The BBCH-scale is a scale used to identify the phenological development stages of a plant. A series of BBCH-scales have been developed for a range of crop species. Phenological development stages of plants are used in a number of scientific disciplines (crop physiology, phytopathology, entomology, plant breeding) and in the agriculture industry (timing of pesticide application, fertization, agricultural insurance). The BBCH-scale uses a decimal code system, which is divided into principal and secondary growth stages, and is based on the cereal code system (Zadoks scale) developed by Zadoks et al. (1974).