What is the difference between spring and winter wheat and how to distinguish them from each other

Science describes wheat as a herbaceous plant with a height of 30 cm to 1.5 m with an inflorescence spike up to 30 cm long and many other scientific terms that few people understand. But if we define wheat in simple terms, then it is one of the most significant products for all mankind. Flour is made from its grains, which in the skillful hands of specialists is turned into white bread, bakery products, pasta and confectionery products. Wheat is used to produce some types of high-quality alcohol and in animal feed.

From our article you will learn how to distinguish winter wheat from spring wheat by grain and what are the advantages of both varieties.

Determination of winter and spring wheat

Regardless of the variety wheat is divided into two types: spring and winter.

Spring wheat – a herbaceous plant of the Poa family (grasses). The highly valuable crop is cultivated in almost all countries of the world. Spring wheat is sown in the spring from March to May; during the summer months it goes through a full development cycle and ripens in the fall.

Winter wheat - a representative of an annual herbaceous plant of the Poa family. It is sown in late summer, early or mid-autumn (depending on the region), and the harvest ripens in the summer.

What is the difference between spring wheat and winter wheat?

From a botanical point of view, spring and winter wheat are the same plant, but The biology and cultivation process of the two species are very different.This applies to the duration of the cycle and time of year, weather conditions and soil composition, climate and harvest volume.

Growing season

Spring wheat goes through the entire cycle from sowing to harvesting in an average of 100 days. This period may vary depending on climatic conditions and range from 80 to 125 days. During this time, the grain moisture content decreases to approximately 13%. This indicator makes it clear that it is time to start harvesting.

The full growing season for winter wheat is approximately 240 to 350 days. The cycle is divided into two stages of active vegetation: autumn (about 50 days) and spring-summer (from 75 days). The rest of the time between stages the plant overwinters in a dormant state.

Sowing dates

Spring varieties of wheat are sown in the spring, immediately after the snow melts and the earth warms up a little. You need to sow in a short time, while the soil retains moisture from melting snow.

Winter crops are sown at the end of summer - beginning of autumn, depending on the weather and region.

Soil requirements

For spring wheat, the optimal soil moisture is 65-75% depending on the variety. Hard varieties require a little more moisture than soft varieties. Spring varieties prefer slightly alkaline, neutral soil or black soil, but not acidic soil. And the absence of weeds in the soil has a positive effect on the size of the harvest. This type of wheat needs foliar feeding, especially in dry conditions and during temperature changes.

For winter varieties, the most comfortable soil moisture is 70-75%. It is advisable to plant where legumes grew, corn for silage or pure fallow - a field free of agricultural crops, which is maintained in a loose state and treated from weeds throughout the year.

Winter wheat is not sown on swampy and peat lands, as well as in areas located in lowlands.

Important! On heavy clay soils, seeds are sown to a depth of about 4 cm. If the soil is sandy and prone to drought, the depth should be approximately 7 cm.

During the tillering period it is necessary to fertilize the soilin order to prevent further decline productivity. The long growing season means that winter wheat needs soil with a high content of phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium.

Weather requirement

Spring wheat, especially soft varieties, tolerates low temperatures calmly. Seeds germinate already at +1°C. The interval between sowing and emergence depends on soil temperature. If the earth warms up to +5°C, seedlings appear on the 20-21st day, up to +8°C on the tenth day, up to +15°C on the seventh. Active growth begins at a temperature of +13°C.

The spring crop is able to withstand short frosts. During grain germination - down to -12°C, during tillering - up to -10°C. But at the stage of flowering and grain filling, sub-zero temperatures are unacceptable for the plant, as are sudden changes weather conditions.

Winter varieties are less dependent on weather. Seeds germinate at a temperature of +1...+2°C, but very slowly. For comfortable germination, a temperature of +12…+15°C is required. And if the thermometer shows +14...+16°C, seedlings will appear in 8-9 days, provided the soil is sufficiently moist.

In early spring, winter wheat is sensitive to low temperatures and sudden fluctuations. A difference in the range from +5°C during the day to -10°C at night creates unfavorable conditions for the growth and development of this type of cereal.

The lack of snow in winter is detrimental to the plant.Whereas a snow cover level of 20-25 cm will save winter wheat even at -30°C.

Reference. The ideal temperature for filling grain is +20…+25°С. Heat above +35°C with low humidity during the flowering stage leads to the grain becoming smaller.

Purpose

There are two types of spring wheat: soft and hard. Soft is irreplaceable in flour production for baking bread, bakery and confectionery products. Hard grains are characterized by a high protein content and are used in the production of cereals (semolina, Artek, Poltavskaya), as well as extra-class pasta. For people who have chosen proper nutrition, an indispensable condition for purchasing pasta or noodles will be the inscription on the package “from durum varieties wheat."

Spring wheat bran is a concentrated feed for all types of farm animals. Hay and chaff (chaff) are also used for feed.

Most varieties of winter wheat are soft. They produce flour of the highest quality. The high (30%) fiber content allows you to bake nutritious and tasty bread and bakery products. Flour is widely used in confectionery and less commonly for the production of pasta.

Bran is fed to farm animals. The straw from this cereal also has nutritional value. Used as raw material for paper production.

Productivity

The volume of wheat grown depends on many factors. Usually in agriculture they are natural and human:

• climatic conditions in the region;
• weather conditions in a particular season (drought or continuous rain);
• soil quality;
• what grew before wheat (predecessors);
• presence of harmful insects and weeds;
• timely harvesting;
• how many seeds were sown, etc.

The yield from winter varieties is approximately 15-20% higher than from spring varieties. But this is if both of them matured in optimal conditions for them. If the conditions were not ideal and the harvest volume was influenced by the above factors, the difference in the amount of grain per 1 hectare could be several times.

Growing regions

Russia, along with India, China and the USA, is a global leader in cultivation wheat.

Vast areas are sown with spring varieties in almost all regions of Russia, right up to the Arctic Circle. More than 80% of the grain harvest is harvested in the Volga region, Southern Urals, Western and Eastern Siberia and Altai.

The optimal planting time in these regions is from May 15 to May 25. If you sow before this date, the seedlings will be forced to grow in drought conditions, which almost always occur in June. Sowing after May 25 may result in harvesting in autumn rain.

Winter wheat varieties are sown depending on the territory, starting from August 1 and ending in October.

In the Far North - from August 1 to 15.

Non-chernozem zone (Northern, Northwestern, Central and Volga-Vyatka economic regions, Kaliningrad, Sverdlovsk regions, Perm Territory and Udmurtia) - from August 10 to 30.

The forest-steppe part of the Central Black Earth zone and the South-East - from August 20 to September 1.

Southern steppe zone, Lower Volga region - from September 1 to 20.

Foothill regions of the North Caucasus - from September 15 to October 5.

Taste qualities

Spring wheat is a highly valuable crop. The grain contains 25% protein, 30% gluten - these are excellent qualities for baking bread. Spring varieties are of higher quality and tastier. Durum varieties are used as the basis for pasta, as well as for the production of semolina, noodles, noodles, and flour.

How to distinguish winter wheat from spring wheat

You can distinguish winter wheat from spring wheat by external signs. But the difference between them is not very striking.

By grain

The grains of these two species differ slightly in size. In spring it is slightly smaller than in winter. The grains differ to a greater extent between hard and soft wheat varieties. The soft ones have a mealy consistency and can be easily chewed. Shades depend on the variety and range from light beige to reddish.

Durum varieties have more elongated grain, a little glassy and, indeed, very hard.

By appearance

Externally, wheat varieties also differ little from each other.. Ear spring is tighter. Its color may depend on the name of the variety. In spring varieties, it can be gray, golden, beige or light burgundy.

Winter varieties differ from spring varieties by the presence of awns on the ears.

Which wheat is better

It’s not entirely correct to talk about which wheat is better or worse. Each type has advantages.

Varieties of spring wheat are soft and hard. They are unpretentious in terms of weather conditions and practically do not crumble. A plant of this species is little susceptible to diseases and is very resistant to pressure. pests. During the filling period, grain is resistant to dry winds (strong winds during heat and drought). The grain of spring wheat is of high quality, so its baking properties are better.

Spring varieties are often used as insurance in areas where winter varieties are cultivated in the event of a poor wintering of the latter.

Winter wheat has only soft varieties in its “assortment”. But it also has a number of advantages. The main thing is higher yields, subject to compliance with growing technology.Winter varieties tolerate sudden changes in weather better, ripen earlier (taking into account the time of sowing) and are stored longer.

Conclusion

The main differences between spring and winter wheat exist in relation to external factors (weather, soil, calendar, adherence to technology) and in biological characteristics (protein and fiber content, purpose of these cereals, etc.). But despite all the differences, advantages and disadvantages, all varieties of wheat are vital for humans.