Prairie barley: characteristics and description of the variety, seeding rate and care rules

Prairie spring barley, according to its description and characteristics, is resistant to heat and prolonged drought, and has high yields. The variety was developed by Ukrainian scientists at the National Seed Center in Odessa. In the early 90s of the last century, a new variety of cereal crops was included in the state registers of the Russian Federation with zoning in different climatic zones.

Characteristics and description of Prairie barley

The main purpose of the Prairie spring barley variety is to harvest forage for farm animals. Due to the excellent quality of the ripening grain and high protein content, up to 15%, Prairie is used in the food and brewing industries.

• Herbaceous plant high, during the growing season reaches up to 1 m.
• Rhizomes are very developed, powerful, which increases the resistance of the variety to prolonged droughts.
• The straw is thin, flexible, elastic, by the time the fruit ripens, it bends at the base of the ear and acquires a golden hue.
• The plant is not prone to lodging and grain fall.
• The ear is protected on both sides by guard hairs, up to 8 cm long, with a pronounced color at the tips.
• Ripe grains are large, elongated contour, bright golden color.
• The seed is covered with a thin protective film, guaranteed to protect the seeds from an excess of tannins that give the barley a bitter taste.
• Seed ripening occurs in the middle ear.
• Average weight of 1000 seeds ranges from 45 to 52g.
• Complete ripening of grain occurs 2.5-3 months after planting.

Important! The Prairie variety is characterized by resistance to weather and climatic anomalies, easily tolerates both return frosts and drought.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

In order to get a plentiful and high-quality grain harvest, you need to familiarize yourself with the advantages and possible disadvantages of a grain crop variety.

Pros of growing Prairie barley:

• excellent yield indicators: from 1 hectare, with proper agricultural technology, up to 60 centners of grain are obtained;
• universal purpose of harvest;
• unpretentiousness to soil composition and weather conditions;
• high resistance to helminthosporiasis.

Among the shortcomings of the variety, there is a weak resistance to root rot and rust.

Growing and care

The sowing rate of barley directly depends on the region of cultivation and the timing of sowing grain crops.

• In regions with fertile, chernozem soil, in Siberia and the Far East, up to 200 kg of seeds per 1 ha are required.
• Up to 250 kg of planting material per 1 ha of land is sown on poor soils.
• In the South-Eastern region and the North Caucasus, up to 160 kg of grain will be required for planting on 1 hectare of land.

Proper crop rotation has a significant impact on the yield of cereal crops. The best predecessors for feed barley are root crops or corn. If the grain is used for food or brewing purposes, it is best to plant spring barley after legumes.

Planting activities are carried out based on the weather indicators of the growing region.

Seeds are able to germinate at soil temperatures from +1 to +3 degrees. The growth appears when the temperature rises to +6 degrees and above.

Young seedlings easily tolerate frosts down to -8 degrees, but during the flowering period, plants become vulnerable to sudden temperature changes and frosts. Spring cereal is able to grow and bear fruit in soils of various composition and quality, but it shows a consistently high yield in fertile soil.

Poor development of plants is observed in sandy soil and in soil with a high content of acids. On swampy land plots, the rhizomes of cereals rot. Before sowing, the seed material undergoes heat and antifungal treatment.

The sowing time for barley is calculated based on the weather conditions of the growing region:

• in the southern latitudes, sowing work begins at the end of February;
• in the central regions - in the second decade of May;
• in the conditions of the northern climate, the sowing of cereals starts at the end of May.

Land plots are sown with a cross or narrow-row method, with a grain depth of up to 6 cm. To speed up the germination of seeds, the soil is pre-moistened abundantly.

To obtain a high-quality and abundant harvest, cereals are fed with nitrogen-containing and mineral substances. Balanced mineral complexes based on potassium and phosphorus improve the characteristics of the cereal crop for use in the brewing industry. Organic increases the quality of feed barley.

Spring grass is undemanding to care, but picky about the absence of weeds. Special herbicides are used to control and prevent weeds.

Important! Soil cultivation is carried out several times per season. Finish weed control 2-3 weeks before the full maturation of the grain and harvest.

Diseases and pests

Spring barley Prairie requires additional prevention and protection against disease and pest damage.

In case of violation of the rules of agricultural technology and adverse weather conditions, the cereal is affected by the following diseases:

• brown, yellow and stem rust;
• yellow spotting;
• Septoria and Septoria spotting;
• powdery and downy mildew;
• Fusariosis spike and Fusarium blotch;
• rhynchosporiasis.

To combat lesions, biological remedies and fungicide-based preparations are used. Also, pests do not bypass the cereal. The grain yield will be severely affected by the attack of the bug, bread flies, thrips, cereal flies, flea beetles and corn worms. To avoid crop loss, planting crops are treated with insecticide-based preparations.

Important! The treatment of plantings with chemicals is stopped a month before the grain ripens.

Collection and storage

Harvest dates may vary depending on growing region. On an industrial scale, barley is harvested mechanically. If the cereal crop is grown on a personal plot or in a subsidiary plot, the mowing of cereals can be done manually.

The harvested grain is sent for processing and storage to an elevator or a specialized granary.

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