Winter rye is one of the most common crops in our country. Every year, over 1 million hectares of arable land is allocated for this agricultural plant in our country. The technology for the cultivation of winter rye, of course, must be followed exactly in the fields. Only in this way can you get good harvests of this crop.
Using
The main consumer of grain of this culture in our country is, of course, the food industry. Rye in Russia is used mainly for baking bread. Also, starch can be made from the grain of this culture. Of course, rye flour is also produced for free sale. This product in the household is also used mainly for baking.
Biological features
Rye can grow in many regions of the planet. This culture is grown in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus. The technologies for cultivating winter rye in all these areas are similar and were once developed, of course, taking into account the biological characteristics of this plant.
The rye culture is undemanding and unpretentious. Its main advantage is resistance to low temperatures. Even in snowless winters, this plant in the area of the tillering node is able to tolerate cooling to -25 ° C and below. Rye seeds germinate already at + 1-2 ° . Shoots of this crop appear in the fields 4-7 days after sowing.
Rye is also undemanding to the composition of the soil and predecessors. The only thing is that in order to get good harvests of this crop, the most thorough basic and pre-sowing preparation of the soil must be done in the fields.
Another clear advantage of this crop is drought tolerance. The root system of this plant is better developed than most other crops cultivated in the fields. Therefore, inflorescences and the green mass of rye are almost never lacking in nutrients. The root system of this culture is fibrous. Its main mass is in the soil at a depth of 25 cm. But some rye roots can reach a depth of 1.5 m or more.
A feature of this culture is, among other things, that one such plant is capable of producing up to 4-6 fruiting stems. Under favorable conditions, the number of the latter can increase significantly (up to 50 pcs.). The growing season of winter rye is on average 270 days. In the northern regions, it can last up to 360 days. In any case, such varieties of rye mature several days earlier than winter wheat.
Crop rotation features
To predecessors, this crop, as already mentioned, is not too demanding. However, winter rye cultivation technologies used today in the fields imply, of course, including the observance of a certain crop rotation. It is believed that the best predecessors for this culture are:
potatoes;
corn and sunflower;
bean-oat mixes;
lupine;
linen;
clover;
clean steam.
Rye is one of the few crops that can be grown for several years in the same place.
Soil preparation
When cultivating rye, this procedure should be approached with all responsibility. If the predecessors of this culture are plants such as sugar beets or, for example, potatoes, the main tillage for it is usually performed to a depth of 10-12 cm. After perennial leguminous grasses, plowing is carried out for 25-30 cm. After rough-stemmed crops, the land is under winter crops rye is processed to a depth of 15-18 cm. Pre-sowing treatment for such varieties is carried out to the depth of seed placement.
Varieties
Breeding work with winter rye in our country is, of course, quite extensive. Many good varieties of this culture were developed by Russian experts. The best of them are considered:
Tatar 1.
Saratov 7.
Bezenchukskaya 87.
Relay of Tatarstan.
All these varieties are resistant to lodging, drought tolerance and, of course, high productivity.
Seeding time
According to rye cultivation technologies developed by specialists, it is necessary to start planting this crop in autumn when the average daily air temperature reaches 15-16 ° . With such planting dates, plants are further less damaged by the Hessian and Swedish flies. In Russia, sowing of winter rye most often begins between August 25 and September 10.
Sowing
Planting material of winter rye is etched before it is introduced into the soil to prevent infection by pests and pathogens. The seeding rate of this culture for different regions of the country may be different. In any case, the seeds are usually planted on the field in such a way that up to 500-600 ripening plants subsequently fall on 1 m 2 . To achieve this result, 4-5 million seeds per ha can be sown on different types of land.
Rye can be planted in the fields in an ordinary way, cross and narrow-row. In the first and second case, between the rows leave a distance of 15 cm, in the latter - 7-7.5 cm.
When planting rye, among other things, it is important to choose the right depth of seed placement. This indicator primarily depends on the soil structure in this particular field. Close up winter rye seeds to a depth of:
2-3 cm - on heavy soils;
4-5 cm - on the lungs;
3-4 cm - on medium.
If the topsoil is dried up by the time of planting rye seeds, the embedment depth is increased by 1-2 cm.
Winter rye cultivation technology: fertilizer use
To the composition of the soil, this crop is relatively undemanding. However, the use of fertilizers, of course, can significantly increase its productivity.
Intensive technologies for the cultivation of winter rye involve the use of both main types of fertilizing for crops - organic and mineral. After cereal and cereal perennials, the fields allotted for winter rye are usually fertilized using organic matter in an amount of 20-30 t / ha. In the spring, with the active resumption of the growing season, winter rye is fertilized with nitrogen in an amount of 90-100 kg / ha. When sowing, phosphoric fertilizers in the amount of 10-15 kg / ha are introduced between rows. The same top dressing is sometimes used in the fall during the main treatment in a dosage of about 50 kg / ha. Potash fertilizers are also applied in the fields with rye during the main processing in the amount of 90-120 kg / ha. At pH below 5.5, among other things, produce liming of the soil.
Growing season
In order to get a good harvest of winter rye, during its development, a number of different kinds of agrotechnical measures should be taken. Immediately after sowing seeds in the fields, for example, rolling is performed. This procedure improves the contact of seeds with the soil and provides capillary raising of moisture. After its implementation, the grain in the earth swells faster, as a result of which seedlings subsequently appear more friendly. Also in autumn, fields with rye are treated with preparations intended to combat snow mold.
In winter, snow retention procedures are carried out in areas with this culture. Thus, young plants protect against freezing. Empirically, for example, it was found that snow cover 30-40 cm thick is able to protect rye even in the most severe frosts.
In spring, fields with this crop are harrowed. Winter rye cultivation machines in this case use standard ones. That is, they perform harrowing with tractors with needle mounted equipment. This procedure allows you to level the topsoil, enrich it with moisture and oxygen. As a result, the percentage of seed germination increases, and the sprouts begin to actively develop. The harrowing of the soil is carried out after the snow has melted and the soil has dried out across the rows.
At the beginning of growth, rye, among other things, needs nitrogen fertilizers. Such top dressing is applied in the root way or diagonally with respect to the rows. In the period from the beginning of tillering of rye to the formation of the tube, among other things, the fields are treated with herbicides. The presence of weeds in the field with this crop, unfortunately, leads to a significant decrease in yield.
Disease control
Rye - a fairly unpretentious culture. However, during the growing process, it, like any other agricultural plant, can be affected, including various kinds of insects or microorganisms. Therefore, technologies for cultivating winter rye for grain include, among other things, pest control. Most often, this culture is affected when grown:
root rot;
snow mold;
powdery mildew.
To combat all sorts of pathogens and pests of rye, the fields are treated with fungicides. It can be, for example, Tilt or Fundazol. In some cases, retardants are also used in growing winter rye. Such funds prevent subsequent lodging of rye. And this, in turn, greatly facilitates the process of cutting plants for grain.
Harvest
This operation in the fields with winter rye, of course, must proceed on time. In no case should you be late with the harvest of this crop. Otherwise, the grain will crumble and remain on the field. Harvesting winter rye in the fields usually lasts no longer than 10 days. It is especially important to quickly remove this crop in wet weather. At such a time, rye, unfortunately, can sprout right on the vine. And this, of course, will also lead to a deterioration in the quality of grain and to a decrease in the yield indicators of this crop.
The technologies for cultivating winter rye in our country are in most cases used approximately the same. Harvesting this culture is allowed both by direct combining and in a separate way. When using the first methodology, winter rye harvesting begins at full maturity with a grain moisture of 20%. In this case, the Yenisei, Niva, and Don-1500 combines are driven out onto the field.
Separate harvesting of winter rye is carried out in the phase of wax ripeness of grain with its moisture content of 35-40%. Mowing plants in this case, reapers. Rolls using this technology are placed on the stubble. Threshing begins after the grain has dried, that is, approximately 3-5 days after mowing. Such two-phase cleaning begins 5-10 days before direct combine harvesting.
In the case of lodging rye in the fields using any harvesting technique, the height of mowing of the plants should be minimal. The technology of cultivating winter rye involves the use, as already mentioned, of special preparations to prevent the occurrence of such a situation. However, some varieties of rye, including high-yielding, unfortunately, still show a strong tendency to lodge. In this case, the plants are cut during harvesting at a height of not more than 10 cm.