The 2009 Extension Wheat Variety Plot Tour is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, on the David and Jesse Blasi Farm north of Pratt. The irrigated plot site is located 2 miles north of Pratt on Highway 281, 2.5 miles east on the blacktop, (north side of curve).
The program will begin at the plot with Dr. Jim Shroyer, K-State Research and Extension Crop Production Specialist from Manhattan, and Dr. Kent Martin, Southwest Area K-State Research and Extension Crops Specialist, discussing the varieties and giving their outlook on the crop prospects.
We will also be having a discussion on diseases to be aware of with the wheat crop this spring by Dr. Doug Jardine, K-State Extension Plant Pathologist from the Manhattan campus.
At 6 p.m., we will move to the Blasi farmstead for a hamburger fry. Sponsors for this event include: the Cairo Co-op, Farmers Co-op Equity, Isabel, the Kanza Co-op, and T&W Meat.
Producers are invited and encouraged to attend the tour to see the varietal differences that are noticeable as well as the diseases that have become prevalent over the course of the growing season. This tour is made possible through the educational efforts of K-State Research and Extension.
Sandyland Wheat Plot Tour — May 20
The old Sandyland Experiment Field will be host to a Wheat Variety Plot Tour the following day on May 20. The location of the site is one half mile west of the Highway 281 and 50 junction and one-eighth mile north. Come in at the entrance to the buildings.
The variety tour will begin at 1 p.m. and will feature the same presenters as the Pratt county tour on the day before. However, this demonstration plot will allow you to see the varieties grown under dryland, sandy conditions.
Everyone is invited to a hamburger fry beginning at noon (one hour prior to the tour) on site at the Experiment Field. The Kanza Co-op and the Stafford and Pratt County Extension Councils sponsor the hamburger fry.
All producers are not only encouraged to attend to view the wheat plot, but also to hear about other demonstrations planned for the “re-generated” field throughout the course of this growing season.
Method for Estimating Wheat Yields
By mid-May, producers often want to know what kind of wheat yield to expect. This is a very difficult question to answer since it depends on the weather conditions and diseases from now through June.
Still, there is a method we can use to make some rough yield estimates. The estimators on the Wheat Quality Council’s annual Hard Winter Wheat Evaluation Tour used this method.
These examples are used in estimating yield is after the wheat has headed out on most or all of the tillers. This method gives a fairly accurate yield estimation, but it is still far from certain.
Pratt, Kan. —
