With a bumper wheat harvest in sight, timely harvesting ensures high wheat yields

    At present, a bumper wheat harvest is in sight, and timely harvesting is the final key step to securing a high wheat yield. If harvested too early, the grains are not plump, the yield is low, and the quality is poor. If harvested too late, the wheat grains, due to respiration and rain leaching, lose protein content and carbohydrates, and the thousand-grain weight, test weight, and flour yield decrease; in the field the grains are prone to shattering, and in rain they are prone to sprouting on the spike, and some wheat is also prone to stalk breakage and spike loss, causing reduced yield and declined quality. 

Wheat

    Maturity is the main basis for determining the wheat harvest time. The ripening stages are divided into the milk-ripe stage, the dough stage, and the full-ripe stage. The milk-ripe and dough stages are further divided into early, middle, and late phases, determined according to the color and moisture content of the wheat plants and grains. In the milk-ripe stage of wheat, the stems and leaves gradually change from green to yellow-green, and the grains contain a milky substance. At the late milk-ripe stage, the volume and fresh weight of the wheat grains reach their maximum, the grain color turns light yellow, the ventral groove is green, and the grain moisture content is about 45-50%; in the dough stage, the contents of the grains are dough-like, and as the ripening process progresses the hardness changes from soft to hard. At the early dough stage, the wheat leaves are yellow but not dry, the grains are light yellow, the ventral groove loses its green color, there is no milky matter in the grains, and the grain moisture content is 30-35%. At the middle dough stage, the lower leaves of the wheat are dry and yellow, the stems are elastic, the grains turn yellow, plump, and moist, and the seed moisture content is 25-30%. At the late dough stage, the whole plant turns yellow, the stems are still elastic, the grains are yellow and slightly hard, and the moisture content is 20-25%. At the full-ripe stage, the leaves wither and turn yellow, the grains become hard, show the true color of the variety, and the moisture content is below 20%. 

    The most suitable stage for wheat harvest is from the late dough stage to the full-ripe stage. If the wheat planting area is relatively large and it cannot all be harvested within the optimal period, it must be harvested appropriately early, so that most of the wheat can be harvested within the suitable period. Manual harvesting and mechanical segmented harvesting should be carried out from the middle to late dough stage. When using a combine harvester to harvest wheat directly, it should be done from the late dough stage to the full-ripe stage. Seed wheat fields are harvested at the full-ripe stage. If, due to the approach of the rainy season, or susceptibility to grain shattering, stalk breakage, spike breakage, or sprouting on the spike, etc., the wheat harvest period should be appropriately advanced.