Awns are the long spines or 'beard' on the ears of wheat. These channel rainwater on to the ripe grains, causing them to sprout before they are harvested.

"The role of wheat awns in their performance remains controversial despite decades of studies," says researcher Gustavo A. Slafer, corresponding author of the study.

A grain of wild wheat has everything required for plant propagation - even tools for drilling into the soil. It uses its two awns for this: in the dry daytime air, these bristles bend outwards. At ...

Needle-like structures known as awns formed at the tip of cereal grains. The figure shows awn formation in (A) Barley, (B) Wheat, (C) Sorghum. (D) Awned (left) and awnless (right) florets of ...

Purdue Extension publication ID-448, Wheat Field Guide, describes these stages: 10.1 – awns visible, grain heads emerging; 10.3 – heading half complete; 10.5 – heading complete; 10.5.1 – beginning ...

Over the years, the domestication of grasses like wheat, rice, barley, and sorghum for consumption has resulted in certain modifications to their morphology. One such modification is the partial ...

image: Needle-like structures known as awns formed at the tip of cereal grains. The figure shows awn formation in (A) Barley, (B) Wheat, (C) Sorghum.

Purdue Extension publication ID-448, “Wheat Field Guide,” describes these stages: *10.1 – awns visible, grain heads emerging *10.3 – heading half complete *10.5 – heading complete *10.5.1 – beginning ...