Wheat
Triticum aestivum · field crop · frost-hardy
Unlike corn, wheat is self-pollinating, so farmers historically saved seed and varietal turnover ran slower, which is why wheat sits at the center of debates over farm-saved seed and variety protection. The 1996 detection of Karnal bunt (Tilletia indica) in Arizona triggered federal quarantines that rippled through the entire seed trade, including a scare over Oregon ryegrass seed lots.
Diseases of wheat
- seedborne
Karnal Bunt
Tilletia indica
Planting wheat
Windows are computed per location from median frost dates. Pick a place on the Grow pages for exact dates; the rules by climate band:
| Zone band | Method | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| temperate | direct sow | 14-45 days before first frost, Winter wheat: sow in fall, several weeks before first frost. |
Who breeds & sells wheat
- American Seed Trade Association
- National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders
- Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies
- USDA Agricultural Research Service
- Corteva Agriscience
- KWS
- Beck's Hybrids
- SGS North America Seed Services
- SoDak Labs
- Wyoming Seed Analysis Laboratory
- OSU Seed Laboratory
Research touching wheat
Related crops: Corn · Perennial Ryegrass
Sources & References
Evidence: 1 source, all commercial catalogs. No independent reference documents this variety yet.
- Position Statement of the American Phytopathological Society on the Use of Quarantines for Wheat Karnal Bunt · American Phytopathological Society (1997), AMSeed Archive · archived original