A new way of planting winter wheat called belt uniform sowing pattern can increase the yield of different wheat types in Southwest China. In a three-year study, researchers found that this planting method led to higher grain yield, above-ground biomass, and spike number compared to traditional planting methods. The key to the increased yield was not changing the harvest index but increasing the amount of plant material produced. This resulted in more spikes and grains per spike, ultimately boosting the overall grain yield.