Growth and yield of winter wheat as affected by preceding crop and crop management

Producers in eastern South Dakota are interested in adding winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to their crop rotations to improve crop yield and pest management. Our study quantified winter wheat response to preceding crop and crop management. Preceding crops were soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill], oat (Avena sativa L.)-pea (Pisum sativum L.) mixture, and spring wheat. Two crop management strategies, high-input and conventional, were compared. High-input management differed from conventional management by a 60% higher seeding rate and a split application of N fertilizer. Winter wheat with high-input management yielded the highest following oat-pea; in contrast, winter wheat with conventional management yielded 28% less following spring wheat. Winter wheat following soybean yielded 88% of the winter wheat with high-input following oat-pea. Tiller density was 32% higher when winter wheat followed oat-pea compared with soybean. Winter wheat developed faster following oat-pea compared with other preceding crops, as determined by measuring solar radiation at the soil surface in early May and date of heading. Winter wheat production can be improved by increasing seeding rate and banding a starter fertilizer by the seed at planting.