What is the difference between wheat foundation seed and improved seed?

Wheat is a cereal crop widely grown around the world and one of the three major cereals. It is used almost entirely for food; once milled into flour it can be made into bread, steamed buns, biscuits, noodles and other foods, and after fermentation it can be made into beer, alcohol, spirits (such as vodka), or biomass fuel. So, what is the difference between wheat foundation seed and improved seed?

1. What is the difference between wheat foundation seed and improved seed?

Wheat foundation seed is the basic seed with relatively high purity and good quality, produced through the foundation seed production procedure by a seed farm or a variety breeding unit, and can be further used for multiplying improved seed; wheat improved seed, on the other hand, is a variety improved on the basis of foundation seed to suit local conditions, with better quality and yield.

2. High-yield wheat techniques

1. Be careful to choose plots with high fertility and good irrigation

High-yield, high-quality wheat varieties require soil nutrients to be comprehensive and sufficient in order to meet the needs of high-yield cultivation, so it is advisable to choose plots with high soil fertility and good irrigation conditions, to apply more organic fertilizer, and to adopt formula fertilization techniques.

2. Be careful to sow late at the appropriate time

Determine the appropriate basic seedling number according to the characteristics of the variety. Prevent excessive sowing rate, which would make later management passive.

3. Be careful to prevent lodging and to apply heavy fertilizer at the stem elongation and jointing stages

Some of the promoted high-quality wheat varieties are not resistant to lodging. Especially for wheat fields with an excessive population, a chemical growth regulation treatment must be carried out once from greening to jointing; paclobutrazol or Maiyefeng can be sprayed. Heavy fertilizer should be applied at the stem elongation and jointing stages to control the formation of excess late tillers and promote large spikes with many grains.

4. Be careful to water well at the grain filling and wheat yellowing stages, spray foliar fertilizer, and prevent premature senescence

Watering well at the grain filling stage plays an important role in increasing grain weight and preventing dry hot wind. In dry weather, applying wheat yellowing water is beneficial for relay intercropping of the next crop and prevents premature senescence. In early to mid-May, combined with pest and disease control, spray foliar fertilizer 2 to 3 times, such as 0.2% to 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate, which can reduce the harm of dry hot wind and has an obvious yield-increasing effect.

5. Be careful to control pests and diseases

Generally speaking, high-quality wheat is more susceptible to pests and diseases; for example, wheat sheath blight and powdery mildew, and aphids occur earlier and more severely than in conventional varieties. Early control should be carried out according to forecasts.

6. Spray Xiaomaibao

When wheat has just broken through the boot and before heading and flowering, spray Xiaomaibao once to activate the activity of biological enzymes in wheat, promote coordinated development of female and male organs, enhance photosynthesis of functional leaves, significantly reduce the empty grain rate, and increase the seed setting rate and thousand-grain weight, thereby achieving a yield increase.

Because China has many types of land, the specific planting methods for wheat vary with paddy fields, dry land, and different previous crops.