Management Practices for Improved Winter Survival of Winter Wheat in North Dakota

Abstract

Hard red winter wheat (winter wheat, Triticum aestivum L.) production has been historically low in ND due to cold winter temperatures resulting in winter injury and stand loss. The objective of this research was to determine if management practices could improve winter survival and yield of winter wheat. Field experiments were conducted at five locations. Due to high winter snowfall, there was little difference in snow depth and winter survival between previous crop residues. Planting at the recommended date always resulted in the highest winter survival compared to planting late. At Hettinger, soil temperatures reached nearly -15°C, and as a result, the less-hardy cultivar Hawken had only 50% winter survival. Differences in fertility treatment were not consistent across location during this study. ND soils are inherently high in P and K, so it is likely the high soil nutrient levels masked any potential benefit to seed-applied P and K.