Wheat
What should I do to plant wheat no-till?
Wheat can be grown very successfully using no-tillage methodology. Wheat yield potential should be similar to conventional methods, especially if an acceptable wheat stand is achieved. Improved no-till grain drill designs have substantially improved their performance in heavy crop residue. However, producers may need to make a few adjustments to compensate for leftover plant residue from the previous crop, compared to conventional seedbed preparation:
1. Adjust combine to spread residue evenly during harvest of the previous crop to allow subsequent planter operation and evenly distribute recycled nutrients.
2. Adjust drill to ensure proper penetration, seed placement, and furrow closure. Producers will likely need to reduce drill operating ground speed, compared to a conventionally prepared seedbed. Planting depth should be 1 to 1.5 inches below the soil surface. Planting success is highly dependent upon moderate soil and residue moisture content. Planting at an angle different than the previous crop row pattern may improve drill performance by reducing residue accumulation in specific locations on the equipment. Narrow drill row spacing (less than 7 or 8 inches) may compound equipment operation in heavy residue.
3. Growers may need to increase seeding rate 10-15% or about 1.5 million seeds per acre for difficult planting conditions, particularly for heavy corn or sorghum residue. This may not be necessary when planting into well distributed soybean or cotton residue.
4. Use a burndown herbicide to kill existing weed vegetation immediately before planting or wheat emergence. This weed control is particularly important for minimizing competition from winter annual weed species, such as ryegrass, Bromus species, and chickweed.
5. Phosphorus, potassium and lime should be applied in the fall before planting. These fertilizer applications should be based upon soil test analysis recommendations. If wheat will be subsequently double-cropped, phosphorus fertility should be based upon wheat uptake needs and potassium fertility upon soybean or grain sorghum uptake requirements. Nitrogen needs will primarily depend upon amount of crop residue present and the previous crop/N fertility program.
