Five Tips Toward a Successful Winter Wheat Stand

By Joel Ransom, NDSU Extension
Cereals Agronomist

For fields not planted this season due to excessive rainfall, or failed crops due to hail or drought, planting winter wheat this fall can be a viable option. The following are suggestions to help improve the likelihood of a successful winter wheat crop.

Plant into standing stubble. Snow cover is necessary to protect dormant plants from winter kill and provide early spring moisture. Winter wheat can be no-till seeded directly into other standing crop residues left to catch the snow. Seeding into wheat or durum stubble will increase the risk of some diseases, but even this practice is often preferred to seeding into clean-tilled fields for moisture conservation and protection from cold weather. Grain stubble from no-till or chemical fallow fields should be left at least 6 inches tall to obtain the minimum snow cover required. Row crop stubble should be at least 30 inches high and at right angles to prevailing winds if possible. Chaff and straw spreaders attached to the combine should be used to reduce interference with seeding and stand establishment. Light harrowing can provide additional straw and chaff spreading.

Break the ‘green bridge.’ Wheat streak mosaic virus can be a very serious disease of winter wheat as there is little or no resistance in currently available winter wheat varieties. The wheat curl mite transmits this virus. This mite spreads from volunteer wheat and other grasses that are still green when winter wheat is planted. To reduce or eliminate the risk of wheat streak mosaic virus moving on to the establishing winter wheat this fall, all volunteer wheat/small grains and grassy weeds should be destroyed at least two weeks before winter wheat planting. When possible do not seed winter wheat closer than 1/8th mile to corn or fields with volunteer wheat.

Plant at the recommended time. In the northern half of N.D., the optimum period for planting winter wheat is September 1-15 and for the southern half of the state, September 10-30. Planting prior to the recommended date unnecessarily depletes soil moisture reserves, increases risk of disease and may reduce winter survival. Later plantings generally do not develop well in the fall and can be more sensitive to winter kill, and potentially be less productive.  Winter wheat should be seeded at a rate of about 1 million viable seeds per acre, or about 80 pounds per acre.  Use higher seeding rates for late seeding or for poor seedbed conditions. 

Use a winter hardy variety. This is especially true if you are not planting into residue. The varieties released by NDSU (i.e. Jerry) as well as those developed in Canada are among the most winter hardy. Data on the winter survival during 2003/2004 (the most recent season when we observed large differences in varieties to winter survival) of most of the currently grown varieties can be found at www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/aginfo/smgrains/WWsurvial.htm . Jerry, CDC Buteo and CDC Falcon are varieties for which seed is readily available in the state and that consistently have shown good winter survival. Though farmers have reported success with varieties developed for Nebraska (i.e. Wesley, Jagalene and Millennium), there is definitely more risk of winter kill when they are planted in North Dakota without residue to help catch snow.

Apply phosphorus at or prior to planting. About 10-15 lbs of P with the seed can improve winter hardiness. Phosphorus aids overwinter survival by stimulating root growth and fall tillering.  The secondary root system that develops during tillering is essential for a healthy deep-rooted plant capable of withstanding stress.  Excessive N prior to winter freeze-up, however, can reduce winter survival.  For more production information, see NDSU Extension Service publication EB-33, Winter Wheat Production in North Dakota, online at www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/smgrains/eb33w.htm.