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What’s going on here? The wheat head on the
left looks like it got a hair cut! It doesn’t have any awns. The head on
the right looks normal, doesn’t it? As you know, we grow hard red winter
wheat in Kansas and almost all varieties have awns. The right head is a
hard red winter wheat, while the left head is a soft red winter wheat. And
it just happens to be awnless (without awns) or farmers would say it is
beardless. It is common to see awnless soft red wheats. The awns, because
they contain chlorophyll like green leaves, are active in photosynthesis.
(Photosynthesis is the process that occurs in the chloroplasts of green
plants that converts sunlight energy and water to carbohydrates.) It has
been estimated the awns contribute 10-15 % of the carbohydrates (sugars)
that go into the kernels. Awns are important in heat and drought stressed
environments (like Kansas) where leaf area is often limited. They add more
photosynthetic capacity for the plant. |
