Wheat Development and Growth Staging
Wheat is considered one of the most popular and valuable crops worldwide. It’s the most common food grain produced in the United States with three primary varieties including winter wheat, spring wheat, and durum wheat.¹ It’s also the most important crop grown in Canada with more than 50,000 farms producing the crop every year.²
Producing high-yielding, quality wheat requires a strong understanding of its growth throughout production. A deep understanding of each stage of development will help you better manage the crop from planting to harvest. Certain fertility decisions are only effective at specific stages of development, and factors like the climate and soil conditions can impact the evolution of growth. Thus, it is important to better understand wheat’s growth stages and development cycle to make more informed management decisions while meeting your productivity and profitability goals. Knowing what stage of growth your crops are in will also allow you to better manage their health, assess crop quality, and determine the best time to harvest.
While there are several ways to track the growth of wheat, the Feekes scale is one of the most common.⁴ The Feekes scale is a numerical scale that ranges from 1-11.4 (beginning at emergence and completing once crops are ready for harvest). The interactive diagram below summarizes the Feekes scale and explores the various growing stages of wheat—from germination to Feekes 11.4. Click through each of the MORE buttons below to learn more.
When tracking the growth of crops like wheat, keep in mind that you are tracking the growth stages of the entire field (not individual crops).⁴ Your field has reached the next growth stage when 50 per cent (or more) of the wheat in your field reaches that stage.⁴ Walk at least 40 to 50 feet into your field before you begin staging the growth of your wheat.
Sources:
¹USDA, Wheat Sector at a Glance
²Canadian Food Focus, How Is Wheat Grown In Canada?
³The Canadian Encyclopedia, Wheat
⁴University of Kentucky, AGR-224: Identifying Wheat Growth Stages
