Enhanced Grain Filling for a Higher Yield

healthy wheat during grainfilling stage

The final yield of a cereal crop is strongly dependant on what your plants can accomplish during the grain filling period. As soon as fertilization occurs, the plants get to work redirecting stored starch and proteins to the developing grains. Having the correct balance of nutrition available for your crop at this stage will ensure a long grain filling period resulting in larger, more plentiful grains and higher yields.

Grain Filling Stage

Grain filling is a stage of growth after fertilization that determines your grain size and density. During this period, the plant transports nutrients stored in its foliage to the head for grain development.

growth stages of wheat

There are three key nutrients involved with managing an optimal grain filling stage: nitrogen, sulphur, and potassium.

Nitrogen is the main ingredient in synthesizing proteins, the building blocks of grain. However, nitrogen cannot produce proteins alone. A correct ratio of nitrogen and sulphur is required in the production of amino acids that combine to form proteins.

While nitrogen is primarily used to develop the grains, potassium is responsible for moving nutrients and carbohydrates to where they are needed. A steady supply of potassium will ensure a long grain filling period giving your crop more time to produce a quality yield.


Enhance Grain Filling

There are several ways to improve conditions during the grain filling stage for the best possible yield.

Proper Irrigation

With the grain filling stage occurring in the summer heat, drought can be an issue causing setbacks in grain development. Drought stress will slow down grain filling processes and shorten the grain filling stage leading to reduced yields. Proper irrigation can help mitigate stress brought on by drought.


A significant portion of yield can be lost due to foliar diseases and viruses. The application of a mid-season fungicide will help ensure these pathogens do not take their toll at a vital stage of grain development.

Foliar Nutrition

It is equally important to make sure your crop has a ready access to the nutrients it needs to build grains. Around 60% of the nutrients used in grain filling come from the upper canopy of the plant, so it is vital that your crop has a healthy canopy supplemented with foliar nutrients. Through foliar application, nutrients are able to be absorbed into the leaf and from there translocated to the head. A foliar nutrient for grain filling should contain high amounts of nitrogen and potassium to support the grain filling process.



Active GRAINFILL is a balanced nutrient solution tailored to give cereals the correct ratio of nutrients they need at the grain-filling stage. Active GRAINFILL contains 10% nitrogen and 6.5% sulfur to produce the necessary proteins for building grains. It also contains 14% potassium to help transport those nutrients to where they are needed.

Included in Active GRAINFILL is Active AgriScience’s patented stress management technology which enhances mobilization and utilization of nutrients in unfavorable conditions.

Active GRAINFILL is a compatible tank mix with most fungicides so you can protect your crop from pathogens while supplying them with the nutrients they need to thrive in one application.

Bravo ZnAcapelaDithane Rainshield
Tilt 250EProsaroManzate Max
Nufarm propiconazoleQuadris

In the video below Roddy McNinch, a representative from one of our largest distributors, Taurus, gives an excellent explanation of why Active GRAINFILL was created and how it enhances grain production.

Active GRAINFILL Research

A third-party study conducted by AgQuest in 2020 shows evidence that Active GRAINFILL significantly improves wheat crop yield. According to the data collected from four plots, wheat crops treated with Active GRAINFILL showed an average of 9.5% increase in yield, an extra 1.8 bushels per acre compared to the untreated crop.

Active GRAINFILL 2020 average yield data, AgQuest
Active GRAINFILL 2020 average yield data, AgQuest.

A further study in 2021 by the University of British Columbia showed a 17.5% increase in yield, an extra 13.3 bushels per acre, from crops treated with Active GRAINFILL compared to plants without the treatment.

Active GRAINFILL trial at UBC Horticulture Greenhouse.
Active GRAINFILL 2021 average yield data, UBC.

By making sure your crop has all of the nutrients it needs to have a stress-free grain filling stage, your grain yields will improve in quality and quantity.


Try Active GRAINFILL as an all-in-one nutrient solution for an improved grain size and weight in cereal crops!

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