Critical to human nutrition is given to crops. It is impossible to imagine modern agriculture without cultivated fields. The harvest is for human consumption, is used in many industries, without it farm animals cannot be raised.
All cereals can be divided into two large groups:
- Bread Varieties.
- Legumes plants.
Among bread crops, the overwhelming role belongs to cereal plants. These are primarily wheat, rice and corn. Not the last role is given to such a culture as ordinary barley.
Historical reference
The history of barley cultivation goes back in time. It is impossible to determine the period when humanity was not familiar with it. The oldest Jewish writings already speak of this culture as traditional for cultivation. Flour from ordinary barley was used as a sacrifice. From the Old Testament it is known that the king of the sons of Ammon sent grain of barley to the Jews as a tribute.
During the Syrian excavations, barley was discovered, used by people of the early Neolithic. This cereal was well known to the inhabitants of North Africa, it was known in Tibet and Asia Minor. Cultivated even on the Korean peninsula.
It is known that for medieval Europe it was one of the most popular cultures. On the territory of modern Russia there is no place where this cereal plant was not known. It was grown from the Pacific coast to the Western borders, from Central Asia and the Caucasus to the White Sea.
What does barley look like?
The plant is a characteristic representative of the monocotyledonous family of cereals. When describing ordinary barley, straight stems from 30 to 60 centimeters high can be noted. Only modern high-yielding varieties reach a height of 90 cm. The leaves are narrow, flat and with a smooth surface. There are small ears near the base of the plates. The proportions of the width to the length of the sheet from 1:15 to 1:10.
The grain length is about 8.4 mm with a width of 2.6 mm. The presence of a large amount of carbohydrates, nitrogenous compounds and polyphenols in the endosperm of ordinary barley makes it very important for the technology of malt production.
Spikelets are sessile, one-flowered and grouped in three. Scale awl-shaped, elongated with a long thin awn. The lower part is ovate-lanceolate. The flower of the plant is self-pollinating, but cross-pollination is also possible.
Plant taxonomy
A complete description of common barley is not possible without indicating a place among related crops. A plant from the flowering department. In total, this department contains 45 orders. We are interested in the order of the melliferous, which is divided into 18 families. Among which cereals contain 6 subfamilies, including bamboo, rice and bluegrass. Bluegrasses are divided into 16 tribes. The most famous are Feather, Oat, Bluegrass and Wheat. At this level, Barley is related to plants such as Rye, Wheat, Wheatgrass and Zhitnyak.
The genus Barley contains a lot of species, among which can be distinguished two-row, mane, mouse.
Barley ordinary is widespread in the form of two varieties:
- Two-row, native of the countries of Asia Minor.
- Another representative is six-row, owing its origin to East Asia.
Almost throughout Eurasia, as well as North Africa, you can meet a wild fellow cultivated plant.
Economic value
As already noted, it is difficult to overestimate the economic importance of this culture. Due to the quality of the endosperm present in ordinary barley, it confidently takes the 4th place in popularity.
In total, it takes 60 days for the ear to ripen. A temperature from +1 to +3 ° C is sufficient for seed germination. Ripening occurs at +18 ° C, early ripening varieties can give good results under the most difficult climatic conditions of the north and highlands. Winter varieties allow you to confidently plan yield without fear of late frosts. Historically, the northern regions of the country grew bread varieties. As an independent flour in the production of bread, this plant is rarely used. As an additive to the production of rye bread, it is very popular. But the main volumes are used in the production of various cereals.
The northwestern and western regions of the country have always grown mainly malt varieties used in brewing. Southern areas specialize in animal feed varieties.
Use of barley
As already noted, during the cultivation of the plant, development proceeded in three main directions:
- Depending on whether the barley endosperm has common proteins, the high sugar content determines its ability to be used for malt production. When seeds are germinated, protein and nitrogen are depleted; accordingly, high-quality beer with a low content of these components is obtained.
- Use for baking depends on whether the barley endosperm has an ordinary substance capable of forming carbon dioxide, which gives the dough a lush, loose structure. As a rule, barley flour has such weak properties. But the rich content of various sugar allows in a mixture with rye flour to achieve high-quality fermentation.
- It is difficult to overestimate the importance of ordinary barley as a food base for animals and for the production of cereals.
Food use
In addition to grinding flour and germinating malt, in the food industry, cereals and coffee substitute are made from grain.
If, due to its simplicity, in the past, barley was used very widely as a food product, in the past, today its value is falling. The emergence of new technologies, hybrid varieties significantly increased the productivity of wheat, rice, corn. Barley, possessing the worst taste, began to recede into second roles.
In the West, pearl barley, mainly in the form of cereals, is used for making breakfast cereals or stews. In Russia, this is an important component in the preparation of soups and side dishes. The Middle East and North Africa are often used in crushed or ground form for baking flat cakes and making cereals.
A significant part of the grain is in the form of flour, for additives to wheat or rye products.
Medicinal use
The grain of this plant has a number of remarkable qualities, due to which it has found wide application in medicine and cosmetics.
Many skin inflammations are relieved by malt baths and nourishing masks. Traditional medicine used a decoction of grain in the treatment of bile ducts. It is useful as a tonic in the treatment of upper respiratory tract. Wanting to lose weight, it is useful to use barley porridge. An aqueous infusion of malt is used as a diuretic. With many diseases, barley diets are effective, especially if it is associated with postoperative rehabilitation. In folk medicine, a decoction of barley flour was popular for the treatment of colds.
Procurement of raw materials for medicinal purposes
Grain for therapeutic purposes is best selected in the fields as they mature, in the second half of summer. After quality drying in the shade, they are stored in cloth bags and processed or milled as necessary.
Modern studies confirm the content in the grain of substances that are detrimental to various streptococci, staphylococci and rod-shaped. Products made from barley eliminate excess cholesterol. A rich set of amino acids helps build muscle. Fiber helps digestion. The fibrous components have a choleretic effect, do not allow gallstones to form, and stop the inflammatory processes of the liver.
The cultural significance of the plant
Many world civilizations highly valued barley and its effect on the body.
Muslim holy traditions say that the Prophet Muhammad highly valued barley stew with milk or honey. A doctor of all times and peoples Avicenna wrote about the healing properties of barley water. In Asia, roasted barley is still a popular drink.
The folklore of most European countries mentions products from barley. Egyptian legends claim that barley was granted by the fertility god Osiris. In the manuscripts of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, this cereal culture is referred to as the oldest food. In Persian poetry, she is sung as a bread plant. There are many examples.
The best illustration of the nobleness of the plant can be an ordinary photo of barley, spike in cultivated fields. It is worth remembering this wonderful culture.