Key "Three Protections" techniques at standard wheat growth stages

@#@245@#@From sowing to harvest, wheat takes more than half a year, spanning the entire winter and spring, and entering the harvest season in early summer. In different seasons and at different stages of wheat growth, different natural disasters may be encountered. Therefore, disaster prevention and mitigation, and ensuring wheat quality, are crucial for increasing both yield and income. Experts recommend that farmers implement the "Three Protections" during the wheat growing period:

First, protect against low-temperature freezing damage. In the early stage of wheat growth, it must go through low-temperature rain and snow weather in winter. Moderate low-temperature rain and snow is very beneficial for killing pests, loosening the soil, increasing natural nutrients, and enhancing wheat cold resistance. However, prolonged low temperatures become a disaster, and different disaster relief measures must be taken. In the southwestern and middle-lower Yangtze River wheat regions, post-disaster production recovery after rain, snow, and freezing damage mainly involves drainage to reduce waterlogging; in the northwestern and southern Huang-Huai wheat regions, the focus is on raising temperatures and preserving soil moisture to promote seedling upgrading and transformation.

Second, protect against diseases, pests, and weeds. Diseases, pests, and weeds not only cause yield reduction but also lower quality. For example, if diseased kernels exceed the standard, the price will be discounted or the grain may even be rejected for purchase. Therefore, preventing and controlling diseases and pests is key to increasing yield and income. Especially in southern wheat fields where humidity is relatively high, wheat diseases and pests, wheat field weeds, and waterlogging damage often occur. It is necessary to formulate prevention and control contingency plans, do a good job in forecasting and monitoring, and strengthen unified control and unified prevention.

Third, protect against late-stage disasters. In the middle and late stages of wheat growth, strong-wind lodging, dry hot wind, and harvest-time rain are the most harmful. Dry hot wind can damage the awns, ears, leaves, and stems of wheat plants. Kernels become shriveled, and thousand-kernel weight decreases. It is necessary to apply more organic fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer, deepen the plow layer, select early-maturing varieties with strong stress resistance, use drought-resistant agents for seed dressing, and do a good job in late-stage "one spray, three protections."

When wheat is nearing harvest, it is also a season with relatively more overcast and rainy weather. If rainwater is not drained in time, wheat will not only suffer waterlogging and yield reduction but also decline in quality. If harvesting or threshing is not timely, ears may sprout, reducing wheat quality. During this period, in addition to cleaning ditches and draining waterlogging, attention should be paid to timely harvesting and mechanical harvesting as much as possible. Manual harvesting, whether using stone rollers or mechanical threshing, will cause broken kernels and produce "imperfect kernels." If imperfect kernels exceed the standard, the price will be discounted.