Oklahoma Wheat Update: Early Wheat Variety Plot Tour Observations from Southwest and South-Central Oklahoma

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Amanda de Oliveira Silva, Small Grains Extension Specialist

Last week, we kicked off our wheat plot tour season in Oklahoma, with our first stops in southwestern Oklahoma—Altus and Walters—and south-central Oklahoma in Chickasha. Plot tours are always a valuable opportunity to evaluate variety performance and visit with producers, and these first stops gave us an early look at the challenging conditions many wheat fields are facing across the state this season.

Figure 1. Wheat plot tour at the Dual-Purpose Wheat Variety Trial in Walters, where producers and OSU specialists evaluated variety performance and discussed the impacts of drought stress and early leaf rust development on the crop. Kinder Farms, April 20, 2026.

For anyone following the weather, the story is not surprising. Prolonged drought since last fall, combined with above-normal temperatures through winter and early spring, has taken a significant toll on the crop (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Oklahoma Drought Monitor. Source: https://www.mesonet.org/agriculture/drought/oklahoma-drought-monitor

Across much of southwest Oklahoma, moisture has been extremely limited for months. Some fields never established properly, and in the driest areas, stands remain poor, thin, and uneven. In several cases, producers have already made the difficult decision to abandon fields or graze them out, as yield potential no longer justifies the cost of taking the crop to harvest, or in some cases, there simply is not enough crop there to harvest.

At our Walters dual-purpose and Altus stops, drought stress was impossible to miss (Figures 3 and 4). Short plants, reduced tillering, and accelerated development were common across fields. When wheat undergoes stem elongation and grain set under moisture stress and heat, the crop has less time and fewer resources to build and fill grain, directly reducing yield potential.

Figure 3. Dual-purpose wheat variety trial in Walters. This trial was planted on September 25, 2025, and grazed at a stocking rate of 154 lbs/ac. The crop has faced multiple challenges throughout the season, including armyworm and grasshopper infestations in the fall, brown wheat mite pressure in early spring, and persistent drought since planting. The first significant rainfall occurred during the first week of April (2.8 inches). Kinder Farms, April 20, 2026.
Figure 4. Wheat variety trial in Altus, planted on November 25, 2025. This trial received very limited rainfall after planting, resulting in poor stand establishment, as shown in the photo. Stand variability is high, plants are extremely short, and tillering is reduced due to prolonged drought stress. The center plot shown is representative of many fields in the region, where yield potential has been severely reduced, and some fields have already been abandoned for grain harvest. Altus, April 21, 2026.

Conditions in Chickasha were somewhat better compared to the southwest, but variability remains high. Planting date, soil type, and how much rainfall individual fields have received are making a big difference in how the crop is holding on.

The recent rains were certainly welcome and should provide some benefit to fields that are still in fair to moderate condition, especially those now entering grain fill. However, for many fields we are approaching a point of diminishing returns. Rain at this stage can help preserve yield potential, but it cannot fully restore what was lost from poor establishment and prolonged stress earlier in the season.

On top of drought stress, we are also seeing some disease pressure. Viral diseases such as Wheat streak mosaic and Barley yellow dwarf remain present in some areas, and leaf rust has begun to develop where conditions have turned favorable. While disease pressure is not the main driver of yield loss right now, it can add another layer of stress to an already compromised crop (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Wheat variety trials in Chickasha showing severe leaf rust infestation in susceptible varieties. Recent rainfall and favorable temperatures have improved crop conditions but also accelerated fungal disease development, increasing pressure on varieties lacking resistance. Chickasha, April 24, 2026.

At this point, yield prospects will depend heavily on how long the crop can maintain green leaf area and continue grain fill over the next few weeks. But overall, statewide yield expectations are trending below average.

Even with the challenges this season, our plot tours remain a valuable opportunity to see how varieties are performing under real field conditions, review the latest research from our programs, and talk through the conditions you’re seeing in your area.

We encourage you to join us at one of our upcoming stops (see schedule here). Every season teaches us something, and this year is another strong reminder of how dependent Oklahoma wheat production is on timely rainfall.

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About Amanda De Oliveira Silva

I have served as an Assistant Professor and Small Grains Extension Specialist at Oklahoma State University since August 2019. I believe that close interaction with producers is vital to understand their production strategies and to establish realistic research goals. My program focuses on developing science-based information to improve the agronomic and economic viability of small grains production in Oklahoma and in the Southern Great Plains.

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