Strong genetic differences noted in winter wheat winterkill assessments

Crop development of the WI winter wheat crop continues at a snail pace (Image 1). In a “normal” year I would be cautioning growers from applying growth regulators in Southern WI. This year we just completed our variety trial winterkill assessments. Crop damage was minimal at our Janesville and Lancaster locations and steadily increased as we moved from Arlington to Chilton. At Arlington percent winterkill averaged 15% with some varieties exhibiting near 70% mortality. At Chilton the average climbed to 25%  with some varieties exhibiting near 100% mortality. At both the Arlington and Chilton sites several varieties did perform well and exhibited minimal winter damage. These crop ratings will be published in our 2013 WI Winter Wheat Performance Test Results. 

For additional information related to wheat N recommendations and thresholds for destroying wheat stands please refer to:Wheat Stand Assessment: I can tell you if it is alive..too early to say if it is dead!

Image 1. Wheat development at Arlington WI, 4/29/13.