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Don’t skip the green bridge after corn harvest

An agronomist with WestBred is reminding growers to let fields rest between corn harvest and winter wheat planting.

Mark Lubbers, Technical Product Manager for the Central and Southern Plains, tells Brownfield a two-week break is one of the best defenses against wheat streak mosaic virus.

“Because they have been receiving rain, we still have green corn and we have quite a bit of volunteer wheat, which is the main vector for wheat curl mites which transmits wheat streak mosaic virus,” he explains.

“It’s a very, very serious disease that growers battle in the western part of the central plains.”

He says eliminating the green bridge, or the presence of green plant material between crop rotations, reduces the ability of the virus to survive.

Lubbers says it’s also important to plant resistant varieties.

“You are going to get much more significant protection by planting a tolerant variety, but susceptible varieties could have no yield,” he says.

Lubbers says winter wheat planting in his region is just starting and should finish by the beginning of October if conditions remain ideal.

AUDIO: Mark Lubbers, WestBred