Kan. Wheat diseases aren t usually obvious until spring but fall is the best time to head off problems, a Kansas State University scientist said. Crop rotation, particularly, can greatly reduce wheat diseases like tan spot, take-all root rot, and strawbreaker foot rot. It also helps with weed control and insects like Hessian fly. Pest populations can best be controlled by at least one full year out of wheat. Sorghum - good for disease control.
Yields are often lower than following other crops.
Corn - often successful, but raises risk of head scab since corn is a reservoir for scab fungus. If wheat is grown continuously, residue management can be beneficial particularly where tan spot and take-all are problems. Moldboard plowing is not recommended because of soil erosion concerns but light tillage can increase residue contact with the soil and hasten the demise of pests lurking in the residue while leaving soil cover. Volunteer wheat is a reservoir of wheat streak mosaic and wheat curl mites and if left undisturbed, the mites will carry the virus to newly-emerging fields in the fall. All volunteer wheat within one-half mile should be destroyed at least two weeks before planting.