Plants

wheat

Triticum aestivum L.

Family: Poaceae · Genus: Triticum

common wheat, bread wheat

Placenta I High Mulch biomass

Annual cereal originating in the Fertile Crescent. Rebello & Sakamoto (2019) tested wheat in a syntropic system in the Cerrado (Chapada dos Veadeiros, GO) with Mombaça grass between rows and tree lines every 6 m, achieving ~1.9–2 t/ha yield without agrochemicals.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage: Placenta I
Ecological role: Pioneer
Primary stratum: High
Strata: High, Medium
Biomass class: Mulch biomass

Environment

Light requirement: Full sun
Water requirement: Moderate
Drought tolerance: Moderate
Waterlogging tolerance: Low
Soil pH range: 4.5–8.3

Morphology

Mature height: 0.8–1.2 m
Root system: Fibrous
Root depth: Medium
Growth rate: Very fast
Lifespan: ≤ 1 year
Time to first harvest: 4 months

Biomes & climate

Cerrado Suitable
Atlantic Forest Suitable
Pampa Suitable

Köppen classes

Humid subtropical (Cfa) Suitable
Subtropical with dry winter (Cwa) Suitable
Subtropical highland (Cwb) Suitable

Where it fits in a guild

Wheat takes the High stratum in the Placenta I phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

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🪴 Cultivation

Grows on all soil types across a broad pH range (4.5–8.3) but prefers fertile, nitrogen-rich dark soils that are well-drained — irrigate without waterlogging. Optimal rainfall 375–875 mm/yr (250–1,750 mm feasible if well-distributed); mean temperature ~25 °C, with hot dry summers that reduce fungal disease.