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Wheat. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

cultivated and wild plants. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

Directory / Cultivated and wild plants

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Content

  1. Photos, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
  2. Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism
  3. Botanical description, reference data, useful information, illustrations
  4. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology
  5. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing

Wheat, Triticum. Photos of the plant, basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism

Wheat Wheat

Basic scientific information, legends, myths, symbolism

Sort by: Triticum

Family: Cereals (Poaceae)

Origin: Southwest Asia

Area: Wheat is distributed throughout the world, grown in many countries, including the United States, Russia, Canada, China, India, France and Germany.

Chemical composition: Wheat contains carbohydrates, protein, fiber, minerals (such as iron and magnesium), and B vitamins.

Economic value: Wheat is one of the world's major cereal crops and is used to produce bread, pasta, porridge, livestock feed and many other products. Wheat is also widely used in medicine and cosmetics.

Legends, myths, symbolism: In ancient Greek mythology, wheat was associated with the Earth goddess Demeter, who was considered the patroness of agriculture and harvest. According to the myths, Demeter gave wheat to mankind and taught people how to grow it. In Christian symbolism, wheat is closely associated with the sermons of Jesus Christ. The Bible mentions wheat many times, and Jesus often uses it as an example to explain his teachings. For example, in the parable of the wheat, Jesus talks about how a person's faith can grow and bear fruit if it is sown in good soil. In Chinese culture, wheat also has a symbolic meaning. It is considered a symbol of wealth, prosperity and prosperity. In traditional Chinese medicine, wheat is used as a health and longevity remedy. In European culture, wheat was an important element of the rites and traditions associated with the celebration of the harvest. In medieval Europe, the harvest festival was one of the most important events of the year, and wheat played a central role in it. In general, wheat is often associated with fertility, wealth, and health.

 


 

Wheat, Triticum. Description, illustrations of the plant

Wheat, Triticum L. Botanical description, history of origin, nutritional value, cultivation, use in cooking, medicine, industry

Wheat

Annual herbaceous plant up to 1 m high. Stem erect, knotty, glabrous. Leaves broadly linear, flat. The flowers are collected in a complex spike-inflorescence. In durum wheat, the ear is thick and dense, the grains are hard, vitreous; in the soft one, the spike is sparse, the grains are farinaceous, slightly vitreous. Blooms in June.

Wheat has been known since ancient times. It was cultivated in Europe, Asia, Africa. According to archaeologists, wheat is one of the first cultivated plants. Currently, more than a third of the world's population feeds on its grain.

Wheat grain is a rich source of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It contains a lot of vitamins B1, B6, PP, E, H, folic acid, as well as minerals, all of which are concentrated in the grain shell (bran), but especially a lot of iron, copper, fluorine, zinc, manganese and the so-called ballast substances - fiber and hemicellulose. In addition, the grain germ contains a fatty oil rich in vitamin E.

Wheat has always been both food and medicine for people. A decoction of wheat grains has a softening and restorative property. It is effective in beriberi, after a debilitating illness. A decoction of grains with the addition of honey is useful for colds.

Wheat is one of the most important sources of food. Flour for bread, confectionery products is produced from soft grains, and semolina and flour for pasta are produced from hard grains.

Depending on the grinding, wheat flour of the highest grade is distinguished (yield - 25%, contains only the internal parts of the grain); Grade I (yield - 72%, has an admixture of peripheral parts: shell and embryo); II grade (yield - 85%, contains up to 12% of peripheral parts); coarse grinding (yield - 97,5%, usually obtained by grinding grain). The nutrients of the highest grade flour are absorbed better than the lower grades, but the advantage of the latter is that the fiber contained in the bran normalizes the digestion process.

Wheat

The nutritional value of wheat bread is determined by its chemical composition, flour grinding, recipe, and baking method. Wholemeal bread with a high bran content has relatively more proteins, vitamins, and minerals. The so-called rich products are characterized by a high content of fat and sugar. To increase the nutritional value of bread, especially from wheat flour of the highest grade, flour is enriched with vitamins B1, B2 and PP, as well as some minerals - calcium, iron, iodine.

They produce various types of bread, including dietary ones: with a high fiber content - for people prone to fullness, constipation, as well as the elderly; with a low content of carbohydrates and a high content of proteins - for patients with diabetes mellitus; salt-free - for people suffering from diseases of the kidneys and the cardiovascular system and in need of limiting salt; protein-free bread made from wheat and potato starch with the addition of corn starch, molasses - for those who are shown a restriction of protein in their diet; buns and crackers with low acidity - for patients with hyperavid gastritis and peptic ulcer.

Produced from durum wheat, semolina is high in calories and, due to the lack of fiber, is an excellent product for children and medical nutrition. Wheat cereals are very high in calories.

Grain is used to obtain starch, alcohol, gluten. Waste from the flour milling industry (bran, flour dust, fine grain, chaff) is an excellent concentrated animal feed. Straw is used to make newsprint, cardboard; baskets, hats, etc. are woven from it. Wheat bran is also used in cosmetics: decoctions in the form of lotions soften the rough skin of the face and hands.

Authors: Kretsu L.G., Domashenko L.G., Sokolov M.D.

 


 

Wheat, Triticum. Botanical description of the plant, areas of growth and ecology, economic importance, applications

Wheat

Wheat is the most important grain crop, providing almost 30% of the world's grain production and supplying food to more than half of the world's population. Its wide popularity is explained by the versatile use of valuable grain. It goes primarily to the production of flour, from which bread and many other foodstuffs are prepared almost everywhere.

Bread made from good flour contains up to 70-74% carbohydrates (mainly starch), 10-12% protein, minerals, amino acids, vitamins. This tasty, nutritious, high-calorie product (up to 100 calories per 347 g) is well absorbed and digested by the body. Grain and its waste during harvesting (chaff, straw) and bran are fed to domestic animals. Straw is used to make paper, movable walls, roofs, mats, household items.

Wheat is cultivated on a huge territory of 220 million hectares, which occupies 31,4% of the world's total area under grain crops.

The main crops are in Eurasia - 71,8% and America - 20,2% (including in the North - 16,0%), much less in Africa - 3,8% and Oceania - 4,2%. More than half of wheat crops (55%) are located in economically developed countries, which produce 57,5% of grain (total world production - 510 million tons) with an average yield of 2,4 tons / ha. The main contribution to the production of wheat grain is made by the USA, Canada, Australia, Ukraine, Russia, Italy, Spain, Romania, France, Great Britain. The last two countries receive the highest grain yield - 5-6,9 t/ha.

In developing countries, wheat is located on an area of ​​about 100 million hectares, from which 217 million tons of grain are obtained per year. In the subtropical and tropical zones, the main producers of wheat grain are: China, India, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Morocco, Algeria, South Africa. Quite significant areas under cultivation in Iraq, Egypt, Ethiopia, Chile. In addition, it is cultivated in Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Peru, Uruguay, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe and some other tropical countries.

Wheat is an annual upright cereal plant with a height of 0,3 to 1,2 m. It is propagated by seeds (caryopses), which germinate with 3-6 germinal roots, which play an important role in the life of the plant. When 4-5 leaves appear from the underground tillering node, a secondary root system (nodal roots) begins to form. It is fibrous, narrow, sometimes individual roots penetrate to a depth of 1 m or more. Lateral shoots appear from the tillering node somewhat earlier than the nodal roots - during the formation of the 3rd leaf. In total, from 1 to 6 shoots are formed (tillering process).

The shoot (stem) is a hollow straw, divided by nodes into internodes (4-7), the length of which increases up the stem. The internodes from below are tightly covered with leaf sheaths, which diverge from above and pass into freely protruding smooth, linear leaf blades 1-2 cm wide, 20 to 37 cm long. - exit into the tube, or stalking). In the process of stemming, the inflorescence (spike) rises along the stem and exits the upper leaf sheath, the plant enters the earing phase. An ear 5-10 cm long consists of a rod, on each ledge of which sits a spikelet in 2 parallel rows, from above it ends with a spikelet.

Spikelets consist of 2 glumes and several flowers (from 1 to 5), each of which is enclosed in 2 lemmas. In spinous ears, the outer scales bear an awn. The flower consists of an ovary with an ovule, 2 pinnate stigmas and 3 stamens. Flowering in wheat occurs immediately after earing. It starts from the center of the ear, then spreads up and down simultaneously. Flowering can be closed (in cloudy or rainy weather) or open. Self pollination predominates.

With the onset of flowering, stem growth stops. After fertilization, the formation, filling and maturation of the fetus (ripening phase) begins.

The fruit - a caryopsis - consists of densely fused fruit and seed coats, endosperm with outer aleurone (protein) and inner starchy layers, and an embryo. The mass of 1000 grains is 30-50 g. The grain is very valuable, it contains 75-79% carbohydrates, 15-20% protein, 1,9-2,2% fat, 1,9-2,1% ash and 2,2 -2,4% fiber. It is used in baking as an improver for soft wheat flour. It mainly goes to the production of the best varieties of semolina, pasta, noodles, vermicelli.

Wheat

Origin and systematics. Wheat belongs to the genus Triticum, which includes more than 30 species. Membranous species of this genus were found in excavations of human habitation on the territory of modern Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, the age of the excavations was determined at 7-6,5 thousand years BC. e. Ancient forms of soft (ordinary) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were discovered in Iran, where they were cultivated 5 thousand years BC. e. In Europe, soft wheat was known for 3 thousand years BC. e.

Currently, it is the most common type of cultivated wheat, with more than 250 varieties and several thousand varieties. The grain consists of carbohydrates - 75-80% (mainly starch), protein - 10-15%, fat - 1,5-2,5%, ash - 1,7-2,1%, fiber - 2-2,6%. Soft wheat flour is widely used in bread baking. Bread has high taste, nutritional value and good digestibility. The baking advantages of wheat flour depend on the content of protein and gluten in the grain. Strong flour contains protein at least 14%, gluten - 28%, medium - 11-13,9% and 25-27%, respectively.

The quantity and quality of gluten determine the volumetric yield of bread, its spreadability and the porosity of the crumb. Soft wheat has spring and winter forms. This is an exceptionally plastic species, adapted to various climatic conditions, soil types, and terrain. Culture can be found in the lowlands and at altitudes up to 4000 m above sea level. seas, in the hottest places and beyond the Arctic Circle.

The second most common species is durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.), the origin of which is not exactly established. It is believed that it originated from the Mediterranean, where an exceptional variety of its varieties and varieties was found. Hard wheat is represented mainly by spring forms, which are cultivated in hotter and drier places than soft wheat, including the tropics of India, Ethiopia, and Argentina.

The species is characterized by short stature, precocity, heat resistance, resistance to grain shedding. Plants almost do not lodging, they make good use of irrigation water, which makes durum wheat a promising crop in irrigated areas. Compared to the soft one, it is less affected by the Hessian fly, leaf rust and loose smut, the latter is associated with a closed type of flowering. Differs in high requirements to soil fertility and cleanliness of fields from weeds.

In addition to soft and durum wheat, other cultivated species are common in the tropics and subtropics.

Spring crops of spelt (T. dicoccum Schrank.) are found in North Africa, Ethiopia, Yemen, and India. Spelled plants are early ripening, heat-resistant, resistant to pathogens of stem rust and hard smut, have good quality grain. Spring forms of Mesopotamian wheat (T. persivalii Hubbard.) occupy limited areas in Syria, Turkey, and China. The branched form of turgidum wheat (T. turgidum L.) is grown as a spring and winter crop in the Mediterranean and Ethiopia. There are also spring crops of Polish wheat (T. polonicum L.). In India and Pakistan, round grain wheat (T. Sphaerococcum Pers.) is cultivated on small areas.

Wheat is one of the few crops that can be grown under a wide range of heat, light and soil conditions.

In the temperate zone, it is cultivated from the hot steppe regions to the cold northern ones. Early maturing cold-resistant varieties of winter crops (about 3/4 of all areas of the temperate zone) and spring wheat prevail here. It is enough for them to germinate seeds and develop seedlings at a temperature of 12-14 ° C, and the seedlings withstand short-term frosts. During tillering, spring wheat is also undemanding to heat. Winter forms for normal overwintering and transition to generative phases must undergo hardening (accumulation of sugars in tillering nodes, gradual dehydration of cells, conversion of insoluble organic substances into soluble ones) with a gradual decrease in temperature and day length during the autumn tillering period.

For the passage of the generative phases (steming, heading, flowering, ripening), wheat requires a consistent increase in average daily temperatures from 18 to 28 ° C. The sum of active temperatures (above 10 ° C) during the growing season should not be lower than 1400-1600 ° C. The optimal annual rainfall for non-irrigated wheat is 600-800 mm. However, with a favorable distribution of precipitation, it can produce good yields even with a lower amount of precipitation (400-450 mm), the main thing is that during the growing season their amount should not be lower than 200 mm.

In the tropics, wheat is cultivated mainly in mountainous regions, where the temperature is relatively low and varies considerably between day and night. Winter and semi-winter (“two-handled”) forms prevail here. On the plains, spring and semi-winter wheat is more often grown in the dry season with irrigation or in the colder season without it. For example, in East Africa, the height of wheat placement is from 1600 to 3000 m a.s.l. seas. In West Africa, it is cultivated on elevated plains (200 to 500 m) during the dry season under irrigation.

In India, where wheat is one of the main grain crops, there are 5 climatic zones of its regionalization. The country cultivates mainly winter and semi-winter wheat. In the northern zone, the most late-ripening winter varieties are grown - local and breeding (DL420-9, HB 501, etc.), which are sown early, but not later than October, and are grown both due to precipitation and irrigation. In the northern plain zone with limited moisture supply (250-625 mm of precipitation per year), early semi-winter local and breeding varieties (HD228, DWL5023, ML3, MLKS11, CPAN, etc.) are sown in November-December and grown mainly under irrigation.

In the central (flat-mountain) and southwestern (flat) zones with precipitation from 625 to 1250 mm per year, the main crops of winter and semi-winter wheat (varieties - HI617, JU12, etc.) are placed on dry land. In the most arid regions, irrigated wheat crops are practiced (promising varieties LOK1, HL2236, etc.). The eastern zone is one of the most moisture-provided in India (the amount of precipitation is up to 2000 mm per year). There are crops of rain wheat, mid-ripening varieties (120-140 days), they are sown in late October - early November.

Selection and varieties. Low wheat yields in the tropics are explained by a whole range of reasons. First of all, this is the spread of unproductive local varieties, non-observance of the correct alternation of crops in the fields, the lack of mechanization, irrigation, fertilizers, and modern means of plant protection against diseases, pests, and weeds. Many local as well as introduced breeding varieties, especially when cultivated in the warm and humid climate of the tropical plains, suffer from lodging and fungal diseases, especially stem (pathogen Puccinia graminis Pers.), leaf (pathogen P. triticina Erikss.) and yellow (pathogen P . striiformis West.) rust. In dry places, varieties often die from drought.

Accordingly, there are the following areas of breeding to improve varieties for the tropical regions of the world:

1. High productivity due to optimal tillering, ear size, number and weight of grains.

2. Early maturity for areas with a hot dry climate and some diseases.

3. Resistance to lodging, i.e., the presence of short and strong stems in plants.

4. Resistance to shedding.

5. Resistance to pests and diseases, especially rust.

6. Adaptability to local conditions and cultivation practices.

7. Good technological qualities of grain.

Great progress has been made in the world selection of short-stalked wheat, including tropical regions. Varieties have high productivity, resistance to lodging, shedding, diseases, respond well to fertilizers and irrigation. However, their introduction in the tropics often gives a very small effect. This is mainly due to the low level of agricultural technology, under which they cannot realize their potential. The traditional permanent cultivation of wheat in the same fields or mixed with other crops (legumes, oilseeds, cereals, potatoes, cotton, etc.) under rainfed conditions is completely unsuitable for new, intensive varieties. Only in crop rotation with scientifically based alternation with other annual crops can good grain yields be expected.

It has been proven that wheat on poor soils in tropical regions with an annual rainfall of 500-800 mm responds well to green manure fallow, when the previous crop, better than legumes, is plowed into the soil during flowering as a green manure. On more fertile soils, it gives high yields after a busy fallow, that is, when placed on a field in which early ripening crops are first grown, legumes (peas, cowpea, beans, dolichos, chickpeas, etc.) are also better, and then they are processed with plows and other implements and kept clean until wheat is sown. Good results are obtained by alternating it in crop rotation with cotton, tobacco, sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, and sugar cane.

Wheat can grow in a variety of soils, but the best soils are neutral, fertile, breathable and have good water holding capacity. Durum wheat produces higher yields on fertile and weed-free soil compared to soft wheat, which is associated with its lower bushiness and slower growth at the beginning of the growing season. Spring, as it is more early in comparison with winter, is more demanding on nutrients available in the soil. The need for them depends on the age of the plants. For example, nitrogen is used during the period from intensive growth of stems to the beginning of seed filling, phosphorus is used during shoot formation, and potassium is used from earing to filling.

One of the most important agrotechnical operations - preparing the soil for sowing - is very imperfect in small-scale farms in the tropics. It is carried out manually with hoes or local plows with the help of animals to a depth of 8-10 cm, repeating up to 4-8 times in order to loosen the soil well. Fertilizers are usually not applied. In large farms, in the presence of modern equipment and crop rotations, soil preparation is carried out taking into account agrotechnical requirements and local conditions.

Moldboard plowing (complete wrapping of soil layers with a moldboard plow) to the depth of the arable layer is carried out when manure is applied or green fertilizers are planted, as a rule, on soils where there is no wind erosion. Otherwise, disc or moldless plows are used, which loosen well, but do not turn over and dry out the soil less. If the wheat follows an irrigated row crop with wide, regularly cultivated row spacings, there is no need for plowing. In India, in this case, the soil is treated twice with heavy disc harrows, then leveled.

Wheat

In the subtropics, the sowing time for winter and semi-winter wheat is from the end of September to the end of November. Late November plantings are best avoided, as this weakens the plant's resistance to rust and delays ripening. Sowing of spring wheat in these regions begins no earlier than the average daily temperature is 12-13 ° C, which coincides with the calendar dates from December to March.

Sow usually on a flat surface of the soil. If the sowing time in the tropics falls on a rainy time and the soil is very waterlogged, then wheat is sown in 2-3 rows with distances of 10-12 cm on pre-prepared ridges. Until now, the main methods of sowing in peasant farms are manual: broadcast, in a plow furrow for local plows, and with artisanal seeders. In India, farmers use wooden planters with 2-3 bamboo coulters spaced 25-30 cm apart.

In large farms, tractor seeders with row spacings of 15 to 25 cm are used, which sow wheat to a depth of 3 (short-stemmed varieties) to 9 cm. Simultaneously with sowing, from 15 to 30 kg / ha of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers are applied. The number of seeds sown can be different, it primarily depends on the provision of plants with water during the period of growth and development. In regions with an annual rainfall of 300-400 mm and cultivation of wheat without irrigation, it is enough to sow from 50 to 160 kg of seeds per 1 ha (seeding rate). With an increase in the natural moisture supply of the area or during irrigation, the seeding rate also increases to 200 kg/ha or more. Crops are usually rolled in to protect them from birds.

If the seedlings of wheat are quite thick and strong, but there are many annual weeds among them, then harrowing is done, which destroys up to 80% of weeds. Further weed control is carried out manually in small farms, herbicides are used in large ones.

In areas with developed animal husbandry, manure (10-30 t/ha), about 2/3 of phosphorus and potash and about 1/3 of nitrogen fertilizers are applied for plowing or other basic processing. The rest of the fertilizer is given as top dressing during the growth and development of plants. The total amount of mineral fertilizers is different, it depends on the needs of the variety, the availability of water and nutrients in the soil, the previous crop, the level of economy of the farm, and many more reasons. For example, nitrogen in the tropics and subtropics is applied from 20 to 150 kg/ha, phosphorus - from 25 to 70, potassium - from 0 to 60 kg/ha. Wheat responds best to nitrogen fertilizer.

50-60 kg of nitrogen per 1 ha is enough for local high-stemmed varieties of Indian wheat, with a larger amount they lie down, for local improved varieties - 70-100 kg/ha, and for short-stemmed varieties, the optimal doses are 110-150 kg/ha. If the predecessor of wheat is legume grass (clover, alfalfa), accumulating more than 100 kg/ha of atmospheric nitrogen due to nitrogen fixation, then the dose of nitrogen fertilizers for short-stemmed wheat is reduced to 70-80 kg/ha and below. The amount of applied fertilizers also varies greatly from precipitation. For example, in South Africa, with non-irrigated wheat crops in places with precipitation from 300 to 500 mm per year, from 14 to 32 kg of nitrogen are introduced, with an increase in precipitation - 33-42 kg / ha. In the dry regions of India, the dose of nitrogen on rainfed crops is reduced by 2-5 times compared to irrigated crops, and the amount of phosphorus in the fertilizer is accordingly reduced.

After applying the main fertilizer and plowing, shallow cultivation is carried out on the field, and before sowing it is leveled, especially carefully for irrigated wheat, which is sown at the end of the wet or at the beginning of the dry season. Sowing rainfed wheat in the tropics is carried out at the beginning of the rainfall or later, depending on the length of the rainy season, the intensity of precipitation, the length of the vegetation of the variety.

Compliance with the terms of sowing is very important, and sometimes the main condition for obtaining good yields. It is advisable to select them so that from germination to tillering the soil is moist and the air temperature is cool. If the weather is hot at this time, then plant growth and shoot formation are inhibited and, which is especially dangerous, the susceptibility of wheat to diseases and pests increases. For example, in the northern lowland zone of India, the sowing of winter wheat, carried out in the second decade of December, i.e., much later than the optimal time (from the third decade of October to the first of November), led to the loss of 1,8-2,0 tons of grain per 1 ha (harvest in optimal terms 5,6-5,8 t/ha).

The calendar dates for sowing wheat in the tropics are very different: in Africa (South Africa) - from August to December, in America (Mexico) - from September to January, in Australia - from April to July.

Wheat

Irrigation of wheat is carried out in the dry season in the tropics, as well as in dry and semi-dry subtropics with an annual rainfall below 300-400 mm and their unfavorable distribution. The crop needs watering most strongly during the formation of nodal roots, i.e., 20–25 days after sowing, during flowering and grain filling. In India, a good crop of short-stalked wheat is obtained with 4-5 irrigations, nitrogen fertilizing is done before the second and third irrigations. With a limited supply of water, wheat is watered only during the period of shoot formation or, if there is enough water for 2 irrigations, also during flowering.

In Bangladesh, a high yield is obtained with 3 irrigations, which begin 80-85 days after sowing and end at grain filling. In Pakistan, short-stalked wheat is grown with 4 irrigations: during germination, tillering, earing and grain filling, in the first two periods they give nitrogen top dressing. In the tropics, watering is most often carried out by flooding. Checks are specially prepared for him, i.e., they limit the field with earth rollers that hold water. After watering, if the aisles allow, manual hoeing is done in order to break the soil crust. On non-irrigated wheat, fertilizing is applied 3 and 6 weeks after sowing.

Wheat field care includes disease and pest control. Chemical plant protection products in the conditions of individual peasant farms in the tropics are rarely used because of their high cost. More often, agrotechnical methods of control are used: disease-resistant varieties, protective tillage, correct sowing dates, manual weeding along the edges of fields (intermediate hosts of diseases), harvesting at optimal times with immediate removal of straw from the field, burning stubble.

Wheat harvest times vary widely across countries and continents. In the tropics of North America (Mexico) it is held from April to July, in the South (Argentina, Chile) - from November to January. In the subtropics of North Africa (Morocco) and Southeast Asia (Afghanistan, Iran, China, Japan) - from May to July, and in the tropics (India) - from February to June.

India is characterized by zonal harvesting periods. In the southwestern zone, wheat is harvested from the second half of February to early March, in the central zone - in March, in the eastern zone - from the end of March to mid-April, and in the northern plains and mountains - in May-June. Harvesting with sickles is widespread, in which plants are tied into sheaves, dried, transported to the current and threshed with sticks or with the help of animals.

Mechanized harvesting is carried out by combines directly or separately with mowing into rolls. The latter is used on heavily bushy, unevenly ripened or lodged crops, as well as on heavily weedy fields.

Authors: Baranov V.D., Ustimenko G.V.

 


 

Wheat. Legends, the birthplace of the plant, the history of distribution

Wheat

Many useful plants are grown in the fields. To all of them honor and honor. But the highest praise is to our main breadwinner - wheat. It is she who is primarily called bread, about which the people say that he is "the head of everything."

Wheat is not only the most important, but also the very first bread plant that man sowed.

The ancient Egyptians already cultivated wheat and valued it highly. When their king-pharaoh died, everything was taken to the tomb, without which the deceased ruler, according to the beliefs of the Egyptians, could not do in the afterlife. Together with gold jewelry and other jewelry, a bowl with wheat grain was placed in the tomb.

What was this wheat? Apparently the same as today? Not exactly like that.

Do you remember "The Tale of the Priest and his Worker Balda"? Balda says to the priest: "I will serve you gloriously, Diligently and very regularly, In a year for three clicks on your forehead, Give me boiled spelt to eat."

This is the spelled wheat that the Egyptians and other ancient peoples grew. Sowed it and our distant ancestors. Very unpretentious, spelled tolerated both drought and frost well, ripened on the poorest lands. But she had a lot of trouble.

Ripening, the spelled spike broke up into separate spikelets. As soon as the reaper touched the stems with a sickle, the spikelets fell off. Try to pick them up on the ground!

The threshing of the crop was also difficult. And the grain was not the best - it was more suitable for porridge than for bread. That is why Balda is talking about boiled spelt, and not about bread.

Now spelled is no longer grown. It was replaced by other types of wheat. They have many advantages over spelled. It would seem that it is time to rejoice. But scientists do not know peace - they work both in the field and in laboratories. All new varieties are coming out. And it's not just about productivity.

Wheat

It turns out that before allowing new wheat to enter the collective farm fields, the consent of the bakers must also be obtained. They will bake a loaf, try it and smile: "Good bread!" Or, on the contrary, they will wince: "Unimportant loaf." It depends not on the skill of the bakers, but on the hardness of the grain.

You take one grain in your mouth - it is hard as glass. You will try another - soft, powdery. Which one is more valued?

Solid. It has more healthy proteins. It is from it that semolina and the highest grades of flour are obtained. Bread made from this flour is distinguished by splendor, good baking, and excellent taste. Such bread is praised by bakers.

Pasta and vermicelli also cannot do without durum wheat. If you make them soft, they will spread during cooking, turn into porridge.

People have long appreciated durum wheat and tried to sow more of it. But she did not succeed everywhere. And until now, all over the world it is collected much less than soft.

Growing good and productive wheat is very, very difficult. After all, the creation of a single variety takes six to eight years, or even more. On the other hand, every great success of scientists allows the collective farms to collect additionally a lot of excellent grain.

One of the most talented scientists was Academician Pavel Panteleimonovich Lukyanenko. He managed to create such varieties that did not succumb to diseases, were distinguished by excellent grain and high yields. The scientist's greatest success is the famous "Bezostaya-1", which is sown in many countries.

Author: Osipov N.F.

 


 

The geometry of wheat. Featured Article

Wheat

In 1851, the Free Economic Society of Russia announced: ten grains of Semikoloska wheat were sent to members of the society. Sow! Try your luck! What if the harvest doubles, triples, sevenfold? Wheat is not just any - obtained from England. And I got to England during the excavations of ancient mummies!

Members of the society enthusiastically set about experimenting. Still would! Get seven ears of corn on a stalk instead of one! And it's just interesting to look at the wheat of the new geometry. Until now, they knew one form of an ear - simple, like a cylinder. And now a completely different one is promised - an ear splayed like a broom. There should be many times more grains in it. Still, seven ears, not one.

And at the St. Petersburg Exhibition of 1851 one could see even more amazing things. There they showed Twenty-five ears and even Thirty ears.

The ears of these types of wheat had so many branches. To this we must also add that not one stem, but 15-20, and sometimes even 80, grew from one grain of Semikoloska. It is clear that she was immediately dubbed the sonorous name Grace. And in our time, the name is more modest - Branchy.

The first experiences of the members of the society were deplorable. The most ordinary ears grew from the grains. No branching. True, some managed to raise the first generation (they were at the exhibition!). But after a year or two, Semikoloska degenerated among them too. By the way, it turned out that the story of the mummies is a complete lie.

A connoisseur of seed business A. Vilmorin proved that wheat grains do not retain germination for more than twenty years.

Interest in branched wheat faded. But in 1873, a wheat specialist, Professor E. Chernyaev, received twenty ears of Grace from a landowner from Yekaterinoslav. Real, branchy ones! He wrote that he discovered them by chance, going into the hut of a local peasant woman. A whole sheaf was kept by her, stuck behind the icon. I was able to grow! They began to find out how and where.

Wheat
Triticum aestivum

It turned out that Semikoloska had been known since Pushkin's times. It was sown both in Irkutsk and in Transbaikalia. And the Cossack constable Ipat Rusinov from the Irtysh Line was the first to get the seeds.

Almost a hundred years have passed since the first mummy seeds were sent out. The Patriotic War of 1941-1945 ended. Branched wheat was discussed again. New experiences, hopes, failures. And, as if repeating a long history, a peasant woman from Uzbekistan, Muslima Begieva, managed to grow branchy ears of corn. However, she failed to repeat the success. The reason for the failure, however, is now clear.

Semikoloska is a child of the humid, warm Mediterranean. And in order to create a mighty spike, it requires the same climate as in its homeland. Fatty soils. Particularly meticulous care. Then it grows powerful, taller than a man, with a thick, non-lodging culm. The most impressive of all the wheats in the world. If we talk about size - the crown of human creation.

It is difficult to create all the necessary conditions for Semikoloska. And is it necessary? It will cost dearly. In addition, the flour from its grain is of mediocre taste. True, breeders are not going to completely abandon Grace. It is used to improve other varieties.

Despite all the failures, breeders could no longer forget about the "crown of creation". And in 1950, Professor D. Kabulov discovered the landrace wheat variety Akpuchok near Samarkand, which interested him in large grain. It turned out that Akpuchok belonged to the same type of turgidum as Blagodat.

Kabulov "conjured" over the old variety and in 1957 he could already firmly declare: a new wheat with such a large grain that history did not know was created. A thousand grains weighed not 30-40 grams, as usual, but 80! They named it Uzbekistan. Then the professor developed another variety from it - Samarkand.

Several years passed, and another biologist, A. Esirgaliev from the "Uzbek Switzerland" - the city of Karshi, decided to test new varieties, what they are capable of. How many seeds per spike can they produce? Usually, local wheat ears are small. There are about three dozen grains in it. Esirgaliyev had 125! And what is most remarkable, the geometry of the ear has changed. Branches of lateral ears appeared in its lower part. The wheat has become branchy. But her parent Uzbekistan did not have branching.

So, victory? Branchy Esirgalieva will go to the fields? Alas, not yet. Although there are many grains, they are smaller than those of the parent. But in the selection it will come in handy. The sign of multigrain is very important. And there are still many difficulties ahead.

And now about some of our landraces. At one time, F. Kryshtafovich, a correspondent for The Farmer, was very interested in them. He lived in the USA for many years, collecting material for his magazine.

He had a kind of hobby. He collected... pasta! Year after year he bought pasta: American and ours, domestic. Boiled, compared the taste, aroma, nutritional value. The American ones were so much worse than ours that they were only sold in the States. They did not dare to export abroad. Some losses. They tried to mix Russian semolina with their flour, but still the quality remained low.

Our Russian flour was especially famous - Kubanka from fine South Russian wheat. Kubanka is still alive. Its flour is yellowish in appearance, but the taste is incomparable!

There is only one more tasty wheat - Krymka. She showed herself a century and a half ago. It was exported to many European countries and even to Japan.

Author: Smirnov A.

 


 

Wheat, Triticum. Recipes for use in traditional medicine and cosmetology

cultivated and wild plants. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

Ethnoscience:

  • Wheat bran porridge for bowel cleansing: Pour 1 cup of wheat bran with 2 cups of boiling water and insist for 20-30 minutes. Then add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and, if desired, salt, honey or dried fruits. Eat porridge in the morning on an empty stomach and before going to bed.
  • Infusion of wheat straw to strengthen hair: Mix 2 tablespoons of wheat straw with 2 cups of water and heat over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Cool, strain and use to rinse hair after washing.
  • Wheat grass to improve digestion: grind fresh wheat grass in a blender or meat grinder, mix with honey or sugar to taste and eat 1 tablespoon before meals.
  • Wheat compress for pain relief: pour wheat with boiling water and let it brew for 5-10 minutes. Put the wheat on gauze or a towel, roll it into a bag and apply to the sore spot for 15-20 minutes.
  • Wheat grains for stress relief: fill a small bag with wheat grains and heat in the microwave or skillet until warm. Apply the pouch to the neck, shoulders or other areas of the body to relax and relieve tension.

Cosmetology:

  • Wheat hair mask: take half a glass of wheat bran and pour boiling water over them until a thick slurry is obtained. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, then apply to damp hair and leave on for 20-30 minutes. After that, rinse with warm water.
  • Wheat Facial Scrub: Mix two tablespoons of wheat flour with one tablespoon of olive oil and a little water to make a thick paste. Apply the scrub on your face with massage movements and leave for 5-10 minutes. Then wash off with warm water.
  • Face cream with wheat: Mix two tablespoons of wheat flour with two tablespoons of coconut oil and add some water to make a thick paste. Apply the cream on your face and leave on for 15-20 minutes. Then wash off with warm water.
  • Face mask with wheat groats: mix two tablespoons of wheat groats with one tablespoon of honey and two tablespoons of olive oil. Apply the mask on your face and leave on for 10-15 minutes. Then wash off with warm water.
  • Shower gel with wheat: mix half a cup of wheat bran with 250 ml of liquid shower soap. Use shower gel with your daily shower to soften and moisturize your skin.

Attention! Before use, consult with a specialist!

 


 

Wheat, Triticum. Tips for growing, harvesting and storing

cultivated and wild plants. Legends, myths, symbolism, description, cultivation, methods of application

Wheat is one of the most widespread grain crops in the world. It is used to produce flour, animal feed and other products.

Tips for growing, harvesting and storing wheat:

Cultivation:

  • Placement: Wheat prefers sunny places with fertile soils and good drainage system.
  • Soil preparation: Before sowing wheat, the soil must be cultivated by adding organic fertilizers and soil improvers.
  • Sowing: Wheat should be sown in early autumn so that the plant has time to establish itself and develop before winter. Seeds should be buried to a depth of about 5-10 cm, with a distance of about 10-20 cm between plants.
  • Plant care: Wheat needs regular watering during dry periods, as well as weed removal and soil loosening.

Workpiece:

  • Harvesting: Harvesting of wheat begins after the grain is fully ripe and has acquired a yellowish color.
  • Grain separation: The grain must be separated from the stems and other parts of the plant. To do this, you can use special equipment or do it manually.
  • Drying: Wheat grain must be dried in the sun or in a drying chamber until its moisture content reaches 12-14%.

Storage:

  • Dry storage: Dry wheat grain should be stored in a dry place, protected from moisture and insects.
  • Storage duration: Wheat grain can be stored for a year, but the best quality is stored for 6 months.

Wheat is an important and beneficial grain that is used for a variety of industrial and culinary purposes.

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