Wheat harvest producing good yields, said Purdue agronomist
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Indiana wheat yields this summer are running about good to average, with less than one-fourth of the crop left to be harvested, said a Purdue University agronomist.
To date, the central and southern regions of the state have 91-95 percent of wheat acres harvested, with the northern region at 61 percent harvested.
In central Indiana counties, yields ranged from 80 bushels to 120 bushels per acre with a small amount of head scab present.
Shaun Casteel, Purdue Extension small grains specialist, said he did some field scouting and things looked really good.
“It does not surprise me to see yields of more than 100 bushels per acre,” Casteel said.
The southern region averaged between 70 and 90 bushels per acre. This average is lower than normal because of an increase in Fusarium head blight also known as scab, Casteel said. This may result in an increase in mycotoxin levels that could reach ten parts per million, and could lead to elevators rejecting the wheat.
In the northern region of the state there was little to no head scab present.
Farmers interested in double cropping their soybeans after their wheat harvest should consider their region’s frost date.
“Farmers should give themselves 90 days from planting to the first frost date that is typical for their region to allow the soybeans to fully mature,” Casteel said.
For more information about the Indiana wheat crop, contact Casteel at 765-494-0895 or scasteel@purdue.edu .
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