April 10, 2013

Winter wheat in Oklahoma, US, suffer greater damage than expected

The damage of Oklahoma's (US) winter wheat may be worse than expected, said Jeff Edwards, an Oklahoma State University extension specialist who toured the south-western region of the state.

"Damages were similar at all sites, with these ranging from 50% to 80%. The best looking wheat was the hardest hit," added Edwards.

"Particularly troubling are some fields in the Altus area that easily had 80 bushel (per acre) potential prior to the freeze," he said. "In most of these fields, we are too far past the tillering stage to have yield compensation from secondary tillers. Late-emerging fields that were jointing or smaller escaped the freeze with little damage. Fields that had been heavily grazed and/or under-fertilised also escaped with relatively minor damage. Conditions improved slightly when I checked wheat in the Chickasha area and damage was more in the 10% to 30% range."

The damage occurred when temperatures across Oklahoma fell into the teens and 20's on March 25-26.