April/May 1997
Tips to Ensure Maximum Wheat Yields
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Prairie Grains is the
official publication of
the Minnesota
Association of
Wheat Growers,
North Dakota Grain
Growers Association,
South Dakota Wheat,
Inc., and the
Minnesota Barley
Growers Association.
Planting goals should include the following:
- At least 1 million plants per acre stand (one plant per inch, with six inch rows)
- "White zone" (white space on plant between seed and where crown turns green) length of 1"
- At least nine T1 and nine T2 tillers for each 10 plants.
- 80% of plants within a one-half leaf stage of each other.
Steps to take that will help you reach planting goals:
- Examine plants at the 4-5 leaf stage to look for tiller initiation.
- Watch seeding depth: generally, the deeper the seed, the less the number of roots and tillers. 1" depth is optimal. Depth of seeding is easily determined after emergence by checking the length of the white zone.
- Compare uniformity of planting depth by comparing white zones on plants from different rows (white zone length equals seeding depth).
- Check for nitrogen and phosphorus deficiencies, which may prevent tillers from forming (to combat this, mix fertilizer with seed prior to planting).
- Note the development of T1 and T2 tillers. These tillers, along with the main stem, produce almost all of the final yield.