Wheat School: Growing 235-bushel winter wheat with U.K. farmer Mark Stubbs

"You can get our roots down over three metres,"

"I'm about 850 to 900 ears per square metre ... which is really intriguing,"

"The roots and the exudates... it all makes that organic matter,"

Mark Stubbs produces winter wheat yields up to 235 bu/ac on clay-loam soil over soft chalk in Lincolnshire, England. About six inches of topsoil sits above chalk, enabling roots to penetrate deeper than three metres for drainage and moisture access during dry spells. Seeding typically occurs in early November at soil temperatures around 5°C to manage severe blackgrass pressure that can reduce yields by up to 50%. Planting targets 500 plants per square metre on 12.5 cm rows, resulting in about 850–900 ears per square metre to compensate for winter tiller losses. Soil organic matter increased from about 1% to roughly 10% through cover crops and poultry manure, improving structure and biology.

Read at Realagriculture