How to manage wheat in winter? Master these five key points

To do a good job in the field management of winter wheat, the following measures should be focused on:

First, strengthen the management of three-category seedlings. For three-category seedlings, the favorable opportunity before winter freezing should be seized to give priority to management and promote root growth. Loosen the soil by hoeing in time to increase soil temperature. For late-sown wheat fields with good subsoil moisture, generally do not irrigate with winter water, so as not to lower the soil temperature; for late-sown wheat with poor subsoil moisture, winter water should be applied on a sunny day, and an appropriate amount of chemical fertilizer may be applied where base fertilizer is insufficient.

Second, apply overwintering water in time. Applying winter water helps settle the soil, ensures the wheat seedlings survive the winter safely, helps the wheat field store moisture, provides good soil moisture for the wheat to turn green and stand up in early spring of the following year, and gains initiative in management. Therefore, where irrigation conditions are available, overwintering water should be applied in good time. In the Huang-Huai-Hai wheat region, the suitable time for applying winter water is the end of November and the beginning of December. For plots with insufficient basal nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer, or plots with missing seedlings or weak seedling vigor, or plots lacking fertilizer, an appropriate amount of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer should be applied along with the winter water.

Third, do a good job in managing vigorous seedlings before overwintering. At present, the management of vigorous seedlings should focus on control. First, pressing. Before freezing, stone rollers or mechanical pressing can be used to control aboveground growth and the occurrence of excessive tillering. The number of pressings depends on the seedling condition; generally, pressing vigorous seedling wheat fields 1 to 2 times is sufficient. Second, deep hoeing to cut roots. For overly vigorous wheat fields, in addition to pressing, deep hoeing to cut roots can be carried out before winter when the total number of stems per mu reaches more than 600,000, with a depth of about 10 cm. After hoeing, the soil should be raked level and compacted to prevent damage from wind and freezing.

Fourth, hoe in good time to eliminate weeds and preserve moisture. Hoeing before winter not only preserves and raises moisture but also eliminates weeds. Therefore, when wheat encounters rain before winter, winter irrigation, or other reasons cause soil crusting, all types of wheat fields should be hoed in time to break the crust, preserve moisture through moisture conservation, and promote robust growth of the root system and seedlings.

Fifth, strengthen the prevention and control of diseases, insect pests, and weeds. At present, prevention and control should focus on striped rust, powdery mildew, sheath blight, aphids, underground pests, and weeds. For wheat striped rust, the strategy of “discover one spot, control a whole area” should be adhered to, to minimize overwintering inoculum sources to the greatest extent. In inoculum source areas such as Gansu and Sichuan, large-scale chemical control should be carried out to control inoculum sources and reduce pressure on other wheat regions; highly efficient and safe herbicides should be selected for chemical weeding to reduce weed damage; poisoned soil or poisoned bait should be prepared to control underground pests and ensure a full stand through winter; and control should be carried out on fields where sheath blight reaches the threshold, to lower the disease base in the middle and late stages.