Intensive Winter Wheat Management - Mohall ND

Cooperator: Dean Schoenberg
Kent McKay, Area Extension Specialist/Cropping Systems
Kristie Michels, Research Specialist
Shanna Mazurek, Field Assistant

Trial Information:
The objective of this trial was to evaluate nitrogen rate/yield goal, nitrogen source, and nitrogen application timing in winter wheat. The trial was conducted on the Dean Schoenberg farm 5 miles west of Mohall, ND. 'Ransom' winter wheat was seeded no-till September 8, 2003 into previous canola residue. On April 14, a soil test was conducted indicating 62 pounds of nitrogen available in the top two feet of soil. A stand of 21 plants per square foot was present. The trial was a randomized complete block design with three replications. Yield goals of 50 and 70 bushels per acre were compared in the study; which resulted in an additional 63 and 113 pounds of actual nitrogen per acre to be applied. Fertility treatments are described below. Folicur at 4 fl oz/A was applied at Feekes 10.51 to specified treatments on June 29th. Plots were harvested with a plot combine on August 25.

Fertility Treatments:
1. 50 bu yield goal: 63 lbs of actual N (urea) was broadcasted on April 21 at the 2 leaf stage.
2. 50 bu yield goal: 63 lbs of actual N was applied at the 2 leaf stage on April 21 with a CO₂ pressurized sprayer equipped with streamjet nozzles delivering 21 gallons of 28-0-0.

3. 70 bu yield goal: 113 lbs of actual N (urea) was broadcasted on April 21 at the 2 leaf stage.
4. 70 bu yield goal: 113 lbs of actual N was applied at the 2 leaf stage on April 21 with a CO₂ pressurized sprayer equipped with streamjet nozzles delivering 37.6 gallons of 28-0-0.

5. 50 bu yield goal: 63 lbs of actual N (urea) was broadcasted at the 4 leaf stage on May 4.
6. 50 bu yield goal: 63 lbs of actual N was applied at the 4 leaf stage on May 4 with a CO₂ pressurized sprayer equipped with streamjet nozzles delivering 21 gallons of 28-0-0.

7. 70 bu yield goal: 113 lbs of actual N (urea) was broadcasted at the 4 leaf stage on May 4.
8. 70 bu yield goal: 113 lbs of actual N was applied at the 4 leaf stage on May 4 with a CO₂ pressurized sprayer equipped with streamjet nozzles delivering 37.6 gallons of 28-0-0.

9. An initial 50 bu yield goal was boosted to a 70 bu yield goal: 63 lbs of actual N was applied at the 4 leaf stage on May 4 with a CO₂ pressurized sprayer equipped with streamjet nozzles delivering 21 gallons of 28-0-0. On May 26 when the winter wheat was 5 1/2 leaf stage an additional 50 lbs of actual N was applied using CO₂ pressurized sprayer equipped with streamjet nozzles delivering 16.3 gallons of 28-0-0.




10. 50 bu yield goal: 63 lbs of actual N was applied at the 5 1/2 leaf stage on May 26 with a CO₂ pressurized sprayer equipped with streamjet nozzles delivering 21 gallons of 28-0-0.

11. 70 bu yield goal: 113 lbs of actual N was applied at the 5 1/2 leaf stage on May 26 with a CO₂ pressurized sprayer equipped with streamjet nozzles delivering 37.6 gallons of 28-0-0.

Intensive Winter Wheat Management Trial Results, Mohall, ND. 2004
	Yield Goal	Yield	Test Wht.	Protein	Gross Income	Net income
Treatment	bu/A	bu/A	lb/bu	%	$/A*	$/A**
63 lbs N 2 lf Urea	50	70.2	58.8	11.1	188.95	167.05
113 lbs N 2 lf Urea	70	74.5	58.1	11.9	200.41	163.96
63 lbs N 2 lf 28-0-0	50	64.8	58.8	10.3	174.37	151.68
113 lbs N 2 lf 28-0-0	70	73.7	58.9	10.9	198.28	160.82
113 lbs N 2 lf 28-0-0	70	80.5	59.4	10.7	216.63	175.17
+ 4 fl oz Folicur
63 lbs N 4 lf Urea	50	67.9	59.0	11.0	182.65	160.75
113 lbs N 4 lf Urea	70	68.6	57.9	11.8	184.45	148.00
63 lbs N 4 lf 28-0-0	50	68.0	58.6	10.3	182.81	160.12
113 lbs N 4 lf 28-0-0	70	69.8	58.7	11.5	187.84	150.38
113 lbs N 4 lf 28-0-0	70	74.7	59.4	11.1	200.89	148.93
+ 4 fl oz Folicur
63 lbs N 4 lf 28-0-0	50 to 70	73.6	58.9	11.2	197.85	156.39
50 lbs N 5 1/2 lf 28-0-0
63 lbs N 4 lf 28-0-0	50 to 70	79.0	59.4	11.0	212.54	156.58
50 lbs N 5 1/2 lf 28-0-0
+ 4 fl oz Folicur
63 lbs N 5 1/2 lf 28-0-0	50	70.7	58.7	10.6	190.26	167.57
113 lbs N 5 1/2 lf 28-0-0	70	70.2	58.9	11.4	188.95	151.49
LSD (P=.05)		6.7	0.3	0.5	18.04	NA
Standard Deviation		4.0	0.2	0.3	10.75	NA
CV		5.6	0.3	2.5	14.96	NA
Grand Mean		71.9	58.8	11.1	193.36	158.49
*Winter wheat price, $2.69, quoted from Sun Prairie Grain Mohall on September 17th, 2004.

**Net income figured as gross income minus fertilizer, fungicide, and application costs. Other expenses would be the same across treatments. Prices used for figuring net income are: Urea, $0.1335/lb; Urea application, $3.75/A; 28-0-0, $0.89/G; 28-0-0 application, $4.00; and Folicur, $14.50/A w/application. All fertilizer, application, and fungicide prices quoted from Farmers Union Agronomy Center, Mohall.

Results:
High winter wheat yields were observed. The average yield across all treatments was 72 bushels per acre. Averaged across treatments, the 50 bu YG fertility treatments produced similar yields as the 70 bu YG treatments. However, the 70 bu YG fertility treatments had significantly higher protein levels. Across all fertility treatments, there was no significant difference between nitrogen sources, urea or liquid N. The 4 leaf treatments had lower yields compared to the 2 leaf and 5 1/2 leaf treatments. There was no significant precipitation from when the fertility treatments were applied on May 4 to when 12 inches of snow was recorded on May 11/12. Over 1.42 inches of precipitation was recorded, which could have resulted in a percentage of the nitrogen to run off the soil rather than be absorbed into the soil resulting in the lower yields. There was no fusarium head blight observed in the trial. The Folicur treatments significantly reduced flag leaf disease levels. The incidence of leaf disease on the flag leaf of the untreated treatments averaged 28%; while the Folicur treatments averaged 7%. The Folicur treatments had significantly higher yield and test weight than most of the other treatments. However, with a wheat price of $2.69 bu, the yield increases were not high enough with most Folicur treatments to increase net income.