So if managing wild oat or Persian darnel post emergence, spray early to minimize water use by weeds and maintain the reproductive tiller density of your spring wheat. Under current conditions low wild oat or Persian darnel populations will not cause yield losses to justify application of wild oat herbicide. Wheat crops will not recover from resource use by high populations of wild oat or Persian darnel and should be managed with Roundup if considerable precipitation does not occur shortly. If wheat is taken to yield and weeds are allowed to go to seed, future management plans will have to account for the possibility of increased weed populations. Growers should consult with a crop insurance representative and local FSA office before destroying any crops.
Conditions can change rapidly.
If we received precipitation soon, it could change the conditions of the crop and these management recommendations. Yet most of Central Montana will need 6 inches of precipitation or more to reach 30 bushel yield potentials. It is raining outside my window as I write this article so that could be considered a start. If so, you can justify intensive weed management program, but spray early to conserve as much soil moisture as possible. It will take at least 6 inches of precipitation in many areas to reach a 30 bushels per acre wheat crop.