• Which durum variety should I plant?

  Choice of a durum variety should depend on expected yield and contract price. Varieties intended for the identity preserved market tend to have lower yield but higher price than varieties intended for the general purpose market. Other factors to consider are lodging resistance and maturity of the variety.

• Which barley variety should I plant?

  Factors to consider when choosing a barley variety are yield potential, maturity, test weight, and lodging. Short season barley varieties allow double-cropping with cotton.

• What about Solum barley?

  Solum is low input barley with a yield potential of about 3000 pounds per acre with two irrigations. A seeding rate of 20 to 40 pounds of seed per acre is recommended and a nitrogen rate of 40 pounds of N per acre is usually sufficient. Solum has a tendency to lodge and have low test weight, but delaying the second irrigation until boot can lessen these problems.

• What is the optimum planting date for small grains?

  December 15 to January 15 (southwestern AZ), November 15 to December 15 (central AZ)

• What seeding rate should I use for small grains?

  100 to 120 pounds of seed per acre for barley and 120 to 150 pounds of seed per acre for wheat.

• How much nitrogen fertilizer should I apply to wheat?

  About 200 to 250 pounds of N per acre in split applications with a final application of 30 to 50 pounds of N per acre near flowering. The optimal N rate depends on many factors. Stem tissue testing is a tool that allows the optimal N rate to be approximated.

• How much nitrogen fertilizer should I apply to barley?

  About 150 to 200 pounds of N per acre in split applications is usually necessary. The optimal N rate depends on many factors. Stem tissue testing is a tool that allows the optimal N rate to be approximated.

• How many irrigations should I apply to my small grains?

  About 6 to 7 irrigations of 6 inches each is normally required. This varies depending on soil type, rainfall, planting date, and other factors.

• When should I apply the first post-emergence irrigation to small grains?

  Late tillering stage depending on rainfall.

• When should I apply the last irrigation to small grains?

  The soft dough stage.

• What is physiological maturity?

  Physiological maturity is the stage where the grain ceases to accumulate dry weight. At this stage, irrigation will have no effect on grain yield or test weight. Physiological maturity occurs when heads turn color from green to brown.