Recent Frosts Damage County Wheat Crop

Producers in Navarro County had hopes for the ‘09 wheat crop but the recent frost received around April 7 is starting to reveal its impact. Wheat in this area had come through a very challenging fall and winter as conditions were extremely dry. Timely rains received in March provided the chance to salvage the wheat crop but a late frost may hamper yields on many fields. The extent of the freeze injury in wheat can be highly dependent upon location of the field and associated topography and elevation. The lower lying areas seem to be exhibiting more extensive and severe injury. The stage of growth of the wheat crop can also determine how hard hit the crop was. When evaluating wheat heads for injury here are a few things to look for: Color - healthy heads would normally exhibit a light green color at this time of year; affected heads will be a dull yellow to white color. As things progress it may become more obvious in the field. Typically, kernel development stops immediately after freeze damage and damaged kernels are grayish white, rough and shriveled. Fluid - healthy heads and kernels in the milk to early dough stage will have a whitish fluid that can be squeezed from the kernel while damaged kernels may contain a gray to brownish liquid or no fluid at all. Physical signs may also be apparent in the awns as they may be twisted and bleached white. For more information on freeze injury in wheat go to http://varietytesting.tamu.edu/wheat/docs/mime-4.pdf. Some freeze injury has been seen in corn but it is very limited and not as widespread as the wheat damage. As we move forward many adjusters will be looking at insured wheat fields to further assess the damage from this late frost.