N on Wheat

Mother nature is taking her sweet time getting here with spring.  Last year, the majority of N went down on the wheat late March - early April.

This year, it is hard to see a tinge of green in some fields.  The only areas showing a little bit of green are those that were protected from the frost by snow cover until recently.  There are some people out spreading Nitrogen this week.  I personally think it is too early to be out with any N fertilizer.  The plant needs to be growing to use the available nitrogen, and the wheat is still dormant. 

With the forecast of rain for next week, the wheat should start to green up and it will be time to roll.

So when it is time, what amount of N should you be putting down?  Have we learned anything more from the SMART trials?  For sure, I think the biggest takeaway from the research is that higher N rates are not for everyone. 

Before bumping up to 120-150lb/ac of N you need a few things:
-a commitment to a fungicide application at heading, and possibly an earlier one if needed
-a variety that can handle the higher N rates without lodging issues
-good enough winter survival and yield potential of the field to justify the rates

And should you include sulphur with your N application?  If you have a steady source of manure, probably not.  If no manure, consider 10lbs of S with your N and do some test strips.