Barley is an annual plant of the "cereal" family with a straight, low stem. This unique plant is rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals in its composition. It is not surprising that many, knowing about its usefulness, tend to grow barley on their own. On how to do it right, we will tell further.
Plant description
Barley is an agricultural plant that satisfies not only food and feed needs, but also technical purposes. The culture is massively cultivated for grain and combines more than 35 species of wild and cultivated forms.
Two-row barley has two forms: spring and winter. The botanical characteristics of this culture are as follows:
- thin erect stem;
- height about half a meter;
- spikes linear, golden or brown;
- the shape of the ears is flat, with diverging carcasses;
- spines are represented by three-horned lobed appendages - furcate spike;
- film grain, golden color;
- the middle spike is single-flowered, bisexual and fertile;
- early ripening plant - ripens 70-90 days after sowing;
- barley is undemanding to heat, drought and frost resistant;
- soil - neutral loam and deep tilled black soil;
- resistant to fungi and putrefactive infections.
Soak
Soaking methods are chosen depending on the technical equipment, but the main goal is to achieve in a short time sufficient saturation of the grain with water, ensuring normal malting of the barley.
Today, the most common methods for soaking barley are as follows:
- air-water;
- air-irrigation.
They also distinguish between cold (temperature 10 degrees), normal (10-15 degrees), warm (17-25 degrees) soaking. When using any of the methods, the grain must be pre-washed and disinfected.
Consider air-water soaking of grain in more detail:
- in the lock vat you need to collect water up to half of its volume;
- sort the barley and weigh it on an automatic scale, then pour it into a vat in a thin stream;
- to make the grain better wetted and washed, mix it with compressed air;
- after all the grain has been filled in, the layer of water in the vat should rise above the surface of the grain by a few centimeters;
- in the water intended for washing, the grain should be 1-2 hours so that light grains and weedy impurities float up and you can remove them;
- after that, rinse the barley again, displacing the dirty water with clean water, feeding it from below;
- rinse the grain until the water is completely clean, add disinfectants to it (iodine or potassium permanganate is suitable - add 30 drops of the preparation to 10 liters of water) and leave the grain in this state for several hours.
In this method of soaking, barley is alternately left in water and without water. The stay of grain under water and without it must be repeated until the moisture content of the soaked grain reaches the required level (for light malt 43-45%, for dark malt 44-47%).
To ensure the vital activity of the grain, the barley must be blown with air for 5 minutes every hour. And once a shift, before draining the water, the grain is mixed with compressed air for about 40 minutes, pumping it through the central pipe.
Germination procedure
Few people were engaged in grain germination, especially at home. Therefore, it must be borne in mind that this procedure has its own rules and nuances:
- Prepare the material - the barley must be of the highest quality and harvested no more than 2 months ago, suitable for human consumption, not just for sowing. Check it for germination.
- Rinse barley kernels thoroughly under cold water, soak and leave in this form for 3 days. Water needs to be changed every 6-7 hours.
- Put the grains on a pre-prepared gauze cloth (soaked in warm water).
- Transfer the barley and cheesecloth to the bottom of the glass container and close the lid.
- Provide the desired temperature regime - the grains should be stored in a dark, cool place with a temperature not exceeding 20 degrees.
- Do not forget about natural ventilation - once a day organize access to air - open the lid of the container, remove the top layer of gauze and leave it in this form for at least 20-30 minutes in a warm ventilated room.
If all the recommendations are followed correctly, then after 3-4 days the sprouts should germinate. Their length will be about 4 mm. The germination process itself directly depends on the conditions and type of grain used.
The process of germination in the manufacture of barley malt is slightly different from the previous one - the grain must be selected the same size, after which:
- Fill the barley with water for several days and change the water at least every 8 hours to speed up the necessary processes.
- Let the soaked barley lie down for several days, after which the process of sprout growth will begin, taking about a week.
- The shoots reach twice the length of the whole grain. Finished malt can be stored in the refrigerator, but no more than 3 days.
For even longer use, sprouted grains must be dried for 20 hours at a temperature of no more than 55 degrees.
Temperature and humidity
To start germination, you need a low level of humidity - about 40%. That is, the grains are slightly moistened and remain in this state until the embryo develops. Now humidity must be increased to 50%, increasing the frequency of spraying.
The physiological processes during germination are also seriously influenced by temperature - ideally 14-15 degrees. At lower rates, development will slow down, and at higher rates, development will accelerate, which will cause it to occur unevenly.
Subsequent procurement
Since it will not be possible to germinate barley seeds too quickly, it is recommended to make a larger batch. If the sprouts are intended for food, then the leftovers are removed in the refrigerator, where they can be stored longer.
Finished malt can be dried. In addition, by changing the drying phases and temperature conditions, you can get raw materials that give the drink a unique taste - and this applies to both kvass and alcoholic beverages.
Growing barley for grain and siderat
Barley gets along with most crops and growing it is not difficult. When cultivating industrialists, they resort to methods of intensive farming of barley.
Sowing terms and methods
It is necessary to sow barley quickly enough, within a strictly set time frame - in 3-5 days, when the soil is physically ripe. Such sowing allows you to effectively use winter moisture reserves, fertilizers, has a positive effect on tillering and yield.
When you are late with sowing, field germination decreases, the root system of plants develops weaker, uniform tillering is not ensured, which reduces yield and affects the quality of grain and seeds. Losses in case of a day delay with sowing are:
- 0.05-0.1 t / ha;
- during spring drought - 0.11-0.17 t / ha.
There are several ways of sowing spring barley. The narrow-row method is considered the best - the seeds get excellent nutritional conditions. Since barley is a solid crop, the narrow-row method with 7.5 cm row spacing is perfect.
The direction of the rows affects the improvement of grain quality and increase in the amount of yield. Thus, the yield from rows that were directed from north to south was significantly higher than in the opposite direction from east to west. The disadvantage of this method is the strong density of many seeds in one row. The critical barrier and location norm is 1.4 cm.
Barley belongs to the branch of crops that does not react very strongly to temperature fluctuations. Spring barley seeds can easily grow at temperatures from 1 to 13 degrees, and the seedlings are able to withstand frosts down to -4 - 5 degrees. Winter forms can withstand prolonged frosts at a depth of tillering of the knot to -10 - 12 degrees.
Barley sowing in early spring should occur when the state of the soil allows for mechanized processing. Such early sowing most effectively uses the accumulated moisture reserves in the sowing soil over the winter. Early sowing inhibits the generative function of the development of other plants, which determines the dense and high-quality development of productive grain and barley stalks.
The main types and their use
For eating and preparing feed raw materials, only cultivars are used, which are of several types:
- Double row - brings only one spikelet, and the lateral shoots do not yield.
- Multirow - a plant with multiple ears, characterized by high productivity and resistance to drought.
- Intermediate - from one to three ears. A rare species for our country, as it is most often found in some regions of Asia and Africa.
Moisture requirements
Barley has established itself as the most drought-resistant crop, as it can withstand temperatures over 40 degrees. The water consumption ratio of this cereal is 400 units. Seeds begin to germinate at double hygroscopic moisture capacity of the soil, absorbing up to 50% moisture from the mass of dry seeds during swelling.
The cereal consumes the greatest amount of water during the period of going into the tube and the beginning of earing. The lack of moisture during the formation of the reproductive organs negatively affects the pollen, which causes an increase in sterile flowers and a decrease in productivity.
Light requirements
The culture refers to plants with long daylight hours, since a lack of light with a relatively short illumination leads to a delay in earing. The growing season lasts 60 to 110 days.
Soil requirements
Soil is the only thing that barley demands more than other conditions. Acidic soils for this cereal categorically are not suitable, since the plant develops poorly on them.
The most optimal conditions for growing crops are acidity, pH 6.8-7.5. It is not recommended to grow barley on soils with excessive moisture, on alkaline and light sandy soils.
Crop rotation
Barley has a relatively poorly developed root system and low ability to absorb nutrients from hard-to-reach substances. In this regard, it is planted in highly fertile, weed-free areas.
Features of crop rotation:
- For feed barley suitable precursors that leave behind a lot of nitrogen in the soil - legumes, manured cultivated crops (corn, potatoes, sugar beets), including vegetables and other crops.
- For food and brewing barley precursors are used that provide high yields without increasing the protein content of the grain - corn for silage and grain, sunflower, sugar beet, buckwheat, millet, as well as winter breads, which go on fertilized clean fallow.
Barley can also be sown after spring wheat, if it was placed over a layer of perennial grasses or pure fallow, for example, in Siberia or Kazakhstan.
- Spring barleysown after row crops, it is especially suitable for brewing - in this case it gives both a high yield and good quality grain with a high starch content.
As an early ripening crop, barley itself serves as a good predecessor for spring crops, and in some areas for winter crops. Due to the early harvesting time, barley is more valuable as a cover crop than other spring grain breads.
Fertilizer
To obtain a good harvest of barley, it is necessary to fully provide the plant with all the necessary microelements already at the first stages of growth. It will be next to impossible to compensate for nutritional deficiencies.
Barley reacts very well to fertilizers - to create one ton of grain with an appropriate amount of by-products, barley endures:
- 32-36 kg nitrogen;
- 11-12 kg of phosphorus;
- 20-24 kg - potassium.
Fertilizer features:
- During the growing season, its mineral nutrition lasts about 40 days. Therefore, in order to achieve the highest level of productivity, it is very important to provide the barley with nutrients in the first phases of ontogenesis.
- During the autumn plowing, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are applied to the soil, and in the spring, before the pre-sowing cultivation, nitrogen fertilizers are applied. Experiments show that early spring feeding with NH4NO3 increases the yield by 3-4 c / ha. Phosphate fertilizers are also used during sowing, which stimulates root development and the formation of a larger ear.
- Mineral fertilizers are more suitable for growing barley than organic. Therefore, organic matter should be applied under the previous crop, and not directly under the barley.
- Microfertilizers are considered useful, activating enzymes, accelerating biochemical processes in the plant organism and increasing the resistance of crops to diseases and drought. They are used by seed treatment (during dressing), spending on 1 t: boron - 100 g, copper - 300 g, manganese - 180 g, zinc - 120 g.
Preparing the soil for sowing
In the fall, the main processing of the field for barley is carried out - it consists of exactly the same stages as when planting spring wheat:
- 8-10 cm stubble plowing with simultaneous harrowing after stubble predecessors.
- After row crop predecessors, plowing is carried out without preliminary peeling to a depth of 20-22 cm.
In areas subject to wind erosion, barley cultivation involves subsurface cultivation. In winter, snow retention is necessary.
Soil cultivation in the spring consists in early harrowing and trailing and subsequent cultivation in 1-2 tracks with simultaneous harrowing. Cultivation is carried out to a depth of seed placement - by 5-6 cm, and in the southern regions - by 7-8 cm.
Sowing
When sowing with large seeds, the barley yield increases by 350 kg / ha or more. This improves the quality and extract of the grain. Such seeds contain more nutrients, so young plants grow better, develop powerful roots, begin to bush earlier, go out into the chimney and head.
Sowing time is determined depending on climatic conditions. At the same time, they focus not only on soil or air temperature. The coolness should not delay sowing, especially with low precipitation during this period, when moisture evaporates very quickly, and its lack reduces the field germination of seeds.
The density of the stalk is regulated by setting the seeding rate, which is determined in millions of germinating grains per hectare. At the same time, amendments are introduced for economic suitability and a mass of 1000 grains.
It is recommended to sow seeds on:
- rich agricultural areas 3.5-4 million / ha;
- on average 4.0-4.5 million / ha;
- on the poor - 4.5-5.0 million / ha.
The seeding depth should ensure timely, friendly and full emergence. When sowing spring barley, biological characteristics of the growth and development of the root system of plants are taken into account.
The tillering node in barley is formed at a depth of 2-3 cm, respectively, the seed placement depth should be 3-4 cm on heavy soils in moist conditions, and 4-5 cm on lighter soils with a lack of moisture.
Barley is sown in several ways:
- continuous row with row-spacings - 12.5 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm, 25 cm;
- cross with row spacing - 15 cm;
- narrow-row with row spacing - 15 cm;
- narrow row with aisles - 7-8 cm;
- sowing in strips;
- sowing in double strips;
- sowing with the possibility of fertilizing in the aisle, including top dressing;
- sowing with a precision grain seeder.
Crop care
Despite the fact that barley is an unpretentious and hardy crop, it still needs to comply with agricultural technology. When caring for crops, pay attention to the fact that the sown areas are rolled with ring-spur rollers, especially during dry periods.
A modern integrated plant protection system provides for the following actions:
- seed dressing;
- weed control with herbicides;
- the use of plant growth stimulants;
- protection against diseases and pests with modern fungicides and insecticides.
If the arable land is covered with weeds after sowing or has taken a crust through which young plants cannot break through, then it is recommended to carry out harrowing. To destroy this crust, you can use ordinary harrows or rotational hoes. Harrowing should be carried out across rows or diagonally at low speeds.
If the situation is different and the weeds are already advancing on the seedlings, then it is necessary to harrow along the seedlings - it is not recommended to carry out the procedure with a low density of crops. The barley plot is cultivated by hand.
An effective way to control weeds is sawdust or spraying with herbicides (2,4-D and 2M-4X) Prima, Granstar, Peak, etc. At the same time, herbicides can be used only on crops without overseeding perennial legumes.
Cleaning
Small backyards are harvested by hand, harvesting begins in dry, hot weather, from August, when the grain reaches full maturity. Harvested headers are subsequently threshed.
On an industrial scale, barley is harvested by direct and two-phase harvesting. At the time of harvest, the barley grain should not exceed the moisture mark of 20%. Direct combining consists in a one-time harvesting with threshing.
Two-phase harvesting is used in fields with uneven grain maturation, the ears are first mowed and stacked in the header, and then subjected to harvesting and threshing.
Grown for green mass, barley is harvested by mowing in 2 stages:
- The first stage is carried out before the barley blooms, about 55 days after sowing - about 50% of the crops are harvested.
- The second stage of mowing occurs already during flowering. After mowing, the green mass is sent to livestock feed.
After threshing, the barley is sent to elevators for further processing for long-term storage. Wet grain is placed in a grain dryer, and then poured into storage in riots, granaries or sent for export.
The storage facilities themselves are usually subject to high conditions, since with improper storage of grain, losses can be up to 35%. Grain masses are thoroughly cleaned and cooled before being sent to storage. Barley can be stored for a long time both in bulk in covered premises and in bins.
Where is barley grown in Russia?
In Russia, this culture is grown everywhere, since barley is considered one of the most common in the world. An exception is only the northern regions - the northern border of crops passes through the latitude of the Kola Peninsula and Magadan. In general, the undemanding culture and specially bred varieties make barley one of the best for cultivation in the Russian climate.
Now, having studied this article, you should not have questions about how to grow barley properly - the principle of growing is quite simple, and we tried to maximize the main points and rules of procedure.
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Ukraine. City: Mariupol
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