| Dorsal view of the whole grain at the hard dough stage. |
| An individual spikelet 30days after pollination. The whole wheat ear now changes colour. The glumes, lemmas and palea, which protect the grain, continue to dry off. floret 1 has been cut away and its component parts are separated. |
| With the maternal epidermis and the pericarp partially removed we can see the embryo and its shield-like scutellum. The scutellum provides a secure anchorage between the embryo and the endosperm. |
| LS through the ventral groove shows the scutellum now in close contact with the endosperm. The embryo has been supported using reserves from the endosperm. |
| The endosperm is well filled with storage proteins and starch. The final accumulation of dry matter will be followed by the death of the endosperm cells. |