Regardless of the soil moisture conditions at wheat planting time, there are a few important steps producers can take to improve their chances of getting a good stand of wheat:
Proper tractor speed. It is best to use a tractor speed of between 5 and 6 miles per hour in most cases when drilling wheat, depending on the amount of down pressure on the openers. If higher speeds are used, the openers can tend to “ride up” in the soil every now and then if down pressure is insufficient, which can result in uneven and poor stands.
Proper, uniform seeding depth. In most cases, the ideal planting depth for wheat is about 1.5 inches. When planting early into very warm soils, it is important not to plant too deeply since coleoptile lengths are shorter than normal under warm conditions. On the other extreme, producers should also be careful to not plant too deeply when it is later than the recommended time (very cool soils). Ensuring a uniform seeding depth is also important. Uneven planting depth can be a serious problem when planting into fields with heavy residue, or where there is uneven distribution of chaff from the previous crop. In those situations, poor stand establishment is common in areas of the field where the drill opener rode up over the residue or chaff and was unable to penetrate the soil to the same depth across the field.
Firm seedbed. Planting into loose, fluffy soils can be a problem where soils have been tilled repeatedly during the summer. When seeds are planted into loose soils, rains in the fall will settle the soil and leave the crowns of the seedlings too close to the soil surface. Having a good closing system behind the drill openers, with adequate down pressure, should help.
Plant during the optimum time. In general, wheat should be planted somewhere around the best pest management planting date (BPMP, former Hessian fly-free date). There may be good reasons to plant some wheat before the BPMP date, such as planting for pasture or time pressures from having considerable acreage to plant. However, stand establishment and ultimate grain yields are usually best when wheat is planted after the BPMP date and before deadlines set by crop insurance. Planting more than three weeks after the BPMP can be risky. Late-planted wheat often does not develop an adequate root system before winter, and forms fewer productive fall tillers. When planting late, seeding rates should be increased by 25 to 50 percent (up to a maximum of 120 lbs/acre) to help ensure an adequate stand and compensate for the lack of tillering.
Adequate soil fertility. In general, producers should apply at least part of their nitrogen (N) before or at planting time to get the plants off to a strong start. Nitrogen rates of 20-30 lbs can help with fall establishment and tillering. Soil testing for available phosphorus is good idea. If the soil is low or very low in phosphorus or potassium, these nutrients should be applied at planting time as well so that the plants benefit early in their development. Starter phosphorus with the seed or band-applied close to the seed can also help with early growth and establishment, particularly in low-testing soils. Low soil pH can be a concern, particularly early in the season when root systems are mostly near the surface, which is often an area of lower pH. Soil tests will determine the need for pH adjustment and any potential for aluminum toxicity. Variety selection and phosphorus application with the seed are potential management strategies for low pH and aluminum toxicity issues if it is too late to apply lime before seeding.
Make adjustments for planting into row crop stubble. When planting wheat into grain sorghum stubble, producers will need an extra 30 lbs N per acre over their normal N rate. Also, it is important to make sure the sorghum is dead before planting wheat. When planting wheat into soybean stubble, producers should not reduce their N rates since the N credit from soybeans does not take effect until the following spring. If the wheat is being planted no-till after row crop harvest, N rates should be increased by 20 lbs N per acre over the normal N rate. Seeding rates should be increased when planting wheat late after row crop harvest. It is best to use a seeding rate of 90 to 120 lbs per acre in central and eastern Kansas, and 75 to 100 lbs per acre in western Kansas. When planting more than three weeks after the BPMP date, producers should use a seeding rate of 120 lbs per acre.
Watch out for potential disease issues when planting into corn residue. The risk of some diseases may be higher when wheat is planted into fields with large amounts of corn residue left on the soil surface. Fusarium head blight (scab) of wheat, for example, is caused by a fungus that is known to cause a stalk rot of corn. Attempt should be made evenly spread crop residue across the full combine header width at harvest to help minimize disease problems and with stand establishment.
Using a seed treatment. Seed treatments can act as an insurance policy, helping avoid seed-borne and early-season fungal diseases. For more information, see the article “Control seed-borne diseases in wheat with fungicide seed treatments” in the August 16, 2019 eUpdate.
Romulo Lollato, Wheat and Forages Specialist
lollato@ksu.edu
John Holman, Cropping Systems Agronomist, Southwest Research-Extension Center
jholman@ksu.edu