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 the companion article in this eUpdate, “Optimal time to remove cattle from wheat pastures: First hollow stem.”
First hollow stem update
To screen for FHS during this important time in the growing season, the K-State Extension Wheat and Forage's crew measure FHS on a weekly basis in 16 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 the hollow stem is reported for each variety in Table 1. As of March 24, four varieties had reached first hollow stem (AP24 AX, AR Turret 25, Kivari AX, and Sheridan). Moreover, all varieties had started to elongate their hollow stem with several past 1.0 cm, meaning they should reach first hollow stem shortly.
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 between February 17 and March 24, 2025, of 16 wheat varieties sown mid-September 2024 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). Value(s) in bold indicate the highest FHS group.
|
|
First Hollow Stem (cm) |
|||||
|
Variety |
2/17/25 |
2/24/25 |
3/6/25 |
3/10/25 |
3/17/25 |
3/24/25 |
|
AP Sunbird |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
0.41 |
0.89 |
|
AP24 AX |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.03 |
0.70 |
1.58 |
|
AR Iron Eagle AX |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.06 |
0.44 |
0.95 |
|
AR Turret 25 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.04 |
0.51 |
1.50 |
|
CLH10-153.022 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
0.37 |
1.18 |
|
CLH10-1853.014 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.03 |
0.37 |
1.08 |
|
CP7017AX |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.01 |
0.50 |
1.04 |
|
CP7869 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.03 |
0.29 |
1.10 |
|
Kivari AX |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.09 |
0.58 |
1.74 |
|
KS Ahearn |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.01 |
0.34 |
0.85 |
|
KS Bill Snyder |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
0.29 |
1.07 |
|
KS Mako |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.02 |
0.35 |
0.90 |
|
KS Providence |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.01 |
0.55 |
1.01 |
|
KS Territory |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
0.29 |
0.73 |
|
KS21H36 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.01 |
0.22 |
0.69 |
|
Sheridan |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0.01 |
0.35 |
1.75 |
We expect all varieties to reach the first hollow stem stage within a week or two. We will report the progress of first hollow stem until all varieties are past this stage. It is important to consider that first hollow stem is generally achieved within a few days from when the stem starts to elongate – depending on temperature and moisture conditions. Therefore, we advise producers to monitor their wheat pastures closely.
The intention of this report is to provide producers with an update on the progress of first hollow stem development in different wheat varieties. Producers should use this information as a guide. Still, it is extremely important to monitor FHS from an ungrazed portion of each individual wheat pasture to make the decision to remove cattle from wheat pastures.
Contact author:
Romulo Lollato, Wheat and Forages Specialist
lollato@ksu.edu
Luiz Otavio Pradella, PhD Student
Jazmin Gastaldi, Master Student