you’ll simply have a very poor crop—or nothing at all.

He says, too, that if wheat seeds germinate now and emerge in January, you’re looking at a half crop at best. However, if April and May turn out cool with adequate moisture, we could see yields as high as 50 bushels per acre with spring-emerged wheat. “That’s the best case, though. Instead I’d be looking for yields in the upper teens to twenties. In short, the western Kansas farmers need to keep on praying for rain,” he concludes.

Vance Ehmke is a farmer in Lane County who has a certified seed wheat business.