Bin Run Wheat Seed Bad Idea This Year

By Jane Fyksen Crops Editor
Thursday, August 28, 2008 8:22 AM CDT

Increased demand for wheat seed last year, coupled with a relatively short seed supply, forced many growers to plant bin-run wheat. Luckily, low disease pressure in the 2006-2007 growing season resulted in a high-quality grain crop. Growers could simply clean their wheat and feel confident seed quality was adequate for stand establishment. This year, growers considering planting saved wheat likely won’t be as fortunate, caution UW-Madison’s Shawn Conley, soybean specialist; Paul Esker, plant pathologist; and John Gaska, outreach specialist.

To maximize wheat yields for 2009, they say its “imperative” growers plant certified or private (professionally prepared seed that’s true to variety, clean and has a higher germination percentage of over 85 percent.

The main reason to avoid planting bin-run seed this year is Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) or scab. Scab was found in each of the UW’s 2008 Winter Wheat Variety Testing locations. Scab was most severe at Lancaster. Consult the 2008 Wisconsin Winter Wheat Performance Test Results to how varieties performed.

In northeast Wisconsin, near the UW’s Chilton test site, both head scab and black point were detected at levels high enough growers were docked, they add.

Kernels from heads with scab may be shriveled or shrunken and lightweight. Some kernels may have a pink-to-red discoloration. Others may be bleached or white in color.

Black point or kernel smudge may be caused by a number of different fungi including species of Alternaria, Fusarium and Helminthosporium. Affected kernels appear black-pointed. The embryo end of the seed is discolored with a darkened pericarp and may be shriveled.

The fungi that cause black point or scab of wheat seed may survive in or on seed, thus affecting germination and contributing to seedling blight problems if such bin-run seed is planted.

Fungicide seed treatment and quality seed will help reduce seedling blight due to infected seed but will not protect against subsequent head blight. Planting good quality, disease-free seed is the answer to preventing problems from these seedborne pathogens.

If growers must plant saved seed due to availability or economic considerations, some steps should be taken to increase the likelihood of establishing a good wheat crop. First determine if you can legally plant the wheat seed you saved. Many private wheat varieties now come with statements, which buyers sign at the time of purchase, stating they understand they aren’t authorized to use the harvested grain for seed.

If you bought a public variety, most (if not all) currently used public winter wheat varieties are Plant Variety Protected (PVP), and though you may replant them on your own land, you don’t have the right to trade or sell seed of those varieties to others for planting.

Once you’ve determined if you can legally plant the seed you saved, the next step is to clean it. Its important wheat seed is cleaned to remove small and damaged seed and eliminate weed seeds. Removing small and damaged seed will not only aid in crop establishment, but will also provide a more uniform wheat seedling stand. Removing small and damaged seed will also increase the thousand-kernel weight (TKW), as a measure of seed quality. Wheat seed with TKW values greater than 30 grams tend to have increased fall tiller number and seedling vigor.

The next step is to perform a germination test. Germination tests can either be completed at home or by sending a sample to the Wisconsin Crop Improvement Association on the UW-Madison campus (608-262-1341 or wcia@mailplus.wisc.edu. The website is www.wisc.edu/wcia.

A home test can be performed by counting out four sets of 100 seeds and placing each of them in a damp paper towel. Put the paper towel into a plastic bag to conserve moisture and store in a warm location out of direct sunlight. After five days, count the number of germinated seeds that have both an intact root and shoot. This will give you an estimate of percent germination. It’s important to choose random seeds throughout the entire seed lot and conduct at least four 100-seed counts. If germination is below 85 percent, it’s important to increase seeding rate to compensate.

“However, I would caution growers from seeding any wheat with a germination test below 80 percent,” says Conley.

The last step is to assess the need for fungicide seed treatment. A number of fungicides are labeled for use as seed treatments on winter wheat; they’re listed in the Pest Management for Wisconsin Field Crops 2008 bulletin (UW-Extension A3646). These seed treatment fungicides protect germinating seed and young seedlings from seed borne and soil borne pathogens.

Seed treatment fungicides will not improve germination of seed that has been injured by environmental factors and will not resurrect dead seed. Seed treatment fungicides applied this fall will not protect against FHB infection next summer. If seed with black point or scab must be used for planting, a seed treatment fungicide should be definitely considered.

This trio stresses, though, that planting bin-run wheat should be a grower’s last option for seed.

Winter wheat production in Wisconsin this year is forecast at 22.1 million bushels, up 19 percent from last year. The increased production is due to a 60,000-acre increase from last year. If realized, 2008 will be the highest Wisconsin winter wheat production on record.

Wisconsin farmers anticipate winter wheat to yield an average of 67 bushels per acre statewide, down 2 bushels from 2007.

Nationwide, winter wheat production is forecast at 1.87 billion bushels, 24 percent above 2007. The U.S. yield is forecast at 46.6 bushels per acre, up 4.4 bushels from last year. Harvested area is pegged at 40.3 million acres, up 12 percent from 2007.

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