2022 Kansas Wheat: Crop Conditions and Risk of Freeze Injury
The 2021-22 winter wheat crop conditions has deteriorated considerably during the last few months, and the latest USDA-NASS report suggests that only around 30% of the Kansas wheat crop is in good or excellent. The increased water demand led by greater fall biomass production was, unfortunately, met with below average precipitation during the late fall and winter – especially in western Kansas, leading the crop to experience early signs of drought stress in that portion of the state. While the crop in central Kansas is still mostly not undergoing severe drought stress, the recent increase in biomass as the crop goes into reproductive development will be accompanied by an increase in crop water demand; thus, more precipitation will be needed shortly to avoid yield losses due to drought.