Making informed decisions about your winter wheat stands in the spring can translate into more bushels and/or profit in the summer.  In fact, one of the first orders of crop business once the snow the melts away and temperatures begin to warm is to make an assessment of winter wheat fields.  Here are the decisions needed to be made: 

·Is the stand worth keeping?

·How much nitrogen should be applied?

·When should the nitrogen be applied? 

        Let's take a closer look at each of these decisions in more detail. 

Is the stand worth keeping? 

        The first order of business is to make an accurate stand count.  This can sometimes be more difficult than it might initially seem.  First, be sure to wait long enough to give plants time to green-up and sustain growth.  Initial growth may vary across the field because of topography and snow cover.  To make stand counts, use a yard stick and count the number plants along the 3-foot distance.  Repeat the procedure at several randomly selected areas in the field.  Next, determine the average number of plants per 3-foot of row by averaging your results over the field locations where counts were made.  Multiply this number by 4 and then divide by the row width (inches) to determine the number of plants per square foot.  For example, in a 7-inch row spacing if the average number of plants per 3-foot of row length is 42, then:   

            42 x 4 / 7 = 24 plants per square foot 

        A word of caution when making stand counts:  be sure you are counting plants and not tillers.  Often there can be several tillers per plant.  Table 1 shows the relative yield of winter wheat based on stand count.  Any field with an average stand count of less than 15 plants per square foot is probably not worth keeping.    

How much nitrogen should be applied? 

        Nitrogen serves two very important functions for winter wheat.  First, nitrogen helps to increase tiller number in the spring.  This has the essentially the same impact as increasing the density of the stand (plants per square foot).  The second important function of nitrogen is to supply the nutritional needs of the plant as it progresses through the growing season.  If nitrogen is deficient, yields will suffer.  Conversely, too much nitrogen can also be detrimental by increasing the risk for lodging and the development of certain diseases. 

        The current UW nitrogen recommendation for winter wheat is 70 lbs. N per acre (soils with 2.0-9.9% organic matter).  If wheat follows soybeans (as it often does), reduce applications to 50 lbs. per acre.  Other manure and legume credits can also be taken where appropriate.  

 When should nitrogen be applied? 

        Recall that nitrogen can be applied to increase and support additional tillering.  Hence, tiller (stem) number is now being used to dictate when nitrogen applications are made.  Research indicates that if tiller number is greater than 70 per square foot it may be beneficial to delay nitrogen applications until just prior to the jointing stage (the point when stems elongate).  By doing so there is an increase in nitrogen use efficiency and the potential for increased yield.  If, on the other hand, tiller number in early spring is less than 70 per square foot, it's recommended to apply nitrogen in early spring (after stands "green-up) in an attempt to increase final grain head count.