One of the oldest cereal crops is barley. This agricultural plant was cultivated by man more than a hundred years ago. Barley groats is a source of health, beauty and youth, as it is rich in substances necessary for the human body. Barley (cereal) is widely used in the food and brewing industry, it is used as a therapeutic agent, animals are fed with it, and used for technical purposes.
The history of the origin of culture
The barley plant was cultivated more than 10 millennia ago in China. Later, the remains of this cereal culture were found in Egypt, from where they fell into the territory of the Roman Empire and Ancient Greece. Today, uncultivated barley (cereal) grows in vast areas. The plant is common in Tibet right up to North Africa.
The ancient inhabitants of Palestine began to eat cereal for food, and already during the Middle Ages in Europe, peasants began to eat barley bread. By the beginning of the XIX century, this grain crop was replaced by potatoes. Barley was brought to Russia from Asia, penetrated into Siberia and began to be cultivated in the Caucasus.
For residents of the highlands and the north, this plant is to this day a demanded product. This is due to the fact that barley is a grain crop resistant to a cold climate, therefore it is easier to cultivate it than wheat or rye. Grain is used not only in the production of bakery products, but also as feed in animal husbandry and poultry farming.
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Barley is a grain crop that can grow both in the wild and cultivated for food purposes. This cereal belongs to the genus Hordeum and has more than 40 varieties. The culture is classified by the number of fruit-bearing spikelets, its density, graininess of the grain, among which the following types:
- The very first cultivated species, wild two-row barley (Hordeum distichon) was discovered during excavations in the territory of Ancient Asia about 7 thousand years BC. On the ledge of the rod are two barren lateral spikelets and the middle is fertile. The representative of the species has two subspecies: with spikelet side scales and flowering.
- During the origin of agriculture in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, 2 thousand years ago, multi-row barley (Hordeum vulgare) began to be cultivated. All three spikelets located on the segment of the stem are fertile. Depending on the density of the spikelet, this species has the following subspecies: a six-row regular shape resembling a dense and at the same time short hexagon, and an irregular six-row one, in which the spikelets located on the sides go over each other, forming a quadrangle. Multi-row barley - a plant popular in our latitudes, quickly ripens and is resistant to an arid climate, is not demanding on the choice of soil.
Currently, agricultural producers prefer double-row or ordinary barley, whose origin goes back to Central Asia.
Two-row (ordinary) barley: variety description
This representative of the genus (Hordeum intermedium) is an annual herbaceous plant of spring and winter forms. Counts a large number of varieties. Cereal can reach a height of one meter. The straw has a bare straight form, from which long fan-shaped or straight spines diverge - three-horned appendages in the form of a blade.
Barley spike can have both boneless ears and furcats, have a yellow, brown or linear black color. Three spikelets are formed on the ledge of the rod, the middle spike is bisexual and single-flowered. Side spikelets are spikelet scales. Cereals are bare and in film. The main regions of culture growth and cultivation are Central Asia and Europe.
Varietal variety and their features
Varieties of barley are annual, biennial and perennial herbs. They are distinguished by their quality characteristics, planting and ripening dates, and productivity. But, before planting a crop, it is necessary to know the characteristics of the cereal, because barley is winter, which is most popular, and spring.
Winter barley gives more yield, is not picky about the choice of soil, it is not peculiar to fuses. But, nevertheless, this culture does not tolerate frosts well, therefore, it needs certain measures to preserve sowing in the winter.
Spring barley is mainly used for the production of barley and pearl barley. This is a crop of early ripening, resistant to pests, has more than 70 varieties that are cultivated in different climatic zones.
Varieties of spring barley
Most regions of the world cultivate two-row (ordinary) barley. Among the spring varieties of this species, the following varieties can be distinguished:
- Viscount - feed grain, which is widely used in the brewing industry. Barley spike has an even and hollow stem, the grain is quite large, its mass can reach 0.05 grams, contains up to 13% protein. Ripening period and grain quality directly depends on climatic conditions. Harvesting is carried out on 127 days from the moment of sowing, or earlier - 73. From one hectare collect up to 70 centners of the crop.
- Vakula is a spring barley grain variety that is resistant to climate and soil changes. Grain mass can reach 0.06 grams with heavy irrigation. This is a high-yielding variety, up to 90 centners of grain is collected from one hectare, which has a low film content and practically does not contain protein. But it should be remembered that the yield may decrease if the crops are thickened.
- Other varieties of spring barley are: Zeus, Adapt, Marni, Lofant, Donetsk 4 and others.
Varieties of winter barley
Grain grows in any region and on any soil. Sowing time is September.
- Decent - a variety of winter barley, the ripening period of which is 273 days. Grain reaches a height of about 86 cm, grain weighing up to 0.04 grams, contains 12.6% protein and 61% starch. Productivity reaches an average of 60 centners per hectare. The variety is winter hardy, tolerates drought and is not prone to shedding.
- Other varieties of winter barley are: Cinderella, Fantast, Morozko, Aborigine, Ark and others.
High yielding varieties
With its variety of varieties, barley (cereal) allows you to choose a species that will bear fruit as much as possible, and bring a high yield in the selected region.
One of these is the Priazovsky variety. Grain is widespread throughout Russia, mainly in the middle lane and southern region of the country. Its peculiarity is that it adapts well to unenriched soils, shows high resilience, is not susceptible to fungal infections, and is frost-resistant. The sowing rate of barley per hectare reaches 65% of the total crop. The culture is grown as a feed, and also used as food raw materials. Grain weight is 60 grams per 1000 pieces.
Helios barley is characterized by high germination of grain and its excellent quality. The ripening period lasts about three months. The culture is unpretentious to the soil. From 1 hectare, up to 88 centners of the crop are harvested at a sowing rate of 3.5 million grains.
One of the productive and highly germinating varieties is the Mamluk variety. Barley cultivation, subject to agrotechnical requirements, will allow to collect up to 72% of the crop with a sowing rate of 4.3 million seeds. Due to its high yield, the variety is popular in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories. Cereal tolerates short dry periods well. The variety is early ripe, therefore, it is recommended to comply with the harvest time. The culture is resistant to various fungal infections, such as fusarium and rust. Grain is used for the production of cereals.
What types of beer are they made from?
For brewing, they use those varieties of barley that are preferred for self-cultivation, and not in industrial quantities. This allows you to get a healthier cereal enriched with the maximum amount of nutrients. These varieties include: Ronnie, Sunshine, Gladys, Quench, Corserto, Scarlett and others.
Barley cultivation technology
As described above, the most popular and cultivated species is two-row barley, which can be of two forms: spring and winter. This grain crop has excellent qualities, which has gained trust around the world. Despite the fact that the cereal tolerates low temperatures well and is resistant to drought, however, the plant needs regular nutrition and additional moisture. Under these conditions, during the ripening period, barley is able to withstand 45 ° C heat.
The culture grows on any soil, even acidic. But, the preferred soil is loamy soils and chernozems. It is recommended to plow the ground deep before sowing, despite the fact that the plant gets along well with weeds. Barley cultivation technology implies the presence of sunlight and, preferably, heat, but not heat.
Agricultural technicians use intensive technology for the cultivation of barley, in which the crop does not plant on the same place for more than three years. It is recommended that crop rotation be used using crops such as potatoes, siderates, legumes, wheat, chickpeas, and rapeseed as precursors. It should be noted that if the grain is used as feed for livestock, then a legume crop may be the precursor, which is not acceptable for the crop that will be used in the production of beer.
When to sow cereal: recommendations for sowing and watering
Sowing barley directly depends on the variety, climatic conditions and soil. Despite the fact that in most cases the culture is not picky and adapts well to environmental conditions, nonetheless, the most productive and resistant varieties are those that grow mainly in the northern region of the country.
Barley is sown in the first half of spring in the fields, as soon as the equipment can drive into the field. The mechanized technique allows you to sow grain with the help of grain seeders, the row spacing of which is 15 cm. At home, sowing of grain is carried out manually. The timing of sowing seeds of winter barley is September-October, depending on the region where they will be cultivated.
Before sowing, the soil is prepared in advance, deep plowed and cultivated, in order to avoid weeds, enriched with organic fertilizers and harrowed. Lean soils are pre-saturated with phosphorus-potassium solution in the ratio of 45 kg per hectare of arable land. Seed is a large grain with high germination. Seeds are pretreated with fungicides and stimulants for fast growth.
At a temperature of +1 ° C, an active growth of crops begins. The ripening peak occurs at a temperature of +21 ° C. During flowering and during the formation of the barley spike, the plant becomes vulnerable to climate changes, but it is able to more or less favorably transfer small frosts to -7 ° C.
Barley is not demanding on watering. Irrigation is mainly used in arid areas to increase productivity. Moderate watering increases the germination of grain by 47% and involves irrigation measures no more than 2 times for the entire growing season. Barley grain during the harvest should not be wet, not more than 20% moisture is allowed.
Barley is harvested by mowing in two stages: before flowering for 55 days from sowing and during flowering. The grain is first laid in the header, then dried, threshed and poured into the granaries, and then exported to its destination.
Use in the food industry
Barley (cereal) is an excellent raw material for the production of cereals and flour. Pearl barley and barley groats must be present in a nutritious diet. Barley is a whole grain that has undergone preliminary cleaning and grinding, and in shape and color resembles river pearls or pearls. During the production of the cell, the grain is freed from the film and crushed. Since manufacturing technology does not involve grinding, cereals retain more nutrients, including fiber, than surpass barley. As for flour, in its pure form it is not used, it is mixed with wheat or rye flour in an amount of not more than 25%.
Barley is used in the manufacture of coffee, more precisely, its substitute. The culture is used as raw material in the brewing industry. In the Neolithic era, the drink from this cereal was considered divine, later beer was used for settlements, that is, it was elevated to the rank of cash.
Barley grain is rich in high-grade proteins and contains starch, which makes it an excellent addition to the diet when raising livestock. In our country, the barley sowing rate for this purpose is 70% of the total crop. For fattening animals, raw grains are used, which include 12% protein, 5.5% fiber, up to 5% fat and ash, about 65% nitrogen-free extractive substances. In addition to grain, barley straw is added to the diet of animals, since it surpasses other crops in biological indicators.
It is interesting
A coffee drink is made from barley and rye - this is a useful product recommended by nutritionists to people suffering from high blood pressure. Barley-rye coffee is indispensable for healthy nutrition. With its use, the state of the gastrointestinal tract improves, the weight normalizes, the cardiovascular system recovers, blood pressure and insulin levels in the blood normalize, and immunity strengthens.
Barley-rye coffee tastes like cappuccino. In its preparation, milk, cane sugar or honey is used. A ready-to-eat product is available for sale. This is a ready-made mixture of such popular brands as “The Old Mill”, “Around the World”, “Stoletov”.