wheat

Grain harvesting in Canada. The majority of Canada's wheat is grown on the prairies of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta.

Wheat production is now a large worldwide industry; most of it is grown in China, India, and the USA.

Cereal plant derived from the wild Triticum, a grass native to the Middle East. It is the chief cereal used in breadmaking and is widely cultivated in temperate climates suited to its growth. Wheat is killed by frost, and damp makes the grains soft, so warm, dry regions produce the most valuable grain.

The main wheat-producing areas of the world are the Ukraine, the prairie states of the USA, the Punjab in India, the Prairie Provinces of Canada, parts of France, Poland, southern Germany, Italy, Argentina, and southeastern Australia. Flour is milled from the nutritious tissue surrounding the embryonic plant in the grain (the endosperm); the coatings of the grain produce bran. Semolina is also prepared from wheat; it is a by-product from the manufacture of fine flour.