Winter wheat

Winter wheat

Winter wheat is a cereal. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter wheats are planted in the autumn, from September through December. Winter wheat sprouts before freezing occurs, then becomes dormant until the soil warms up in the spring. Persistent snow cover might be disadvantageous; however, winter wheat needs a few weeks of cold before being able to flower. The wheat grows and matures until ready to be harvested by early July.

Soft spring wheats are used in the United States to make all-purpose flour used in a wide variety of baked products, but in Canada is labelled as specialty cake flour. Hard winter wheats have a higher content in protein and gluten and are often used for yeast breads. Durum is the hardest wheat and is primarily used for making pasta; however, almost all durum wheat grown in North America is spring planted.

Winter wheat is grown all through Europe and in northern Asia. It was brought to the United States, specifically Kansas, by Russian Mennonites in the 19th century. Bernhard Warkentin and Mark Carleton played a major part in the spread of winter wheat as a commercial crop. Warkentin organized mills in central Kansas and imported seed from Ukraine to meet growing demand. Carleton worked for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a crop explorer. He went to Russia to find other wheat varieties and worked with Kansas State University researchers to develop new ones. Winter wheat production quickly spread throughout the Great Plains and was and still is usually grown using the techniques of dryland farming.

External links

* [http://www.kswheat.com/ Kansas Wheat Commission]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Winter wheat — Winter Win ter, n. [AS. winter; akin to OFries. & D. winter, OS. & OHG. wintar, G. winter, D. & Sw. vinter, Icel. vetr, Goth. wintrus; of uncertain origin; cf. Old Gallic vindo white (in comp.), OIr. find white. ????.] [1913 Webster] 1. The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • winter wheat — Wheat that is planted in the fall and harvested the following summer. In areas where this practice may be followed, winter wheat normally is preferred because yields are higher than for spring wheat. In some areas with mild winters, spring wheat… …   Combined glossary of agriculture

  • winter wheat — noun : a wheat that is sown in autumn and ripens the following spring or summer * * * wheat that is planted in the autumn to be harvested in the spring or early summer. [1665 75] * * * winter wheat, wheat planted in the autumn and ripening in the …   Useful english dictionary

  • winter wheat — wheat that is planted in the autumn to be harvested in the spring or early summer. [1665 75] * * * …   Universalium

  • Winter wheat Russian mosaic virus — Taxobox color=violet name = Winter wheat Russian mosaic virus (WWRMV) virus group = v familia = Rhabdoviridae genus = Nucleorhabdovirus species = Winter wheat Russian mosaic virus synonyms = Russian winter wheat mosaic virus cereal mosaic… …   Wikipedia

  • winter wheat — win′ter wheat′ n. pln any variety of wheat that is planted in the autumn to be harvested in the spring or early summer • Etymology: 1665–75 …   From formal English to slang

  • Winter cereals — Winter cereals, also called winter grains, fall cereals/grains, autumn sown grains, etc.) are the cereals which are sown in the autumn. They germinate before the winter comes, may partially grow during mild winters or simply persevere under a… …   Wikipedia

  • Winter — Win ter, n. [AS. winter; akin to OFries. & D. winter, OS. & OHG. wintar, G. winter, D. & Sw. vinter, Icel. vetr, Goth. wintrus; of uncertain origin; cf. Old Gallic vindo white (in comp.), OIr. find white. ????.] [1913 Webster] 1. The season of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Winter apple — Winter Win ter, n. [AS. winter; akin to OFries. & D. winter, OS. & OHG. wintar, G. winter, D. & Sw. vinter, Icel. vetr, Goth. wintrus; of uncertain origin; cf. Old Gallic vindo white (in comp.), OIr. find white. ????.] [1913 Webster] 1. The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Winter barley — Winter Win ter, n. [AS. winter; akin to OFries. & D. winter, OS. & OHG. wintar, G. winter, D. & Sw. vinter, Icel. vetr, Goth. wintrus; of uncertain origin; cf. Old Gallic vindo white (in comp.), OIr. find white. ????.] [1913 Webster] 1. The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”