Wheat And Nitrogen Go Hand In Hand
By JEFF BURBRINK
Extension Educator, Purdue Extension Elkhart County
Every year, there are fewer acres of wheat planted in the county, it seems. That may be why I am getting more questions about wheat recently, because people are forgetting how to grow it.
Many people raise wheat simply for the straw. In fact, there have been a few years when straw has been more valuable than the grain.
Whether you are growing wheat for straw or grain, the plants will need nitrogen. A bushel of wheat removes about one pound of nitrogen from the soil, while the straw removes about 0.53 pounds of nitrogen per bushel of grain. Wheat that is producing about 60 bushels per acre, therefore, removes about 90 pounds of nitrogen per acre.
As far as timing, most growers put about 15 to 30 pounds of nitrogen on at planting, with the remainder of the nitrogen applied between spring green up and jointing. Waiting until after jointing to apply the nitrogen generally does not benefit yields much. After the flag leaf forms, there is no added yield benefit for additional nitrogen.
Topdressing applications of urea fertilizers are an inexpensive source of nitrogen. However, if the weather conditions are warm, windy and damp but not raining, you will most likely benefit from a urease inhibitor to reduce ammonia volatilization.
If you are using a UAN product for nitrogen, you can cut down on the foliar burn damage to the wheat by using a stream bar. Despite the decrease of foliar burning, there is no real yield advantage to a stream bar compared to flat fan nozzles.