No rain for a sustained period before wheat sowing: should you wait for rain or sow first?

Summary: No rain for a sustained period before wheat sowing: should you wait for rain or sow the wheat?

This question has really been a headache lately. Back in my hometown, it has not rained for more than half a month either, but fortunately the soil moisture condition here is still okay, and a few days ago my family already sowed the wheat. Where we are, people generally sow together; seeing that others have sown, waiting any longer feels rushed, and usually once one household sows, everyone follows and sows too.

A friend also asked a similar question before. Actually, it is still that saying: "Better to sow a bit late than to fail to ensure good subsoil moisture." If the soil moisture is suitable, it is best to sow right away; if you keep waiting, no one can say for sure whether it will rain. However, the elders at home say, "The Autumn Equinox is early, Frost's Descent is late, and Cold Dew is just the right time to sow wheat." Now Cold Dew has already passed by more than ten days, and if it has not been sown yet, I think it is better to make plans earlier, because even appropriate late sowing cannot be too late. Otherwise, if wheat is sown too late, it will not be conducive to the wheat overwintering smoothly later on, and it will likewise affect the later wheat harvest.

In addition, if the local drought is not very severe and the soil is in a half-dry, half-moist state, it is best not to use broadcasting, because then the wheat seeds cannot come into contact with soil moisture and it is very hard for them to emerge. Of course, there is also the fear that the wheat may emerge but there is still no rain, and the newly emerged wheat sprouts are dried to death, which instead wastes the wheat seeds. So it really is hard to decide. My view is that if the moisture condition is suitable, then sow. To be honest, farmers who depend on the sky to farm really have it hard.

How do you judge whether the soil moisture condition is suitable for sowing wheat?

Soil moisture condition is an important indicator for judging whether it is suitable to sow wheat, so how do you judge whether the soil moisture condition is suitable for sowing? In fact, the most suitable soil moisture condition for sowing wheat is when there is sufficient moisture; at this time, sowing wheat gives the best emergence. Generally, sufficient moisture means when the soil moisture is about 80% of field capacity, and that is what is called sufficient moisture. Of course, the soil cannot always have such a good moisture condition, so different response measures still need to be taken according to different soil conditions.

For situations where the soil moisture is insufficient, we generally adopt two methods: one is building moisture before sowing, and the other is timely replenishing water after sowing, which is what is called tread moisture water, stubble irrigation water, and head-covering water. Generally, for plots where head-covering water is used, pay attention to checking the soil condition promptly after watering to avoid soil crusting, because soil crusting is likewise unfavorable for wheat emergence.

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