The earliest wheat crops this year had problems. What crops?

Najwcześniejsze pszenice w tym roku miały problemy. Jakie plony?

What yields the earliest wheats?
What influenced the yield results?

Frosts reduced yields

Very early wheats were very popular among farmers last season. Harvesting in the barley season, quicker release of the field for cultivation, spreading the harvest over time – these are just some of the advantages of this type of wheat. Basically, although the yield potential may be slightly lower, if only due to the shorter (although very dynamic) vegetation time, such wheat has many advantages. This year – as many farmers say – it didn't work out. Yields are low. There are several reasons, but this is one of them that has contributed most to the reduction in yield.

We remember a series of frosts in the second half of April. This largely affected winter rapeseed and the most advanced winter cereals, including: barley and early wheat. A large part of the very early wheat plantations were at the flowering stage at that time. This is a key process for building grain. Unfortunately, the frost damage was so severe that flowering was disturbed.

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Drought and low grain weight

Of course, drought is also important. This phenomenon affected all winter crops to a large extent, but to varying degrees and at different development stages. The intensity of this varied depending on the location – however, the earliest wheats experienced severe drought from the flag leaf stage, through earing, to the stage of milk and waxy ripeness.

In addition to frost damage, which actually reduced the number of grains developed, we have another problem: low MTZ caused by rainfall deficiency and poor grain pouring.

Early wheat yields are low this year

In Lower Silesia, the yields of the earliest wheat already harvested are low, even as low as 3 t/ha. However, it is estimated that yield results are even 20 – 50 percent lower. as a result of frost damage in the second half of April. Fortunately, there are also better results, although also far from expectations – at the level of 4 – 4.5 t/ha. It will certainly be better in locations where there was more water, but even a good supply of moisture will not compensate for the frost damage that occurred throughout the country.

Farmers point out that last year the same wheat allowed for a yield of 1.5 to 3 t/ha higher than this season. This is a huge disproportion. But last year, winter crops did not have as many stress factors as during the 20023/2024 growing season.