EXTENSION REPORT

A FEW TIPS ON  SMALL GRAINS: The Next Crop To Be Planted

Varieties:  The July 2007 News Letter contained a list of the recommended varieties for this area.  AGS 2000, USG 3209, Pioneer 26R61 and Coker 9663 are the big four with Fleming being the main early season variety.  Remember with wheat plant an early season variety late and then harvest it early.  Planting it too early may result in cold damage if there is a spring warm spell and then it freezes again. 

            Seeding Rate:  In most wheat producing areas growers are going to seed per foot instead of pounds or bushels per acre.  The reasons are for accuracy in planting and the high cost of seed.  There may easily be a 30 % difference in seed size depending on the variety and lot.  Most wheat seed will now have a seed per pound on the tag.  Seed size may range from 10,000 to 20,000 seed per pound and this makes a tremendous difference.  The seeding rate is also in seed per square foot.  It takes from 1.0 to 1.3 million plants per acre to make an optimum crop.  That correlates to a 23 to 30 plants per square foot.  Seeding rates also vary with planting method.  Planting with a grain drill typically results in  better emergence than broadcast methods.  Growers typically need to up the seeding rates when broadcasting.  When planting late you also may want to up your seeding rate.     

When calibrating your grain drill this seeding rate correlates to 18 seed per foot for 7-inch drill spacing or 26 seeds per foot for a 10-inch drill spacing.  If unable to plant seed per feet, the recommended rate is typically 120 to 130 pounds of seed per acre of wheat to get the maximum rate.  With seed costs being high, some growers will cut back their seeding rate a little.

What About High Seeding Rates?  Many growers are upping their wheat seeding rate to 140 and even more pounds per acre and believe this to increase their yields.  In a wheat seeding rate study in Arkansas the wheat showed no significant difference in yield with seeding rates from 60 to 180 pounds per acre.  This is not to recommend lower seeding rates.  However, there are many other factors that growers can do to optimize their yield besides going extremely high on the seeding rate.  Wheat has a tremendous ability to compensate for poor or skippy stands and planting too thick can increase disease and lodging.      

If I Plant Early, Will I Harvest Early?  The answer to this is no.  A wheat variety planted two weeks earlier in the fall will only be harvested about two days earlier in the spring. Planting early may make your crop vulnerable to Hessian fly, aphids, Barley Yellow Dwarf and then spring cold damage.  Earliness is managed by planting varieties with early maturity like Fleming, LA 841 and Pioneer 26R61.  In some years these varieties may be harvested from middle to the end of May, rather than in early June as most wheat varieties are.

Seeding Depth is Vital to having a good stand:  A good target is 1 to 1.5 inches deep.  In trouble shooting fields last year, planting too deep was often part of the problem.   Over two inches tends to reduce plant vigor.  This is especially a problem if heavy rains occur after planting, but before emergence. 

Shiitake Mushroom Propagation Demonstration & Water Catchment System

                There will be a Shiitake Mushroom Propagation Demonstration & Water Catchment System program on November 29th at the Gulf Coast Regional Research & Extension Center on 8300 State Highway 104 in Fairhope. The meeting will be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The registration deadline is November 23rd.

            To register for this program or for more information, call the Mobile County Extension Office at 574-8445.

Green Space IPM & Safety Update

There will be a Green Space Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Safety Update on Tuesday, November 13 at the Southern Pine Cooperative on 2134 South Blvd. in Brewton. The program will include both a nursery and turf/landscape track. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m.

This is a great opportunity to receive information about your field and visit with Auburn University specialists, local Extension Agents, and industry representatives. The program will conclude with demonstrations of new equipment and safety practices. Pesticide re-certification points (10 points) will be awarded to participants.

For more information or to register for this meeting, call the Mobile County Extension Office at 574-8445.

Timber Taxation

There will be a Timber Taxation Workshop on November 9th at the Jon Archer Agricultural Center on 1070 Schillinger Road North in Mobile. The meeting will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 4:30 p.m. This is a workshop for foresters, certified public accountants and tax preparers and will give six hours of category 1 CFEs. The topics will include Introduction to Forestry; Timber Marketing & Timber Tax; Reforestation Tax Credit; and Timber Harvest and Sales and Cost Shore Payments.  To register, send $70 per person by October 31st to Becky Barlow, School of Forestry & Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, AL  36849-5418. Registration after October 31st is $85. For more information, call Becky Barlow at 334-844-1019. (Written by Richard Petcher, Regional Extension Agent, Agronomic Crops.)

Email address: rpetcher@aces.edu
Phone number: 937-7176 or 943-5611, 928-0860, ext. 2222

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.