The sudden sharp drop in temperatures across Kansas this week will cause the wheat crop to go into dormancy. Whether it will injure the wheat to any degree depends on several factors.

The most important tests and nutrients to focus on this year depends in part on where you are located, the choices you make when applying N, and your tillage system.

On the western side of Oklahoma, early cotton acre establishment is in question, and winter wheat outcome looks devastating, according to Gary Strickland, Jackson County director and southwest regional agronomist for Oklahoma State University Extension.

In many areas of Kansas, prolonged drought has resulted in short wheat and thin stands. Harvesting wheat in these situations can be a challenge. Special attention needs to be given to cutting height, machine adjustments, and operator control.

>Both daytime high and nighttime low temperatures have been extremely high across parts of Kansas during the four-day period May 9-12 (Figure 1). Extreme heat in early- to mid-May occasionally happens, but usually just for a single day. To have four consecutive days of days with highs in the low- to mid-90s °F at a time when much of the state’s wheat crop is either in the heading or flowering stage is concerning.