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Water Use of Wheat
A wheat crop of about 50 bushels per acre has a water requirement that is about equivalent to 10 inches.
However, because water also evaporates from the soil surface, the actual amount of water needed to produce a crop is higher. Under most conditions in the Northern Plains, small grains will need between 14 and 16 inches of soil moisture per season, depending on climactic conditions and the length of the growing season.
Daily crop water use, also called evapotranspiration or ET, depends on canopy development and will generally peak between heading and early dough stage. Daily ET during this peak period can range from 0.10
to 0.30 inches depending on air temperature and cloud cover.
The table below shows estimated daily ET rates for spring wheat in central Minnesota at different stages of growth and selected maximum daily air temperature ranges. As weather is variable by location, so too will daily ET estimates vary by location. Real-time estimated daily crop ET may be observed over the Internet during the growing season at: http://ndawn.ndsu.nodak.edu
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Average Water Use for Wheat In Inches/Day in Central Minnesota
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Temp.
(°F)
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Week After Emergence
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1
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2
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3
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4
|
5
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6
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7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
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50-59
|
.02
|
.03
|
.05
|
.06
|
.08
|
.09
|
.10
|
.10
|
.09
|
.09
|
.07
|
.05
|
.03
|
.02
|
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60-69
|
.03
|
.05
|
.07
|
.09
|
.12
|
.13
|
.15
|
.14
|
.13
|
.13
|
.10
|
.07
|
.05
|
.03
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70-79
|
.04
|
.07
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.10
|
.12
|
.17
|
.17
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.19
|
.19
|
.18
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.17
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.13
|
.10
|
.07
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.04
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80-89
|
.05
|
.08
|
.12
|
.16
|
.20
|
.22
|
.24
|
.24
|
.22
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.21
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.16
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.12
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.08
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.04
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90-99
|
.06
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.10
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.15
|
.18
|
.24
|
.26
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.29
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.28
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.26
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.25
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.19
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.15
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.10
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.05
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Growth
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Tillering
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|
|
|
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Early
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|
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Soft
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Hard
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|
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Stage
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|
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Jointing
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|
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Heading
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Milk
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|
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Dough
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Dough
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Source: University of Minnesota Extension Service
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Tips for Better FHB Suppression
- For ground application, angle spray toward grain heads, using forward and backward mounted XR8001 nozzles or nozzles that have a two directional spray, such as Twinjet nozzles.
- When using XR flat fan tips, use 40 psi with 9-10 gpa, and 90 psi with 18 gpa.
- Increase spray volume for durum and barley to improve head coverage and disease control.
- Spray hard red spring wheat and durum at early flowering (Feekes 10.51).
- Spray barley at early heading (Feekes 10.3-10.5); Split, multiple applications improves control in barley under weather conditions that favor multiple infections.
- Use a good adjuvant. Research at NDSU has indicated that Folicur and Tilt perform better with a non-ionic surfactant than without.
- Use dew as additional water unless dew droplets are very large and close to run-off. Application under heavy dews may not allow absorption of the fungicides.
- When using aerial application, spray in evening or early morning to capture dew as extra water volume, and use a small droplet size.
- Use NDSU’s disease forecasting system (www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/cropdisease, call toll free 1-888-248-7357 -- 231-6601 in Fargo -- for recorded updates)
for determining the need for fungicide application, or use general guidelines based on yield potential, price of crop, disease presence, past week’s weather and two-week weather forecast.
— Marcia McMullen, NDSU extension plant pathologist
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