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Technical Notes
- Winter Wheat & Barley: The Integrated Management Of Weeds (PDF: 143 kB)
- Wheat Bulb Fly And Other Pests Of Cereals (PDF: 110 kB)
- Minimum Tillage (PDF: 104 kB)
- Ergot Disease In Cereals (PDF: 1.6 MB)
- Soil Dwelling Free-Living Nematodes As Pests Of Crops (PDF: 1.5 MB)
- Winter Wheat Disease Control (PDF: 1.3 MB)
- Management Of Grass Weeds In Winter Cereals (PDF: 743 kB)
- Cephalosporium Leaf Stripe In Winter Wheat (PDF: 344 kB)
- Nitrogen Recommendations For Cereals, Oilseed Rape And Potatoes (PDF: 299 kB)
- Black-grass: Managing The Risk Under Scottish Conditions (PDF: 277 kB)
Featured Topics
- Technical Notes
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- Technical publications funded by the Scottish Government
See Also
- Mildew Diversification Scheme
- In Consulting
- Eyespot Risk Model
- In Consulting
- Ergot
- In Consulting
- Common Eyespot
- In Consulting
- Microdochium nivale
- In Consulting
- Mildew samples
- In Consulting
- Orange Blossom Midge
- In Consulting
- Septoria Tritici
- In Consulting
- Wheat Bulb Fly
- In Consulting
- Wheat Yellow Rust
- In Consulting
- Stem rust
- In Consulting
Winter Wheat
Triticum aestivum
Pages In This Document
General Description
Winter wheat is a key crop for Scotland. There is a large market for grain whisky production. Although some hard wheat may be used, this can cause processing problems, so there is a strong preference for soft grain of large grain size, low protein content, with good specific weight and low screenings
For biscuit making, soft wheats are preferred. The Hagberg Falling Number should exceed 100. Protein should be above 10.7% and the gluten must not be damaged by high temperature drying.
There is also demand for bread wheat but only if quality specifications are fully met. Becasue of our climate, Scottish wheat is generally lower in protein than its English counterpart. In wet harvests the Hagberg Falling Number is so severely reduced that grain is unlikely to meet bread making requirements.
Crop Development
Crop development is measured on a decimal Zadocks scale:
| Decimal code | Description | Approximate Date |
| 0-9 | Dry seed | Sowing |
| 10-19 | Seedling growth | September - November |
| 20-29 | Tillering | September - March |
| 30 | Stem elongation (ear at 1 cm) | Early April |
| 31 | 1st node detectable | Mid April |
| 32 | 2nd node detectable | Late April - Early May |
| 33 | 3rd node detectable | Mid May |
| 37 | Flag leaf just visible | End May |
| 39 | Flag leaf fully emerged | Mid to late May |
| 41-49 | Booting | Late May |
| 51-59 | Ear emergence | Early to Mid June |
| 60-69 | Flowering | Mid to late June |
| 71 | Watery ripe | Early July |
| 73 | Early milk | Mid July |
| 75 | Medium milk | Mid July |
| 77 | Late milk | Late July |
| 83 | Early dough | Early August |
| 85 | Soft dough | Early to Mid August |
| 87 | Hard dough | Mid August |
| 90 | Ripening | End August |
Crop Diary
February
Wheat bulb fly hatch delayed due to cold weather
The colder weather has delayed wheat bulb fly egg hatch at our monitored sites to a great extent, and whilst there are some eggs hatching, it is still in its very early stages. More..
March
Check wheat crops for yellow rust
Yellow rust is present in some early sown crops of the winter wheat variety in the Borders. More..
April
Stem Extension Treatments Due This Month
The stem extension treatments are key to protecting the crop from the stem base disease common eyespot, and the key foliar diseases Septoria tritici, powdery mildew and yellow rust. More..
May
Check risk of eyespot in winter wheat at GS31-32
Check the risk of common eyespot in winter wheat crops at GS31-32 More..
Watch for yellow rust in wheat
Crops most at risk will be early sown susceptible varieties not treated earlier in the spring. More..
Fungicides at flag leaf emergence
Keeping the top leaves free from disease is important in winter wheat. More..
June
Watch for yellow rust in winter wheat
Watch for yellow rust in crops. More..
July
Aphids on cereals
The warm settled weather at the end of June has led to a rise in aphids flying into crop as well as multiplication on the crop itself. More..
Head diseases including Fusarium are common in wheat this season
Look out for bleached heads or parts of the head. Occasionally a pink colouration is present. This is typically associated with fusarium species. More..
August
How Can You Minimise The Risk Of Yellow Rust Next Season?
Yellow rust was common in Robigus this season, particularly along the east coast. More..
Watch out of whiteheads and lodging
As crops ripen off, check for patches of the field which are ripening prematurely More..
September
Check wheat seed for diseases
Check home saved wheat for diseases. More..
October
Check early sown wheat for yellow rust - October
Yellow rust levels were high in susceptible winter wheat varieties last year, so expect early sown varieties to be at risk. More..
Check for wheat bulb fly. In recent years egg counts have been at record levels. Seed treatments can help protect crops.
In 2006, we found egg counts as high as 12 million/ha, and no counts less than 1 million eggs/ha. More..
November
Late sown wheat
With late sowings of wheat, the risk from the seed borne disease Microdochium nivale becomes greater. More..
December
Watch For Rust In Early Sown Crops
Yellow and brown rust are both present in crops. More..
Seed
Start with healthy clean seed. At the very least test the seed for germination.
Key seed borne diseases you need to check for include bunt (Tilletia caries) and "Fusarium" (Microdochium nivale).
Harvest
Grain stores as well as associated machinery and equipment such as trailers should be checked for the presence of pests such as grain weevils, saw-toothed grain beetle and mites.
The use of bait bags can help flush out these pests but not every insect that may be found is a pest.
Pest problems in grain arise from within the store itself, so ensuring that stores are clean to receive this season's harvest will take one potential problem out of the equation.