When it comes to planting no-till wheat, Phil Needham, of Needham Ag Technologies, says farmers need to think first about the combine before rolling out the drill. “You can buy the best piece of seeding equipment on the market, but it’s only going to be as good as the residue management (in a no-till system)… Read More
Category: Wheat School
RealAgriculture.com Wheat School is your source for the best information to help you get the most out of your wheat crops. We have the latest wheat futures prices, videos, market developments and much more, to help you maximize your yields. Stay informed and join our Wheat School email list today!
High disease levels have winter wheat growers in Western Canada concerned about the market prospects for the crop. Samples brought to elevators in some areas — especially central Manitoba — have contained up to 20 percent fusarium damaged kernels. Buyers have started discounting grain based on the related potential vomitoxin levels. So where will this… Read More
Cereal leaf beetle was first discovered in Alberta in 2005, with Saskatchewan and Manitoba finding populations shortly thereafter. As its name suggests, the insect prefers to feed on cereals, though it may extend its host range to grasses, even occasionally feeding on corn. Both adults and larvae feed on the leaves in strips between veins, causing a… Read More
By the time symptoms of fusarium head blight (FHB) show up in the crop, it is too late to halt disease development (though you may be able to manage fusarium kernels with the combine). This makes managing the disease a little more complicated, as spray applicators and producers have to assess the history of… Read More
Wheat leaf diseases aren’t always capable of overwintering in Canada. Besides often needing shelter from harsh winter conditions, the pathogens also suffer from a relative lack of alternate hosts. This year, however, stripe rust — a disease caused by the fungus Puccinia striiformis — took sanctuary in winter wheat fields in parts of the prairies, safe… Read More
Is all protein in wheat the same? Are there several kinds of protein? What happens to protein when wheat is in storage? Is gluten strength the same as protein quality? What is gluten, anyway? If you’ve asked yourself these questions (and more!) you’re most certainly not alone. Understanding the role protein plays in crop quality… Read More
Growing Degree Days (GDD) are an indicator of expected crop development based on weather conditions. GDDs are calculated by taking the mean temperature over a day and subtracting a base temperature. For most cereal grains, the base temperature is considered 5 degrees C, as they require around 1200 GDD to reach maturity. GDD = (Tmax + Tmin)… Read More
Leaf rusts come in many shapes and strains and can be particularly hard to avoid, as the pathogen blows in from parts unknown (well, we know where, but that turn of phrase sounds better). What’s perhaps more troubling is there is evidence that stripe rust may have over-wintered in parts of Alberta this year. Over-wintering… Read More
Seed size can vary significantly, making planting by weight or volume alone a rather untrustworthy endeavour. So it’s no wonder calculating seeding rates based on the thousand kernel weight (TKW) of the desired crop is advised by so many researchers and agronomists. In this Wheat School, Richard Marsh of Syngenta re-joins Lyndsey Smith to compare plant stands achieved… Read More
A drawn out start to the growing season doesn’t necessarily mean a drawn out growing season. Warm days with plenty of sun and mean growing degree days accumulate quickly, sending crops through their growth stages quickly, if the moisture is there. Wheat, and in this case winter wheat, can at times throw a curve ball… Read More
If you’ve already completed your seed test, it’s likely you have an idea of the level of disease present in your wheat seed. With that, and knowledge of pests from previous years, it’s time to make a decision about seed treatment. “Treating wheat seed is an importance insurance step,” says Mitchell Japp of the Saskatchewan… Read More
Did you know that wheat seed that has been negatively impacted by glyphosate application will show no visible signs of damage? So though you may be able to see mechanical damage, there are many factors that hide beneath the surface, including disease presence and susceptibility. That’s why it’s important to send seed for a test that goes… Read More
Deciding on rates of nitrogen application for any crop can be a daunting task, but with winter wheat’s unique growing season, the choice is even further challenged by timing. Applying nitrogen in the fall can reduce the need to get in early in the spring, but could be a bit of a gamble dependent on… Read More
As the snow retreats (quickly now, get on with you), it’s time to get out there and take a good look at the winter wheat stand. There is such thing as doing a winterkill evaluation too early, but, depending on the method you use, you could need up to two weeks to get a good… Read More
As Ontario cereal specialist Peter Johnson says, farmers aren’t satisfied ’til they’ve (mentally) killed the winter wheat crop three times. So, it’s no surprise then, that as the earliest fields are appearing from under the snow (sigh, alas, not yet in all areas), many farmers are concerned with how the crop looks and whether or… Read More