Planting Winter Wheat in Dry Soils

By Nicole Santangelo

Planting of winter wheat is right around the corner with ideal dates of September 20 to October 3 in the Allegheny Plateau and Laurel Highlands (Area 1), September 25 to October 8 in Ridge and Valley and Western foothills (Area 2) and October 1 to October 15 in the Southeast (Area 3), which can be seen in Figure 1.7-1 of the Agronomy Guide. Following the ideal planting dates can ensure low weed pressure and lowers risk of pests such as Hessian fly, powdery mildew and barley yellow dwarf. Research in northern Oklahoma has shown a decrease in grain yield related to test weight when planted too early.

However, dry weather in much of the state may have you considering waiting for rain to plant. This is a good option, as it gives flexibility to choose a spring wheat if adequate rain doesn’t arrive. Another option is to plant wheat assuming adequate rain will come before the last planting date. We risk the wheat not getting the best start, and possible soil crusting should rain occur after planting. This may give us the best chance at getting wheat in during the optimum time.

You may also choose to plant deeper into moisture, however in fields where pH is suboptimal, or soils can harden, this could be risky. Evaluate your current soil conditions to determine planting depth and date. Typical seeding depth is 1.0 to 1.25 inches deep. Seeding in narrower rows or increasing seeding rate may have an advantage in dry weather but be sure not to cut corners in a dry fall planting to be sure the wheat is off to the best start before winter.

Seeding Rate

The desired plant population for winter wheat is 1.3 to 1.5 million per acre (28 to 34 plants/sq ft). This requires a seeding rate between 1.5 and 1.7 million seeds per acre or 20–23 seeds per foot in a 7-inch row. Use the lower rates in Area 3 and the higher rates in Areas 1 and 2. The seeding rate should be based on the number of seeds per acre rather than pounds per acre.

10,000 seeds per pound (should be on the bag) would indicate the need to set planter at 150lbs per acre. Whereas if the seeds per pound is 12,000 then 125lbs per acre would need to be set on the planter to reach the 1.5 million seeds per acre. Refer to the agronomy guide when estimating the appropriate seeding rate for various drill row spacings. Increase these rates when seeding under poor conditions such as a cloddy seedbed or a delayed planting date. When seeding more than 2 weeks following the fly-free date, later increase the seeding rate by 10 percent for each week delayed past that date. Do not delay seeding winter wheat because of dry soil. If fall pasture is desired, plant 1 to 2 weeks earlier and apply 40 pounds of nitrogen per acre in addition to recommended fall rates.

When no tilling small grains be sure to spread the residue evenly and increase seeding rates by about 15% to compensate for seed to soil contact issues. The seed placement should strive to get the seed in the soil at a 1.0 inch depth. To measure this, be sure to rule out the residue (that is not considered soil). Slow down! It appears that with larger equipment the faster the drill travels the more it rides up out of the soil and therefore places the seed on top. This leads to poor root development and, if any heaving occurs, roots may be exposed to weather and herbicide applications.