If rainfall is adequate for seedling establishment and rapid root development, then subsoil moisture may meet the needs of moderate to deep-rooted crops. Shallower rooted crops require more frequent rainfall. In traditional doublecrop regions, the crop sequence is usually winter wheat harvested for grain followed by no-till planting soybean into the stubble. Modifications of that system will likely be needed, at least in parts of Nebraska. First Crop Choice of Small Grain.
Winter wheat is the most common small grain grown in east central and southern Nebraska.
For successful doublecropping in this region, it is necessary to plant wheat after the Hessian fly-free date, using an early maturity variety. Swathing rather than direct cutting the wheat speeds harvest, as does combining at higher moisture and bin drying with natural air. North of the Platte River and into northeast Nebraska, oats or barley rather than winter wheat are the major small grains. A shorter growing season and lower summer rainfall in northern Nebraska make it necessary to harvest the small grain for forage rather than grain. Barley and winter wheat reach a comparable stage of maturity three to six days earlier than oats, allowing earlier planting of the second crop.