Editing Wheat (section)

=== Crop development ===

[[File:Wheat developmental stages.tif|thumb|upright=1.75|center|Wheat developmental stages on the [[BBCH-scale|BBCH]] and Zadok's scales]]

Wheat normally needs between 110 and 130 days between sowing and harvest, depending upon climate, seed type, and soil conditions. Optimal crop management requires that the farmer have a detailed understanding of each stage of development in the growing plants. In particular, spring [[fertilizer]]s, [[herbicide]]s, [[fungicide]]s, and [[Plant hormone|growth regulators]] are typically applied only at specific stages of plant development. For example, it is currently recommended that the second application of nitrogen is best done when the ear (not visible at this stage) is about 1&nbsp;cm in size (Z31 on [[Zadoks scale]]). Knowledge of stages is also important to identify periods of higher risk from the climate. Farmers benefit from knowing when the 'flag leaf' (last leaf) appears, as this leaf represents about 75% of photosynthesis reactions during the grain filling period, and so should be preserved from disease or insect attacks to ensure a good yield. Several systems exist to identify crop stages, with the [[Feekes scale|Feekes]] and Zadoks scales being the most widely used. Each scale is a standard system which describes successive stages reached by the crop during the agricultural season.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Slafer |first1=G.A. |last2=Satorre |first2=E.H. |year=1999 |title=Wheat: Ecology and Physiology of Yield Determination |publisher=Haworth Press |isbn=1-56022-874-1 |pages=322–323}}</ref> For example, the stage of pollen formation from the mother cell, and the stages between [[anthesis]] and maturity, are susceptible to high temperatures, and this adverse effect is made worse by water stress.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Saini |first1=H.S. |last2=Sedgley |first2=M. |last3=Aspinall |first3=D. |year=1984 |title=Effect of heat stress during floral development on pollen tube growth and ovary anatomy in wheat (''Triticum aestivum'' L.) |journal=Australian Journal of Plant Physiology |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=137–144 |doi=10.1071/PP9830137 }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:WheatFlower1-rotated.jpg|[[Anthesis]] stage
File:Wheat Ear milk full.jpg|Late milk stage
Melissa Askew 2015-08-08 (Unsplash).jpg|Right before harvest
</gallery>