Emails: silvaa@okstate.edu isrmoli@okstate.edu brett.carver@okstate.edu

Long-term trends in rising temperatures and extreme weather events during the crop season will dictate how we grow crops. It is therefore urgent to identify resilient varieties and alternative cropping systems better adapted to changing climate.

The increased frequency of drought events and weed infestations at normal planting time has driven wheat farmers to delay planting. Wheat growers in the US Southern Great Plains have recognized the necessity for short-season winter wheat varieties adapted to late planting without delaying harvest or losing yield. Delaying planting of full-season wheat from October to December results in yield losses of about 50% and harvest delays of 10 days or more.

According to producers, delaying wheat harvest by five days is problematic when planting a subsequent summer crop. Furthermore, farmers are interested in diversifying income using double-cropping systems with summer crops, driving demand for short-season wheat varieties. The overall objective of this research is to determine the best management practices (BMPs) that simultaneously maximize grain yield, protein concentration, and nitrogen use efficiency of late-sown wheat.

Results will be presented from multiple field experiments conducted using multi-location trials in Oklahoma to evaluate the performance of short-season versus commonly grown full-season varieties under different agronomic management including planting date, planting density, and nutrient management.

This research addresses pressing climate challenges and will help producers thrive at late-planting date and double-cropping systems across multiple winter wheat-growing regions.