This dissertation examined preharvest sprouting (PHS) and late maturity alpha-amylase (LMA) tolerance in wheat. PHS is defined as the germination of grain while still on the mother plant due to wet and cool conditions in the field. Whereas, LMA is a developmental defect that perturbs alpha-amylase expression approximately 26-30 days past anthesis (dpa). Both of these conditions result in low Hagberg-Perten falling numbers (FN), a test used to measure the level of alpha-amylase enzyme activity in ground meal in order to score the wheat grain for market. A method to standardize wheat seed dormancy was established by studying the response to plating on different hormones. Hormone profiling was performed to examine hormone accumulation in the ABA-hypersensitive mutant ZakERA8. LMA susceptibility was examined on a wide variety of Pacific northwest (PNW) spring and winter wheat germplasm. LMA has been a difficult challenge to breed against in Australia and the UK, but has not been confirmed as a problem in the United States. This study is the first to show the LMA susceptibility in the PNW, as well as providing a method for high-through-put LMA screening for breeding programs.