Dormant seeding of spring wheat is something you might want to try this week, says Dwayne Beck, manager of the Dakota Lakes Research Farm at Pierre, S.D.

"Dormant seeding is when a crop is placed in a soil long before soil temperatures and/or moisture conditions are going to allow the seed to germinate and grow," says Beck, who has more than 30 years of experience with the practice. "[It] works best with crops like wheat that keep their growing points below the soil surface for an extended period after leaf emergence, as compared to crops like canola that place their growing points on or above the soil surface as they emerge."

A no-till drill, similar to this one from a file photo, will be rolling on the Dakota Lakes Research Farm this week dormant seeding spring wheat.

Dormant seeding is a viable alternative to a traditional spring seeding program and as a means to keep wheat in the rotation when dry weather precludes winter wheat seeding in the fall," he says. "I also emphasize to growers that the field needs to have adequate residue.  At the present time some of the land that was not seeded to winter wheat because the operator feared it would blow, has not received moisture, so it could still be an issue if those acres were dormant seeded."

A three year study at the Dakota Lakes Research Farm produced a spring wheat yield of 65.8 bushel per acre with dormant seeding and 62.0 bushels per acre with late March seeding. Beck says this slight yield advantage to proper dormant seeding would be larger if the spring seeding was delayed into April.

"Dormant seeded wheat should always be done with spring wheat and not winter wheat," Beck says. "Winter wheat will most likely vernalize and produce heads the next summer when dormant seeded in the fall, but the research at Dakota Lakes indicates that dormant seeded winter wheat heads and matures later than spring wheat seeded the same day and the winter wheat yields are less.

Dormant seeding should not be considered in situations where residue and soil conditions will result in increased wind erosion potential.

"Good sanitation and rotations practices need to be in place because time and temperature conditions will limit spring burndown options," he says. "Surface residue should be sufficient to minimize soil temperature fluctuations associated with short winter-time warm ups that may cause the wheat to germinate, only to be killed by cold temperatures that could follow."

Planting recommendations
Seeding should occur after soil temperatures have cooled sufficiently to prevent the seed from germinating. If possible, it should be done just before the soil freezes. Cold soil that is dry will seed well. If the soil is moist and frozen it is sometimes not possible to seed at normal (1 to 1.5 inches) seeding depth. Shallow seeding will fail. The proper time at Pierre is usually the week following Thanksgiving but this can vary. A normal seeding rate (1.6 million pure live seeds per acre) or slightly higher is appropriate. Treating the seed with a fungicide seed treatment has been beneficial. Placing dry fertilizer (50 to 70 lbs of 11-52-0/acre) was used in these trials and was also beneficial. Higher rates, inclusion of chloride fertilizers, and liquid fertilizer sources in contact with the seed were not tested. These may create concern.

Insurance considerations
There are some very gray areas in crop insurance regulations when the subject of dormant seeding is involved. Beck says his personal optimistic interpretation is that early December is actually very early spring. He recommends that all growers check with their insurance provider.

Biggest drawback to dormant seeding
The biggest drawback to dormant seeding is the need to pull things out of the shed and get them ready to go at this time of year. Everyone wants to relax and get ready for the holidays. The days are short and the weather can be cold. Heated cabs and auto steer are a huge benefit as compared to 15 years ago, but it still takes discipline.

Dormant seeding is the normal practice for spring wheat production at Dakota Lakes.

Source: SDSU