Winter wheat sowing is just around the corner—are you ready?

With October just around the corner, farmers in wheat-growing regions have already begun preparing for the autumn harvest, and winter wheat sowing is about to commence. To ensure a bountiful wheat yield next year, today we’ll walk you through the key practices in wheat cultivation and management.

1. Wheat Seed Preparation

First, carefully select high-quality wheat varieties that are well-suited to the local climate and soil conditions. Before sowing, be sure to sun‑dry the seeds—typically twice, with at least one thorough drying session. Sun‑drying is often overlooked by farmers, yet its purpose is to enhance seed germination and emergence rates, promote more robust root development, increase tillering, and ultimately stabilize yields. However, take care not to spread the seeds directly on a concrete surface during sun‑drying, as this can scorch them.

2. Returning straw to the field must be given due attention.

When returning straw to the field, it must be chopped into small pieces, and a thorough watering should be applied before plowing to accelerate its decomposition. During microbial breakdown, large amounts of nitrogen are consumed; therefore, supplemental nitrogen fertilizer—such as ammonium bicarbonate or calcium superphosphate—should be applied to speed up decomposition and prevent issues like yellowing of wheat seedlings caused by nitrogen deficiency. In addition, care should be taken to control diseases and pests (e.g., using carbendazim or nitrobenzene at approximately 5 kg per mu) to avoid pathogenic fungi and pest eggs carried by the straw from inflicting severe damage on the next crop.

  3. Fine Land Preparation

To improve soil structure and enhance its water‑retention and moisture‑conserving capacity, thorough pre‑sowing tillage is essential. The optimal plowing depth is 23–25 cm, which helps break up the plow pan and achieve the standards of deep, fine, well‑drained, level, compact, and adequately moist soil—resulting in a loose top layer and a firm subsoil. This enhances the soil’s ability to retain water and nutrients, thereby improving wheat’s drought resistance and cold tolerance.

4. Seed Treatment

Pre-sowing seed treatment can effectively prevent underground pests and reduce the incidence of wheat diseases and insect pests, such as take-all, rust, sheath blight, smut, as well as moles, crickets, and aphids. Seeds treated with this method must be dried in the shade; avoid direct exposure to intense sunlight.