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K-State agronomist cautions against planting winter wheat too early

A Kansas State University Extension wheat specialist says farmers shouldn’t plant their winter wheat too early.

Romulo Lollato tells Brownfield…

“They have what they call high temperature germination sensitivity, which is essentially while the soil temperatures are above 85 to 90 degrees, that seed is not going to germinate,” he says.

He says planting too early can also lead to increased disease pressure.

For example, wheat streak mosaic virus, that complex of the virus is transmitted by wheat curl mites and those mites are much more active early on,” he says. “If we’re planting too early, chances are that we might get an infection with that disease.”

Lollato says aphids that transmit barley yellow dwarf are also more active during the fall.

He says the optimal planting time for western Kansas is this week, while other areas of the state will be closer to mid-October.