18-04-2025
Some Kansas wheat suffering drought stress
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The rain Wednesday into Thursday was not enough for many Kansas wheat fields. Agriculture experts say they see signs of drought stress in some wheat, such as bottom leaves turning yellow.
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that 66% of the state, the tan area on the map, is in a moderate drought as of Tuesday morning. That is an 11% increase over last week.
Also, in the last week, 8% of the winter wheat crop has dropped from being rated as good to excellent, dropping from 51% last week to 43% this week.
Winter wheat condition
Very poor
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
Last week
5%
12%
32%
45%
6%4%
14%
39%
38%
5%
The Kansas Wheat website reports that topsoil and subsoil moisture are also worse in many areas of the state after there has been no significant moisture for nearly five months.
Farmers weather dry spring planting season
Farmer Josh Debes in central Kansas told Kansas Wheat that a month ago, he could still find moisture four to five inches deep in his fields. Now, the ground is cracking, and he is seeing the bottom leaves of the wheat turn yellow.
'We started seeing issues two to three weeks ago, but the wheat has looked progressively worse as we've missed all of the rain,' Debes told Kansas Wheat. 'In the northern part of the county, the wheat is no longer looking so promising. We're now on par with the previous three summers of abnormally dry, drought-limiting crops.'
The right amount of rain at the right time is always essential for crops. Experts say 46% of the Kansas wheat crop has jointed, and stems are forming and need more moisture.
'At this stage, the wheat plant has already set the total potential kernels that will develop in the wheat head,' Kansas Wheat reported. 'Any stress from here until harvest will drop that number down, although the impact of the current dry weather and temperature swings will not be realized until the plant is more fully developed.'
Jeanne Falk-Jones, a Kansas State University agronomy specialist, said there are other reasons farmers might see yellow in the wheat. If the yellow is mottled with green on parts of the leaf, it could be a disease like Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus, Triticum Mosaic Virus or High Plains Mosaic Virus.
She also said she has driven by some fields in western Kansas that look very good.
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