Fall Considerations for Winter Wheat amazonaws com
Fall Considerations for Winter Wheat Now that most winter wheat is in the ground, attention turns to what we can do post-planting to continue getting it off to a good start. Our goal is to get well-rooted plants that have robust tillers before they go dormant. We want to get beware of any pests (primarily weeds and insects) that may begin to invade our young crop. Finally, there is the option to add biostimulants to wheat. Robust Growth Wheat is staged according the Feekes scale. Stages that occur before winter include Emergence (Feekes 1.0) and Beginning of Tillering (Feekes 2.0). Timely planting and mild conditions may allow wheat to begin the Tiller Formation (Feekes 3.0) stage as well. Tillers are secondary shoots that form at the base of the main stem -- fall tillers produce seed heads and are important contributors to yield. Good tiller formation depends on adequate fall nitrogen: 20 - 30 lbs should be applied at planting or soon thereafter. Count tillers late this fall: 2 - 7 tillers per plant are desired. Depending on plant population, this translates to 70 or more tillers per square foot. Tiller counts above 70 per square foot mean you should wait until Feekes stage 5.0 (Plants Strongly Erect) to topdress with nitrogen. Lower counts suggest you'd better have a rig or custom applicator ready to roll with nitrogen as soon as the wheat greens up in spring. Pests Winter annual weeds that emerge with wheat will be the most difficult to manage come spring. These include common chickweed, henbit, shepherds purse, field pennycress, and purple deadnettle. Treat these weeds within three weeks of crop emergence. For winter annual broadleaves, the following herbicides are recommended: Herbicide
Adjuvant
AMS
Huskie®
ChemSurf 90
Yes
Harmony Extra®
ChemSurf 90
Peak®
ChemSurf 90
Yes
Some products should be not be applied before the 2nd leaf stage -- follow label instructions carefully. 2,4-D is cheap and highly effective against winter annual broadleaves -- but can injure wheat seedlings should not be used in fall. For control of many grasses, including annual bluegrass, cheat, and Italian ryegrass, apply Olympus Flex herbicide with ChemSurf 90 at 2 qt/100. Succeed Ultra may also be used with Olympus Flex where greater control is desired, however, crop injury may also increase. Include AMS in Olympus Flex applications.
Purple deadnettle
Henbit
Annual bluegrass
Chickweed
Cheat
Shephard purse
Field Pennycress
Italian Ryegrass
The other major pest concerns are aphids, especially Bird Cherry-Oat Aphids, which are dark olive-green with black cornicles (tailpipes) and antennae. These insects transmit Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus, which can have devastating effects on wheat later in spring. Most common insecticides are labelled for aphid control, but review labelled rates prior to application.
Biostimulants BASF is promoting the fall application of Priaxor® to wheat. Stated benefits will be familiar to those in who have used Headline® or Priaxor in corn, either foliarly or in-furrow: increased vigor, greater root mass, and better stress tolerance. These effects can be traced to pyraclostrobin, which is thought to slow respiration associated with certain stresses and metabolize into an auxin that promotes root growth and suppresses other stress responses. The fall application of this tool to winter wheat is a new concept but one that bears consideration.
Adjuvant
AMS
Huskie®
ChemSurf 90
Yes
Harmony Extra®
ChemSurf 90
Peak®
ChemSurf 90
Yes
Some products should be not be applied before the 2nd leaf stage -- follow label instructions carefully. 2,4-D is cheap and highly effective against winter annual broadleaves -- but can injure wheat seedlings should not be used in fall. For control of many grasses, including annual bluegrass, cheat, and Italian ryegrass, apply Olympus Flex herbicide with ChemSurf 90 at 2 qt/100. Succeed Ultra may also be used with Olympus Flex where greater control is desired, however, crop injury may also increase. Include AMS in Olympus Flex applications.
Purple deadnettle
Henbit
Annual bluegrass
Chickweed
Cheat
Shephard purse
Field Pennycress
Italian Ryegrass
The other major pest concerns are aphids, especially Bird Cherry-Oat Aphids, which are dark olive-green with black cornicles (tailpipes) and antennae. These insects transmit Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus, which can have devastating effects on wheat later in spring. Most common insecticides are labelled for aphid control, but review labelled rates prior to application.
Biostimulants BASF is promoting the fall application of Priaxor® to wheat. Stated benefits will be familiar to those in who have used Headline® or Priaxor in corn, either foliarly or in-furrow: increased vigor, greater root mass, and better stress tolerance. These effects can be traced to pyraclostrobin, which is thought to slow respiration associated with certain stresses and metabolize into an auxin that promotes root growth and suppresses other stress responses. The fall application of this tool to winter wheat is a new concept but one that bears consideration.
