In the world of wheat, some varieties have naturally developed the characteristic of branching due to long-term exposure to certain natural environments, forming varieties of branched wheat. Branched wheat resembles rice in that its spikelets have many branches, but unlike rice, these are crowded together, sometimes resembling a dragon’s claw or a “Buddha’s hand” as sold in fruit stores.
China also has these branched wheat varieties, such as Shandong’s “Buddha’s Hand Wheat” and “Linquan Five-Claw Wheat” from Fuyang, Anhui. These are all branched wheat varieties, and of course, there are other branched varieties as well. This type of wheat did not originally come from China; it is native to the northern or western Mediterranean coast. When exactly it was introduced to China is unknown, but it is certain that it came during ancient times through trade with foreign countries and was developed through continuous cultivation.
Besides these naturally branched wheat varieties, sometimes normal wheat may also exhibit branching. Originally always branched wheat may also change and become unbranched. This variability has caught the attention of scientists.
Why does wheat undergo such changes? After extensive scientific research, it has been determined that the appearance of branched wheat is primarily due to the characteristics of the variety, but it is also closely related to the nutrients within the plant and external environmental conditions (especially sunlight).
Scientists have discovered that for wheat to head and mature, it must go through two developmental stages: the vernalization stage and the photoperiod stage. The vernalization stage primarily requires low temperatures, while the photoperiod stage primarily requires sunlight, with wheat generally needing over 10-12 hours of daylight each day to successfully complete this stage; otherwise, it may fail or be delayed. Wheat spikes differentiate gradually. If a wheat plant encounters cloudy, dark, foggy days during the spike differentiation phase, with short daylight hours, it cannot quickly pass through the photoperiod stage, and thus cannot differentiate normally, or differentiates very slowly. As a result, small branches grow on the branches, and even smaller spikelets may grow on these small branches, eventually leading to the formation of branched wheat when it finally passes through the photoperiod stage.
Having uncovered this secret, if we want to transform normally unbranched wheat into branched wheat, we just need to slow down its passage through the photoperiod stage and enhance the nutritional conditions during the light exposure development stage. Then, by keeping the wheat controlled at the stage of forming differentiated spikelet buds, branched wheat can emerge. Therefore, aside from the naturally branching varieties, we can also create branched wheat by controlling external environmental conditions.