March wheat opened 5 3/4 cents lower on the day at 548 1/4 and established an early range of 547 1/2 to 565. The lower open attracted light to moderate buying by mixed sources according to traders. Buyers included funds and wheat gained sharply on corn in the early going. This follows even sharper losses by wheat on the spread yesterday. Soft red wheat is again running at a competitive disadvantage on export markets compared to western European supplies according to traders. Current demand remains soft and continues to come primarily from Asia. Traders said that some price support is coming today from scattered harvest delays in Australia and from persistant dry conditions in Argentina as the harvest advances there. Pakistan is expected to issue details on a tender for 500,000 tonnes of white wheat. Japan is in the market this week for 91,000 tonnes of wheat on its regular weekly tender. A cargo ship carrying wheat was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden today. This follows the seizure of an oil tanker in that region earlier in the week.