Wheat

Certified seed are recommended for the following reasons:

• It does not contain weed seeds such as wild oats, Setaria spp., Rye, Browe, Beckeropsis and grasses.
• It has sound kernels - neither broken nor cracked and has good germination.
• Are of one variety to ensure even ripening. Farmers will be penalised if they deliver wheat that has 2 or more varieties mixed or immature kernels mixed with mature seed.
• Note: If certified seeds are dressed with insecticides to prevent damage from soil-borne insect pests, they are not suitable for organic farming.

Home selection of seed

For organic farmers home selection of seeds is possible. Selection starts in the field which is closely watched for diseases and noxious weeds. Weeds such as wild oats and other troublesome weeds are removed by hand when observed. Diseases and pests are controlled as far as possible, and the harvested seed dried well to ensure no storage diseases or pests get a chance to multiply. Good healthy kernels are then suitable for seeding in another season. Do not mix varieties. 

Propagation and planting

Wheat is propagated by seed. It requires a fine seed-bed that is free of weeds. Seed-bed preparation is usually done by tractor mounted equipment. Usually this can be rented in wheat growing areas.
Choose a suitable variety for the area and plant with the first rains. Advice on suitable varieties can be found at the KALRO Njoro station. Sowing depth varies from 2-12 cm, with deeper planting required in dry conditions to reach the soil moisture. However, care must be taken not to sow too deep as the seed will then die. Seeding rate is commonly 100-150 kg/ha, resulting in 250-300 plants/m², but depends on the tillering ability of the cultivar. The recommended seeding rates when using precision planters for some varieties are:

• 75 kg/ha: Kenya Nyangumi, Kenya Bongo, Kenya Tembo
• 100kg/ha: Kenya Leopard, Bounty, Kenya Paka, Kenya Nungu, Kenya Kongoni, Zabadi,Kenya Popo, Kenya Nyumba, Kenya Kulungu, Kenya Tumbili, Kenya Kima. Kenya Chirika, Mbuni, Kwale, Tausi, Ngamia, Duma
• 125 kg/ha: Kenya Fahari, Kenya Ngiri

If hand sowing is decided on, it is advisable to increase seeding rates to be sure of a good stand especially when broadcasting the seed. The following practices can be used for hand seeding:

• Broadcasting. Broadcast 1 ½ bag per acre of the chosen variety as evenly as possible. Cover seed with animal drawn surface harrow or some fairly solid branches tied together and dragged over the seeds. It is difficult to weed such a field by hand.
• Organic farmers are advised to prepare shallow planting furrows with enough distance between for a jembe (hoe) to pass through the spacing. If the wheat is for home consumption, it can be intercropped with such legumes as blue vetch: after the first weeding the legumes can be seeded in between the rows of wheat to help keep new weeds under control.

Husbandry

Uniform crop stand and early vigour discourage weed growth. In this respect tillering allows the crop to compensate for poor stands and variable weather conditions. Yield losses due to weeds are caused by early competition in the first 4-5 weeks. The more common weeds are: Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.), Couch grass (Cynodon dactylon), purple nut sedge (Cyperus rotundus), East African couch grass (Digitaria abyssinica), goose grass (Eleusine indica), purslane (Portulaca oleracea) and horse purslane (Trianthema portulacastrum).Weeds can be controlled by hand weeding and proper crop rotation. 

Wheat is best rotated with non-graminaceous crops, particularly with pulses, potatoes or any other crop which is possible to keep free of weeds. Weeds effectively compete with wheat for nutrients, water and light and are the biggest constraint to good yields. Early seed bed preparation, allowing weeds to germinate with the first rains, followed by a very shallow harrowing will greatly reduce the amount of weeds in the wheat crop. 

Irrigation has great potential to increase wheat production. It can be practised in basins, by furrow, or using overhead sprinklers. Care must be taken not to over-irrigate as wheat, which unlike rice, is very sensitive to early water logging. Critical water demanding periods is a) right after planting, b) at tillering stage and c) flowering stage. 

Copper deficiency 

Some areas in Kenya have been found to have soil deficient in copper. This results in poor growth and tip burn of all grasses and grains including wheat. Copper deficient areas include:

• Nakuru district: Njoro, Rongai, Menengai, Lanet, areas bordering Elburgon and Mau Narok as well as Gilgil and Naivasha areas.
• The whole of Narok district.

What to do: The seed must be dressed with copper oxychloride (1 kg/100 kg of seed). Also a foliar spray of 1 kg/ha should be applied at early tillering stage.

Fertilisation 

Fertilisation necessary for wheat depends on previous land use. As soils usually are deficient in particularly in phosphorous, an application of Mijingu rock phosphate or similar of about 150 - 200 kg/ha is usually needed. For nitrogen supply, organic farmers can try the TwinN available from Lachlan Ltd, in Kenya. They report good results in wheat with this product which consist of free living nitrogen fixing bacteria. This product should not be mixed with copper sprays as copper will kill the bacteria.
(The product is certified organic by the Soil Association. Contact: Lachlan@agriculture.co.ke, Tel Kenya: +254 20 207 3912/3/4) 

Harvesting

A crop harvested at physiological maturity must be dried thoroughly before threshing. Wheat matures in 4-7 months depending on variety and altitude. At higher altitudes it takes longer. 
Small scale farmers usually cut the wheat using hand sickles. This should be done when the kernels have become hard. The wheat is then tied into bundles and stacked to be threshed when completely dry. Where birds are not a problem the cut wheat plants can be stacked or spread out to dry in the sun in a clean area - preferably on a cement slab or plastic sheet in order to reduce losses. 

Threshing, which is more difficult with wheat than with rice, may be done by beating with flails, trampling by humans or animals, or by driving a small tractor over the straw. A wheat sheaf may also be beaten by hand against a low wall, an oil drum, or a wagon bed, so that the grains fall into a container or onto a mat. Grain losses can be considerable with these procedures. Pedal or motor-driven paddy rice threshers are also used.

Large scale farmers use combine harvesters and can sometimes be persuaded to harvest smaller plots for a fee. The grain should be dried to a maximum moisture content of 13% before storing. Tooth test: Bite a grain. If it is possible to crush the grain with the teeth it is not dry enough. If the grain cracks under pressure it is probably dry. Also try the salt test method described in The Organic Farmer magazine No. 30, Nov 2007, page 3.

If the straw of wheat has had disease or pest problems it should be removed from the field and either sold or used as fuel or animal feed in order not to leave pests and diseases to survive in the field. If the straw is healthy, it is good to use as mulch for other crops (livestock does not much like wheat straw much) or to incorporate it into the soil. Burning straw is waste of a valuable resource and should only be practised if it is very diseased. 

Some farmers (not organic) have successfully tried to treat wheat straw with urea. If packed airtight in plastic while undergoing treatment, this greatly improves the feeding quality of wheat straw.