- Author: Konrad Mathesius
- Contributor: Mark Lundy
- Editor: Rachael Long
Nitrogen budgets are becoming more of a norm for California growers, and more than ever it's important for growers to get the greatest return for their nitrogen applications. One fertilizer management approach that can improve both yield and nitrogen use efficiency is to shift nitrogen applications from being mostly pre-plant to mostly in-season.
Research from the University of California has shown that in-season applications of nitrogen applied from the tillering to the jointing stage resulted in higher wheat yields and grain protein concentrations than pre-plant applications (Figure 1). This is something to keep in mind as we approach the winter growing season.
Figure 1....
- Author: Konrad Mathesius
- Contributor: Mark Lundy
After a dry beginning to the season wheat growers might be trying to decide how to proceed with their nitrogen fertility program. If not irrigated, most wheat planted in the Sacramento Valley during November will likely have been stunted by the relatively dry conditions during the second half of November and throughout December (see Fig. 1, below). Some of the crops out there may need to be replanted entirely. If you're trying to work out how your stand is doing, consider some population sampling.
To get a rough estimate of your field's population, take several plant counts from random locations in the field. Lay a yard stick parallel to a row and count how many plants are still present in that row. Do this several times...
- Author: Konrad Mathesius
Cooler temperatures are indicative that mid-November is approaching fast. Results from UC's variety trials from the 2016-2017 season are now available here.
Growers are encouraged to try out the new variety selection tool developed by the UC Agronomy RIC. It allows users to narrow in on specific varieties of wheat, barley, or durum based on 3-year averages of regional performance, yield, stripe rust resistance, and protein. A how-to video is also available to highlight some of the tool's features.
The
- Author: Mark Lundy
- Author: Konrad Mathesius
Recent UCCE research has illustrated the value of in-season applications of nitrogen (N) fertilizer, particularly applications made at the early vegetative growth stages. This is typically the stage of growth when N demand from the crop is increasing rapidly, the soil is beginning to warm up, and microbial metabolism and associated mineralization/transformations of the various forms of N are increasing. Over a wide range of California conditions and across multiple seasons, applications of N fertilizer at this stage of growth have been shown to increase grain...
- Author: Konrad Mathesius
For those of you who were not able to make the meeting earlier this month, please feel free to check out the presentations below. Some of the audio for the slides was cut short due to a few technical difficulties, but most of the presentations are intact. You can move through the videos to just get a look at the slides as well.
Preventing Rodent Damage in Shrink Swell Clays, Konrad Mathesius, Agronomy Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension, Yolo, Sacramento, and Solano Counties.
Several ideas for preventing rodent damage associated with shrink-swell clays opening up when soils dry down after wheat. These are hypothetical ideas but that will be tested out in the coming...
