BISMARCK, N.D.,Aug. 31, 2011—Producers who plan to plant a winter wheat crop this fall need to break the "green bridge" now to stave off the Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus disease.
"Getting rid of all green material about two weeks before you plant will greatly decrease your chances of having to fight the Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus," said Blake Vander Vorst, senior agronomist with Ducks Unlimited. "Grassy weeds, volunteer cereals and grass type crops are hosts for the wheat curl mite, which transmits WSMV. Eliminating all of the green plants will break the mite's life cycle, stopping the spread of the disease."
Vander Vorst also recommends growers pay close attention to managing the fields that lay next to the land scheduled for planting. He says producers should delay seeding until around September 15 or later if there is any concern for the WSMV. The mites slow down as the outside temperatures drop, which will reduce the virus risk. Planting later can also decrease the threat from neighboring green crops.
Planting winter wheat in September, which is generally drier than the spring months, will also make a difference in a producer's ability to get a crop in the ground. "Winter wheat will help growers manage those prevent plant acres that have been too wet to plant the last couple of springs," Vander Vorst said. "Planting this fall will also help with their work load next spring."
Winter wheat may also maintain a producer's eligibility for crop insurance on a field. Crop insurance rules require growers plant a crop on that land at least one year out of the past four to qualify.
Vander Vorst says farmers should line up winter wheat seed now. A list of seed growers is available on
wintercereals.us, the
Winter Cereals: Sustainability in Action website.
About Winter Cereals: Sustainability in Action
With a shared vision of sustaining cereals agriculture,
Winter Cereals: Sustainability in Action is a unique collaboration between growers, universities, a conservation group and an agricultural crop protection supplier. It embraces ongoing improvement of the agriculture productivity through research and development in the Northern Plains while improving the habitat important to North America's waterfowl and other wildlife.