Today managing your wheat crop requires knowledge of the different growth stages of the plant. Growth stage identification is critical for scouting and proper timing of fertilizer and pesticide applications. Each week throughout the rest of the growing season I will discuss the various wheat growth stages I am seeing in our wheat fields and management issues at each stage. This week I will focus on Feekes 9. While growth stage does vary throughout the County, most of our field have passed through Feekes 9 and are at (or approcahing) Feekes 10 growth stage.
Feekes 9 – Ligule of flag leaf visible.
The flag leaf is completely emerged from the whorl. Flag leaf and the next-to-last leaf (penultimate leaf ) combined account for 70 to 90 percent of the photosynthates used for grain fill and must be protected for the plant to develop to its full potential.
If you need a reminder on how to determine if wheat is at Feekes GS 9, watch this video.
Management Scout for insects and diseases. Consider a fungicide application to protect the flag leaf if foliar diseases are present on the lower canopy. Nitrogen application can increase grain protein levels.