April 1, 2011
 

US to experience wheat midge outbreaks

According to North Dakota State University crop protection specialist, Dan Waldstein, there is a potential for wheat midge infestation to occur for many counties in North Dakota during the 2011 growing season.

For producers facing wheat midge problems this year, planting winter wheat for the 2012 season is an option worth considering.

"Wheat midge could be a big problem for some wheat and durum producers in northwestern and north-central North Dakota this summer," Waldstein said. "In some areas, we are seeing the highest numbers of wheat midge since we started soil sampling in 1995. Since varietal resistance is not available to producers, planting date plays a key role in wheat midge management. Planting spring wheat early or late in the season allows producers to avoid wheat midge emergence when wheat is most susceptible, namely during the late heading and early flowering stages. Planting winter wheat is another alternative since winter wheat is past the susceptible stage before wheat midge emerges."

"If wheat midge does become a major problem for producers this season, they might want to consider adding winter wheat to their rotation for next year," Ducks Unlimited Agronomist, Jason Riopel, said. "Generally adult midges start emerging in the last week of June and the first week of July. Winter wheat generally flowers June 15-25 and has finished by the time the bulk of the adult midge population emerges in July. Once 80% of the heads in a field are flowering, treatment is not recommended. The female midges find newly emerged heads of the later-maturing spring wheat to be a much more attractive place to lay their eggs."

Besides missing the wheat midge hatch, planting winter wheat has other benefits to producers, including spreading out the workload with fall planting and early harvest. Winter wheat is highly compatible in a crop rotation following canola, avoids wet spring planting conditions, maximises the use of spring moisture and typically produces 10-30% more grain, resulting in higher proven wheat yields for crop insurance.