Managing irrigation and water allocation are key to maximize wheat production as some regions of Texas are returning to drought conditions as we go into winter.

Wheat farmers are facing low crop prices and a predicted dry spring but there are ways to improve water efficiency, according to Dr. Jourdan Bell, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist in Amarillo.

“There is a lot of dryland wheat that is stressed right now,” Bell said. “We had good precipitation for early wheat in August and September to get the crop started, but we have had very little since then. We are returning to drought conditions.”

The Texas High Plains region needs good winter moisture precipitation to help dryland wheat stands moving into next spring.

Early season precipitation, irrigation and warm fall temperatures have created some very lush wheat acres in some areas. But this lush fall forage growth could increase the risk for spring diseases, Bell said.

Proper water allocation during critical periods during the winter can help prevent yield losses from drought. Drought tolerance and water-use efficiency are taken into consideration when AgriLife chooses wheat ‘Picks’ each year, but these varieties still have the same critical times to irrigate.

“Most wheat varieties use 22 inches of total water, with most of that water use in the spring,” Bell said.

Germination and emergence are key factors to getting a good stand which can help have a good crop going into the winter. Quality seed is needed for germination and vigor.

Critical times to water wheat are during the jointing stage to maximize the number of seeds per head and irrigate at flowering, Bell noted.

Dryland wheat must still have enough stored soil moisture at planting for fall vegetative growth.

“This year, in some of the areas with limited precipitation, producers got just enough to germinate the crop, but the crop is currently in poor condition because there was not sufficient stored soil moisture to draw from,” Bell said.

She recommends that wheat growers coordinate their fertility program to the production goal—gain only, dual purpose or grazing only.

A split application with one in the fall planting and one in late winter provides the best opportunity for the farmer to assess field conditions prior to top-dressing.

Cattle should be pulled off wheat when the crop is transitioning from vegetative to reproductive development so they don’t graze off that growing point.

Bell said the best time to top-dress fertilizer is around mid-February to ensure nitrogen is available to the plant by the jointing stage.

“With no soil test, we advise applying 1.2 pounds of nitrogen per acre per bushel yield goal for grain-only production,” Bell said. “For dual-purpose wheat, the recommendation is 3.75 pounds of nitrogen per acre per bushel yield goal—2 pounds at planting to satisfy the forage growth and 1.5 pounds top-dressing in the spring for grain production.”

Bell recommends 30 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 pounds of forage if the wheat is solely for graze out.

“At current wheat prices, do not apply nitrogen without a soil test,” Bell said. “Soil tests account for nitrogen in the soil and could potentially save you thousands of dollars in fertilizer.”

Farmers should scout fields early for pests and disease to determine what products are economical to use, Bell noted.