Duane A. Lienemann,
UNL Extension Educator,
Webster County
May 4, 2012 Edition
Wow, where did April go? Here we are full in May, and not all that far into the month, and most of the corn is planted and many are now into beans. I don’t recall ever a year where wheat was this far ahead. A lot of fields have headed out, are in the process of heading and even some fields are pollinating. Don’t be surprised if you see some fields ready for harvest by the middle to the third week into June. Speaking of wheat, a couple of weeks ago I mentioned the yellow color in some of our wheat fields. I said we had some ideas on that condition. I want to share some information that my fellow extension educator, Randy Pryor, from Saline County shared with me, along with some other thoughts on the subject.
Yellow Wheat: Several farmers started noticing yellow wheat fields last year and even more this year where winter wheat is being grown into soybean stubble. I really noticed it earlier and really thought we would see it grow out of it as the nitrogen became more available. We are, after all, having an early growing season. But these fields are showing some unique symptoms never really reported before to this extent and there may be an answer that makes sense when you think about it. The wheat that has developed a pale yellow color this spring may have sulfur deficiency. Samples were taken last year that verified sulfur deficiency and more samples were taken last month in Saline County. Similar examples have been found in fields in south-central Nebraska and in north-central Kansas.
What has been confusing is that with sulfur deficiency symptoms in wheat, it can be confused with nitrogen deficiency. It should be noted however that there are differences. Lack of nitrogen (N) or sulfur (S) can cause a general chlorosis of the leaves. However, with sulfur deficiency the whole plant is pale with the worse yellowing or chlorosis appears in the young leaves. Also with sulfur deficiency, you will be seeing the whole plant with a pale yellow coloring and in the areas of fields showing severe symptoms, stunting in the size of plants. Sulfur is not mobile in the plant like nitrogen, so the lower leaves do not show more severe deficiency symptoms than the upper leaves. That is just the opposite of the pattern with nitrogen deficiency. The one thread that has been common the past two years in these fields are they are winter wheat planted in soybean stubble, with the worse symptoms on slopes, areas that had an eroded history, and areas where organic matter is the lowest in the field. This is exactly what I have seen and what area farmers were reporting. You also see some unusual patterns in the fields that are most likely related to soil type.
Sulfur deficiencies are more likely to occur when soils are cool in the spring, and we had a fairy warm spring – most of the time - however sulfur deficiencies also can be evident during the remainder of the growing season, particularly in soils prone to sulfur deficiency. You will also find this particularly in no-till conditions, which does have cooler soil temps in early spring because of residue cover. During the period of residue buildup in no-tillage, sulfur mineralization may also be limited. Including sulfur in a fertilizer program to avoid sulfur deficiency is more efficient and less costly than correcting a sulfur deficiency once it occurs. Here is the bad news for these yellow fields. It is probably too late to do much of anything for this year - other than taking notes for next year, particularly if you plan to put wheat into no-till soybean fields.
Typically, a soil application of 15-20 lbs. of sulfate-sulfur per acre is sufficient to prevent sulfur deficiency. Adding ammonium thiosulfate to liquid nitrogen solutions or blending ammonium sulfate with urea is convenient and cost-effective ways to provide sulfur in the problem fields. Other sources include elemental sulfur; however, this source is not available to the crop immediately and should be applied in time to allow conversion to the sulfate form of sulfur. Gypsum, which is calcium sulfate, also can be an effective fertilizer option. Another issue is chloride.
Many farmers have not been applying much potash (a source of potassium and chloride) in many fields and often it is delivered to the fields in the form of potassium chloride, so that does make sense. More testing is needed to see if chloride can enhance wheat yields in Southern Nebraska. Reaching high yield goals in wheat is very important to producers as it must compete with the other grain crops. Many farmers of course utilize wheat in a rotation for conservation of our precious water and many for the straw that can be used for bedding and for a feed source. However if we can’t maintain higher yields to go along with higher wheat prices we will likely see more pressure in reducing one of our best soil conserving crops, much in the same manner that we have seen in milo.
May is National Beef Month: Whether it’s the All-American juicy hamburger or a thick, delicious steak fired up on the grill, Americans have always had a love affair with beef. And with the coming season of outdoor activities and backyard barbecues, that relationship grows even stronger. Beef is an excellent source of minerals such as zinc, selenium, phosphorus, iron, B vitamins as well as carnitine and creatine. But there’s more to the story. The beef industry plays a crucial role in Nebraska’s economy. From cattle producers and feed manufacturers to equipment dealers and food marketers, thousands of people play a role in bringing delicious, tender beef to our plates. The beef industry is the state’s single largest industry and the engine that powers the state’s economy. The multiplied direct and indirect impact of the $6.5 billion in cattle sales each year is $12.1 billion. Cattle-related employment means income for businesses up and down Main Street in towns and cities across the state and thousands of jobs for its inhabitants. Join me in celebrating beef!
The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: www.webster.unl.edu/home
No comments:
Post a Comment