BBCH-scale

Basic principles of the scale

• The BBCH-scale provides a framework to develop scales for individual crops.
• Similar growth stages of each plant species are given the same BBCH code.
• Each code has a description and important growth stages have additional drawings included.
• The first digit of the scale refers to the principal growth stage.
• The second digit refers to the secondary growth stage which corresponds to an ordinal number or percentage value.
• Post harvest or storage treatment is coded as 99.
• Seed treatment before planting is coded as 00.

  Principal growth stages

• 0: Germination, sprouting, bud development
• 1: Leaf development
• 2: Formation of side shoots, tillering
• 3: Stem elongation or rosette growth, shoot development
• 4: Development of harvestable vegetative plant parts, bolting
• 5: Inflorescene emergence, heading
• 6: Flowering
• 7: Development of fruit
• 8: Ripening or maturity of fruit and seed
• 9: Senescence, beginning of dormancy