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 and 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
BBCH officially stands for "Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und CHemische Industrie". The abbreviation of the scale is also said to unofficially represent the four companies that initially sponsored its development; Bayer, BASF, Ciba-Geigy and Hoechst.