Grain Crops

Cereals are of strategic importance because without a large-scale supply of grain, livestock farms would not have high performance. Cereals are the basis of agricultural production. Grain is the main energy source of the human body. In the structure of food products, cereals and legumes account for 76%. Tubers and roots, vegetables, fruits, sugar account for only 17.2% of food production.

Cereals are divided into:

• Group I – crops of northern origin with a long day in the summer: wheat, rye, barley, oats;
• Group II – crops of southern origin with a short day in the summer: corn, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and rice, sometimes also include Paise (Japanese millet), African millet.

Among the cultures of group I, there are spring, winter varieties, and two-handed, group II – only spring.

Winter, to pass the stage of vernalization in the initial stage of development, require low temperatures from -1 to + 10° C for 20-60 days. They are sown in autumn, 50-60 days before the onset of persistent frosts, harvested next year. When sown in the spring, they often bush and do not form stems and spikelets.

Spring bread to pass the stage of vernalization requires higher temperatures: from +5 to + 20° C for 7-20 days. Sown in the spring, harvested in the same year.

Two-handed pass the stage of vernalization at a temperature of + 3-15° C. For the southern regions, breeders have bred varieties that grow and develop well, yield both spring and autumn sowing.

Classification of grain crops in winter, spring, and two-handed is relative, but in practical terms, it is of great importance, because it allows you to distribute the intensity of work in the spring and during harvesting.

Winter wheat is one of the most valuable cereals because wheat grains contain a lot of protein, fat, and carbohydrates.

Varieties of winter wheat are considered the most valuable and productive.

It is necessary to cultivate several varieties of winter wheat at the same time to get a good harvest. These varieties should differ in biological and economic characteristics. When choosing varieties for sowing, the condition of the field is taken into account. The contribution of the variety to the achieved level of yield is 40-50%. Therefore, the correct selection of varieties for a particular area is of great importance for the successful cultivation of winter wheat.

The preparation of seeds with high germination is crucial for the early stage of winter wheat development. Its overwintering and productivity in many respects depend on the quality of sowing material. The weight of 1000 grains should be 40-50 g, germination of certified seeds – not less than 85%.

It is customary to call technical crops those species of agricultural plants that are grown for the purpose of obtaining technical raw materials from them. A classic example of such a crop is flax, from which raw materials for the textile industry are obtained, as well as non-food vegetable oil. However, many technical crops can also be grown as food. For example, potatoes are the main vegetable and source of starch at the same time. Thus, the division of crop industries into food and industrial crops is quite conditional.

It is important to note that such cereals and industrial crops are not necessarily used in the future for the production of non-food products. Much more often from technical cultures food products which give to ready food of certain taste or other qualities receive. For example, sugar obtained from sugar cane and white beets is the most popular sweetener, which is indispensable in the preparation of various desserts, and more. And lean oil, the source of which is dozens of different plants, is used for frying, dressing salads, lubricating various ingredients in the dish, and other culinary purposes.