The winter of 2016-2017 may be winding down, but what has it wrought on your winter wheat crop? Ron Meyer, Colorado State University area agronomist, offers some tips for determining if the wheat crop is alive.

He noted in a recent Crop Watch report that environmental conditions affect plant growth in many ways. And given the winter many faced in the West, conditions that are too dry, too wet, too cold or too hot may have been visited on your crop this season.

Determining whether wheat plants are alive this spring after the season you faced is important to determine. Knowing the viability of the crop can help you determine where it's best to apply spring nutrients for the best returns.

Meyer recommends you start with a visual inspection that includes these steps:

• Dig 10 wheat plants from the worst spots in the field, like hilltops or dry areas.
• Cut plants diagonally and examine inside the root and shoot areas, especially inside the crown area.
• Healthy plants will exhibit cream- or light-colored internal "plumbing" — or plant tissue
• Discolored or brown-colored internal plant tissue indicated dead plants.

He advises that if you have fields with more than 50% of plants that are dead, you consider abandoning them. That's especially true if the dead plants are uniformly distributed across the field. And if large areas are found not viable, then those areas should be considered not productive and also be considered for abandonment.

Another way to test wheat viability? Meyer explains that wheat plants can be transplanted into a soil medium and brought into the house. Water and warm the wheat plants, and if new growth isn't seen in 10 days, the plants aren't alive.

Source: Colorado State University