Agricultural News
OSU's Amanda Silva Says The Oklahoma Wheat Crop is in Good Shape
Fri, 26 Mar 2021 11:58:30 CDT
The latest USDA crop progress report rated Oklahoma's wheat crop 62 percent good to excellent and Amanda de Oliveira Silva, OSU Extension small grains specialist, would agree with that assessment.
Silva was recently interviewed by Radio Oklahoma Agriculture Network Associate Farm Director and Editor KC Sheperd.
This cool, wet weather has been good for our crop, she said.
The brutal February cold didn't seem to have much impact on the crop, Silva said.
For Oklahoma we didn't see much impact on the wheat except for those areas without much snow cover to insulate and protect the crop, she said.
The wheat becomes more susceptible to freeze as it moves into the heading stage, Silva said.
I think we might see some difference in spring tillering for some varieties due to the February freeze but overall, we had enough snow cover for most of the crop, she said.
When asked about the possibility of choosing varieties that could handle such a brutal cold event better Silva said there is not a clear answer yet.
It depends on snow cover, the growth stage of the crop and soil moisture as those are factors that play a key role during a freeze on wheat, she said.
This is something we are still learning about the genetics, she added.
The trial plots at the LaHoma station are looking really good, Silva said.
Much of the wheat crop is jointing and with good moisture Silva said the crop has good yield potential with good response to nitrogen.
The USDA said Oklahoma wheat jointing has reached 36 percent, up 11 points from the previous year and up 5 points from normal.
Plant diseases could become a problem during cool, wet conditions as they have already found some powdery mildew and other diseases, she said.
The OSU scientist said the crop is on schedule despite the brutal February cold snap.
Officials have approved in-person field days this spring as long as covid precautions are followed.
The field days will begin in late April with the LaHoma event scheduled for May 14.
Click on the listen bar below to hear more of KC's interview with Dr. Silva.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...