Managing late tillers in wheat
Rains during the past two weeks have resulted in a flush of late, green tillers in the wheat over much of Kansas. This can create a problem, especially for wheat that is approaching harvest maturity. A question that usually arises when this happens is: Should I wait to start harvesting until most of the green heads have matured, or just start harvesting anyway? This question is more relevant this year in south central Kansas, where the wheat is most advanced. In these cases, producers should not delay harvest because of the green tillers. These tillers probably won’t amount to more than 5% or so of the total amount of heads in the field, and won’t add much to the final yield anyway.
Controlling weeds after wheat harvest
The 2024 wheat harvest is well underway, so it is time to think about weed control in wheat stubble. Delaying control can result in lost soil moisture that could be used for crop production and weed seed production, which will cause difficulties in the future. There are two priorities: controlling already emerged weeds and preventing later flushes.