Category Archives: Wheat

Is there any meaningful value in volunteer wheat?

 Occasional stands, though “free,” tend to hold false promise.   Calvin Trostle, Ph.D., Professor & Extension Agronomist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu       A Floyd Co., Texas farmer sent the pic below of what I regard as the “best” stand of volunteer wheat I have ever seen.  “What will happen to this wheat?” the farmer asked.  “Can I use it?”   Fig. 1.  Volunteer wheat in Floyd Co. that is thick enough to prompt questions about whether a farmer could… Read More →

Certified Seed Only (CSO) and Plant Variety Protection Act:  Wheat Varieties

What farmers can and cannot do regarding saving grain for planting seed   Calvin Trostle, Ph.D., Professor & Extension Agronomist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu David Drake, Ph.D., Integrated Pest Management Extension Agent, Hunt Co., Commerce, (903) 468-3295, david.drake@ag.tamu.edu August 15, 2023   In the past few years, many if not most wheat seed companies have implemented additional protections on many if not most of their wheat varieties.  This includes limiting planting to Certified Seed Only (CSO).  This means a CSO variety… Read More →

BLACKLANDS & NORTHEAST TEXAS WHEAT PICKS LIST FOR 2023-2024

Dr. David Drake, AgriLife Extension IPM Agent Commerce, TX david.drake@ag.tamu.edu, (903) 468-3295   The AgriLife Extension wheat Picks varieties were selected based on area Uniform Variety Trial (UVT) for grain-only variety trials.  Our ongoing Picks criteria include a minimum of three years of data in Texas A&M AgriLife wheat variety trials across multiple locations.  A “Pick” variety means this:  given the data, these are the varieties we would choose to include and emphasize on our farm for wheat grain production.  Picks are not necessarily the numerical top yielders… Read More →

NORTHERN ROLLING PLAINS WHEAT VARIETY PICKS LIST FOR 2023-2024

Dr. Emi Kimura, Extension agronomist, Vernon (940) 552-9941, emi.kimura@ag.tamu.edu   The AgriLife Extension wheat Picks varieties were selected based on area Uniform Variety Trial (UVT) for grain-only variety trials.  Our ongoing Picks criteria include a minimum of three years of data in Texas A&M AgriLife wheat variety trials across multiple locations.  A “Pick” variety means this:  given the data, these are the varieties we would choose to include and emphasize on our farm for wheat grain production.  Picks are not necessarily the numerical top yielders as important disease… Read More →

TEXAS SOUTHERN ROLLING PLAINS/Abilene & CONCHO VALLEY REGION WHEAT PICKS LIST FOR 2023-2024

Dr. Reagan Noland, Assistant Professor & Extension Agronomist Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, San Angelo, TX reagan.noland@ag.tamu.edu (325) 653-4576   Picks and Watch List Varieties for 2023-2024 Growing Season in Southern Rolling Plains/Abilene/Concho Valley region— The AgriLife Extension wheat Picks varieties were selected based on area Uniform Variety Trial (UVT) for grain-only variety trials.  Our ongoing Picks criteria include a minimum of three years of data in Texas A&M AgriLife wheat variety trials across multiple locations.  A “Pick” variety means this:  given the data, these are the varieties… Read More →

Wheat Grain Variety Picks for the Texas High Plains in 2023-2024 & 2022-2023 Texas High Plains Wheat Production Summary

Dr. Jourdan M. Bell, Associate Professor and Agronomist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Research, Amarillo, jourdan.bell@ag.tamu.edu, (806) 341-8925 Dr. Calvin Trostle, Professor and Agronomist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Lubbock, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu, (806) 746-6101     2022-2023 Wheat Cropping Season in Review   The 2022-2023 wheat season was marked by extreme weather events. Continued drought conditions in fall 2022 resulted in poor planting conditions across most of the Texas High Plains. Timely planted fields benefited from late September and early October 2022 rainfall, but fields quickly dried out. In most… Read More →

Managing Hessian fly in Wheat

1.Tyler Mays, Extension Agent-IPM Hill and McLennan Counties, tyler.mays@ag.tamu.edu David Kerns, Associate Department Head & State IPM Coordinator David Drake Extension Agent-IPM-Hunt and Grayson Counties   Hessian fly in wheat has been a significant issue for wheat producers across much of Eastern Texas for the last two years. During this time there have been numerous fields that have been plowed under due to poor stands caused by extreme Hessian fly populations. As we prepare to plant the 2024 wheat crop now is a great time to think about… Read More →

Late-season Irrigation in Wheat

Calvin Trostle, Ph.D., Professor & Extension Agronomist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Late-Season Texas Wheat:  Irrigation Timing & Termination An updated document of the same title has been posted to http://lubbock.tamu.edu/wheat.  Late and end-of-season decisions for how much irrigation water to apply (if available) and stage of growth are discussed.  Crop yield potential and the cost of further irrigation is considered. Remaining available soil moisture is a significant factor.   In general, a simple summary for irrigation termination in wheat or another… Read More →

Wheat Topdress Nitrogen Update for Texas

Nitrogen and Texas Wheat Grain Production—Topdress N Timing is Critical:  Twelve Common Grower Questions about N for Texas Wheat Grain   Calvin Trostle, Ph.D., Professor & Extension Agronomist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, (806) 746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu Jake Mowrer, Ph.D., Associate Professor & Extension Soil Nutrient & Water Resource Management Specialist, TAMU Dept. of Soil & Crop Sciences, College Station, (979) 845- 5366, jake.mowrer@tamu.edu March 6, 2023   Much of Texas wheat has entered jointing and reproductive growth.  This includes regions into the northern Rolling Plains… Read More →

Hessian Fly and Their Impact on the 2023 Wheat Crop

D. Tyler Mays Extension Agent-IPM, Hill and McLennan Counties Email: tyler.mays@ag.tamu.edu David Drake, Extension Agent-IPM, District 4 – Commerce, TX Email: drdrake@ag.tamu.edu   I have received numerous questions and concerns over the last couple of weeks about Hessian fly in wheat, and after their impact on the 2022 crop producer concerns are fully justifiable (Figure 1). It is not news that Hessian fly are once again present across the Texas Blacklands but compared to the 2022 wheat crop their severity is not as bad. There are a couple… Read More →