Oklahoma State University: Drought Concerns Loom With Spring On The Horizon

Press release from Oklahoma State University:

2022-02-10

The state’s drought status continues to intensify, and rainfall within the next few
weeks is crucial for a profitable 2022 wheat crop, especially in the northwestern
part of the state.

“Much of the wheat between Stillwater and Woodward should have a decent profile of
moisture stored from rainfall since last harvest, but the near surface moisture seems
to be very low, and the roots may have not yet tapped into the deeper moisture,” said
Jason Warren, a soil and water conservation specialist for Oklahoma State University Extension.

It’s a similar scenario for wheat that was planted after summer crops. Warren said
a lot of it is grown under no-till management to help store rainfall received after
the harvest of summer crops, but a dry period from July through September 2021 forced
summer crops to fully deplete the soil’s moisture profile. The wheat grown after summer
crops is dependent on rain this spring.

“All of our wheat production systems in western Oklahoma need a good drink and will
require average or above-average spring rainfall to be successful,” Warren said.

In the Oklahoma Panhandle where cattle heavily graze wheat pastures in the winter,
sub-optimal moisture will also affect crop rotation decisions later in the year.

“Extension educators are talking to their producers about whether this is the year
we fallow out a lot of our summer crop ground or switch to forage,” said Josh Lofton, OSU Extension cropping systems specialist. “It’s one of those situations in the
western side of the state where I don’t think we need to sell out to all one system
but have a mix and match of forages and more drought-hardy crops like cotton and sorghum.
We need to have alternative options for whatever Mother Nature gives us in the next
few weeks.”

For producers who irrigate their wheat, Saleh Taghvaeian, OSU Extension water resources specialist, said continued drought will result in
an earlier irrigation season. He said a plant’s ability to adapt to dry conditions
is based on the amount of water the plant received during germination.

“It’s a very delicate balance, and you have to be careful about how much water is
applied early in the growing season,” he said. “Filling the root zone entirely will
confuse the crop. It will go into a lazy mode that doesn’t allocate resources to develop
roots.”

When a hot and dry season arrives, groundwater and irrigation capacity declines. Water
isn’t available to meet irrigation demand, and the plant’s roots aren’t strong enough
to reach for deeper layers of moisture in the ground.

“In drought, the crop may look shorter and lack that lush green color, but below ground,
if its root system is deep and extensive, it can extract more moisture from the root
zone,” Taghvaeian said.

While producers wait for rain on their wheat fields, uncertainty looms around how
much seed to purchase and what input costs to budget for additional crops. The Oklahoma Mesonet Drought Monitor reports a majority of the state in at least moderate drought, but Lofton said February
rains could be a game changer.

“Just because we’re dry now doesn’t mean all is lost,” he said. “If it starts raining
in early March and we get good recharge, our summer crops could be just fine.”

In addition to crop conditions, OSU Extension beef cattle specialist Derrell Peel
discusses how the current drought is affecting cattle markets.

Learn more about OSU drought resources.

This press release was produced by Oklahoma State University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.