01/12/09 WSU agronomist thinks major winterkill bullet was dodged

Farm and Ranch January 12, 2009 Mid-December northeast winds that blew off snow cover and night temperatures of below zero of 12 hour duration on exposed plants raised concern about winterkill in winter wheat, particularly in drier production areas of eastern Washington. But the damage may not be that bad. That's the assessment of Bill Schillinger, a research agronomist at Washington State University's Dryland Research Station at Lind who went a tour last Thursday when the temperature rose to 47 degrees. Schillinger: "I spent a good part of the day just driving around in the Lind, Ritzville, Odessa corridor and looking at wheat and by and large it is looking pretty good. I think we dodged a bullet here. Most of those fields were looking green. So I don't think we have major winterkill. I know we don't have major winterkill. I think we might have some localized spots in fields with winterkill. And that would like you knobs and exposed regions. I think we dodged a bullet. But, those plants are still weak. The have been damaged." Which could impact yield down the road. Schillinger says growers worried about winterkill can perform a simple test. Dig up a representative sample of plants making sure the crown remains intact. Clip roots off within one-quarter of an inch of the crowns. Wrap plants in wet paper towels and place them in zip-lock bags to prevent dehydration. Put plants in a refrigerator for 24 hours, then remove and leave at room temperature. If the wheat plant is alive, regrowth should begin within four days. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.