Cattle should be removed from wheat pastures when the crop reaches first hollow stem (FHS). Grazing past this stage can severely affect wheat yields (for a full explanation, please refer to eUpdate article “Optimal time to remove cattle from wheat pastures: First hollow stem” in the Feb. 23, 2018 issue).
First hollow stem update
In order to screen for FHS during this important time in the growing season, the K-State Extension Wheat and Forages crew measures FHS on a weekly basis in 28 different commonly grown wheat varieties in Kansas. The varieties are in a September-sown replicated trial at the South Central Experiment Field near Hutchinson.
Ten stems are split open per variety per replication (Figure 1), for a total of 40 stems monitored per variety. The average length of hollow stem is reported for each varieties in Table 1. As of March 14, none of the varieties had yet reached first hollow stem but all varieties had started to elongate the stem.
Figure 1. Ten main wheat stems were split open per replication per variety to estimate first hollow stem for this report, for a total of 40 stems split per variety. Photo by Romulo Lollato, K-State Research and Extension.
Table 1. Length of hollow stem measured Feb. 21, Feb. 28, March 6, and March 14, 2018, of 28 wheat varieties sown mid-September 2017 at the South Central Experiment Field near Hutchinson. The critical FHS length is 1.5 cm (about a half-inch or the diameter of a dime).
|
Variety |
2/21/2018 |
2/28/2018 |
3/6/2018 |
3/14/2018 |
|
|
---------- Centimeters of hollow stem ---------- |
|||
|
AM Eastwood |
0.19 |
0.28 |
0.30 |
0.52 |
|
NE10478-1 |
0.15 |
0.25 |
0.24 |
0.44 |
|
LCH13-22 |
0.16 |
0.21 |
0.24 |
0.40 |
|
LCH14-55* |
0.17 |
0.19 |
0.25 |
0.42 |
|
LCH14-89 |
0.15 |
0.22 |
0.24 |
0.39 |
|
LCS Chrome |
0.16 |
0.20 |
0.25 |
0.30 |
|
LCS Pistol |
0.17 |
0.22 |
0.27 |
0.41 |
|
Bentley |
0.12 |
0.22 |
0.23 |
0.35 |
|
Doublestop CL Plus |
0.15 |
0.21 |
0.26 |
0.32 |
|
Gallagher |
0.18 |
0.26 |
0.30 |
0.50 |
|
Iba |
0.16 |
0.20 |
0.26 |
0.41 |
|
Lonerider |
0.15 |
0.21 |
0.26 |
0.41 |
|
OK12716 |
0.15 |
0.21 |
0.28 |
0.35 |
|
Ruby Lee |
0.13 |
0.19 |
0.25 |
0.46 |
|
Smith's Gold |
0.18 |
0.27 |
0.24 |
0.48 |
|
Spirit Rider |
0.19 |
0.24 |
0.31 |
0.47 |
|
Stardust |
0.18 |
0.23 |
0.25 |
0.43 |
|
Paradise |
0.19 |
0.23 |
0.32 |
0.43 |
|
Bob Dole |
0.19 |
0.25 |
0.28 |
0.35 |
|
SY Achieve CL2 |
0.18 |
0.26 |
0.25 |
0.54 |
|
SY Benefit |
0.18 |
0.26 |
0.30 |
0.52 |
|
SY Rugged |
0.13 |
0.23 |
0.23 |
0.39 |
|
1863 |
0.21 |
0.24 |
0.30 |
0.63 |
|
Joe |
0.16 |
0.21 |
0.27 |
0.37 |
|
Larry |
0.15 |
0.22 |
0.25 |
0.39 |
|
Oakley CL |
0.14 |
0.21 |
0.28 |
0.37 |
|
Tatanka |
0.12 |
0.22 |
0.24 |
0.38 |
|
Zenda |
0.19 |
0.23 |
0.28 |
0.41 |
|
Differences among varieties |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
|
LSD |
- |
0.04 |
- |
0.33 |
None of the varieties had yet reached FHS as of March 14, and hollow stem has been slowly developing since the last measurement. We should notice that this slow development might be a function of below-average temperatures, but also of the extremely dry conditions being experienced at this study location. Most of the wheat varieties tested in a similar setting in Oklahoma have already reached the critical FHS length of 1.5 cm, and would be likely to see more development if temperatures were warmer or if there was more moisture available in the root zone. Nonetheless, we advise producers to closely monitor their wheat pastures at this time.
The intention of this report is to provide producers an update on the progress of FHS development in different wheat varieties. Producers should use this information as a guide, but it is extremely important to monitor FHS from an ungrazed portion of each individual wheat pasture to take the decision of removing cattle from wheat pastures.
Contact author:
Romulo Lollato, Wheat and Forages Specialist
lollato@ksu.edu
Co-authors:
Larissa Bonassi, Visiting Assistant Scientist
Felipe Spolidorio, Visiting Assistant Scientist
Jose Guilherme Cesario Pereira Pinto, Visiting Assistant Scientist
Gustavo Bacco, Graduate Research Assistant
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