Grain filling 21 to 30 days

Whole grain photographs


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.