During the later stages of growth, wheat often tends to lodge. If preventive measures are not well implemented, this can affect the yield of wheat. Research has found that lodging during the wheat’s heading stage can reduce yield by 50%, and lodging during the late stages can reduce yield by 20-30%. Therefore, farmers place great importance on preventing wheat from lodging.
There are many causes of lodging, and watering during windy weather is one of the significant reasons. As wheat grows into the later stages and the ears emerge and reach the grain-filling phase, nutrients are gradually transported into the ears, making them heavier day by day, causing the wheat heads to bend. Supporting these heavy ears is a thin, long, hollow wheat stalk, which relies solely on its roots tightly gripping the soil to prevent falling over. When there is strong wind, the stalk sways. If water is added at this time, the topsoil becomes loose and soft; with the wind blowing and the heavy ears swaying, the roots can’t grip the loose and soft soil, causing the entire plant, ears and stalk to fall over. This type of lodging is called root lodging. If watering is done not by furrow but by spraying, and the water falls on the leaves and ears—which are already heavy—then the head of the wheat becomes even heavier, and a gust of wind can cause it to fall over. This type of lodging is called stem lodging, which can even break the wheat stalks. After lodging, the tissues in the stems that transport water and nutrients are bent and damaged, inhibiting their function; furthermore, overlapping stems and leaves after lodging hinder proper ventilation and light penetration, making it easy for the stems and leaves to rot and causing a decrease in yield.
Therefore, in the later stages of wheat growth, the soil should not be too moist, especially on windy days, and watering should be avoided; otherwise, wheat that could have produced a high yield due to large heads and heavy grains will not achieve a high harvest.