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The Effect of Harrowing on Wheat and Barley Yields
After 11 years of field testing researchers concluded that post-emergence harrowing didn't result in yield losses to either spring wheat or barley (Tables 1 and 2).
For example, the unharrowed 'check' didn't yield significantly higher than crop harrowed at emergence, the 1.0 to 1.5 leaf stage or the 2.0 to 2.5 leaf stage, for either the wheat or barley.
However, the crops were seeded into fallow and as a result, there was little stubble residue to clog up the harrows.
If you have a lot of residue bunching in the harrows, you may actually get a little shearing at the surface and maybe pull out some leaves.
As most cropping systems today promote higher levels of surface residue, one possibility to avoid bunching is to use spring tooth harrows with tooth angle adjusted to ensure good trash clearance.
Another alternative if residues are too high is to adjust the seeding rate to compensate.
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Table 1 -- The Effects of Harrowing on Wheat Yield |
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| Yield Bu/Acre | Fertilizer Level NH4PO4 | |
| Stage of Harrowing | 0 | 80 lbs/a |
| Check | 33.55 | 37.02 |
| Emergence | 35.27 | 37.88 |
| 1.0 - 1.5 Leaf Stage | 33.14 | 37.76 |
| 2.0 - 2.5 Leaf Stage | 33.53 | 37.72 |
| Average | 33.86 | 37.61 |
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Table 2 -- The Effects of Harrowing on Barley Yield |
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| Yield Bu/Acre | Fertilizer Level NH4PO4 | |
| Stage of Harrowing | 0 | 80 lbs/A |
| Check | 51.15 | 59.43 |
| Emergence | 51.63 | 60.06 |
| 1.0 - 1.5 Leaf Stage | 52.56 | 59.42 |
| 2.0 - 2.5 Leaf Stage | 49.38 | 57.71 |
| Average | 51.11 | 59.01 |
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