What is rye: description and structure of the crop, growing areas, use

Cultivation of rye is one of the areas of agricultural enterprises that are engaged in the cultivation of cereals. Consider what a rye plant is, a description of its appearance, its origin, where the crop is grown. What is its chemical composition, medicinal properties, how to grow a crop using technology. How to use rye grain in traditional medicine and cooking, contraindications for use.

What is rye and its appearance

This is an annual or perennial cereal plant. The root system of sowing rye is powerful, fibrous, long, goes into the soil up to 2 m deep.The stem is hollow, straight, with 5-6 or 3 or 7 internodes. The stem is smooth, covered with hairs near the ear. Rye plant grows up to 80-100 cm.

Rye leaves up to 2.5 cm wide, up to 30 cm long. The color of the plant is gray. The leaf surface is generally smooth, but covered with sparse villi. The inflorescence of the culture is an elongated spike placed on a strong axis up to 15 cm long. The structure of the inflorescence is complex - it consists of 2-flowered spikelets located on a tetrahedral stem. The outer lemmas have straight rough awns 2-5 cm long.

Fruits of cereal - oval or elongated grains with a longitudinal groove. Fruit length - 5-10 mm, thickness and width - up to 3.5 mm. The color of grains is different - white, gray, yellow, greenish, brown. The weight of a thousand seeds is 50-55 g.

Rye quickly sprouts and begins to grow green mass. Plants form dense stems in 18-20 days after germination, ear in 40-50 days, and after another 7-12 days they begin to bloom.The flowers are pollinated by the wind. After 2 weeks, the grains reach the stage of milky ripeness, which lasts 10 days. The grains ripen 2 months after the heading stage.

Origin

Sown rye is believed to originate from a wild cereal growing in southern Europe, Central and Southwest Asia. There are versions that the birthplace of the plant is Russia, its southern regions.

Today it is generally accepted that the culture comes from Anatolia, located in Turkey. At first it was a weed found in the fields, but gradually acquired the importance of a food crop and began to be grown because of its undemanding and cold resistance. Annual rye is popular in culture, although it comes from a perennial species.

Where it grows

Most of all culture is grown in Germany, Poland, Russia, China, Belarus, Scandinavian countries, Ukraine. In the first three leading countries, 60-68% of the total grain harvest is harvested. In Russia, rye is cultivated in forest areas.

Sowing rye is the only cultivated species of the genus that is grown in Russia and in the world as an important food and fodder crop. More than 40 varieties are cultivated in Russia, mostly mid-season. All varieties are var Vulgate Körn.

Chemical composition

100 g of rye grain contains 10.3 g of proteins, 1.6 g of fats, 60.8 g of carbohydrates, 15.1 g of fiber. The calorie content of the product is 338 kcal. The grain contains vitamins B1, B2, B4, B5, B6 and B9, there is a whole set of trace elements: potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper, selenium, zinc.

Healing properties

Grains, green shoots and bran are used for medicinal purposes. Grain protein contains lysine and threonine, substances that affect tissue growth and restore them, and are involved in the synthesis of hormonal substances and antibodies.

Rye helps the body resist diseases, benefits diabetes type diabetes as a dietary component, has an expectorant effect. Rye bread works as a mild laxative, bran, on the contrary, as a binder. Kvass from crumbs regulates digestion, improves metabolism, has a positive effect on the heart and blood vessels.

Growing Technology

Spring and winter crops are grown in Russia. Spring is cultivated in the northern regions of Central Siberia, Transbaikalia and Yakutia, where winter varieties freeze out due to low temperatures in winter. From the harvest of some varieties, insurance stocks are formed for sowing in the European part of the country in case of freezing of winter crops.

In terms of productivity, among the Siberian varieties, the Onkhoiskaya variety is in the lead, with an average yield of 18-27 centners per hectare. Plants perfectly withstand frosts, spring-summer drought, vegetation lasts 76-100 days.Due to cold resistance, rye is sown early, at a soil temperature of 1-2 ° C, sufficient for the germination of grains.

Due to the higher yield of winter rye compared to spring rye, it has become a more cultivated variety. The cultivation technology is in many ways similar to the cultivation of winter wheat.

To increase the yield, the crop is sown on clean fallow, with good moisture - in areas sown with green manure. Rye itself clears the soil of weeds and is considered a good predecessor for cereals and vegetables. When placing fallow, autumn plowing is carried out, while after predecessors shallow tillage is sufficient.

The type of crop nutrition involves the introduction of both organic and mineral fertilizers in equal measure.Under crops, organic manure and peat-manure mixtures are applied at the rate of 30-40 tons per hectare on soddy-podzolic soils with good moisture. For chernozems and arid regions, the organic norm is 15-20 tons per hectare. Mineral, nitrogen, phosphorus and potash fertilizers are used, the application rate depends on the expected yield, but the maximum rate is 60 kg per hectare.

Seeds are sown with the following characteristics: purity - 99%, weight of a thousand seeds - at least 35 g, germination - 95%. Before sowing, the grain is dressed to prevent the development of major fungal diseases. Rye is sown at least 50 days before the expected arrival of cold weather, when the air temperature drops below 5 °C.

Winter rye is sown in traditional row, narrow row and cross ways. The seeding rate is set based on the yield per square meter. m. area 5-6 hundreds of productive stems. In different regions, this amount will produce 3-6 million seeds per hectare.

Due to the sensitivity of the crop to the depth of sowing, this parameter should be followed. On moist soil, the seeds are buried no more than 5 cm; in dry soil, it is necessary to deepen another 1-2 cm.

After sowing, rolling and harrowing are done, treatment with herbicides from germinating weeds. Rolling compacts the soil and levels the surface, enhances the germination of grains. They treat root rot, snow mold, powdery mildew and some other diseases.

The ripened rye is harvested in 1 or 2 phases. In the first case, the plants are harvested immediately from the field by combines, when the grain reaches full ripeness, its moisture content will not exceed 20%. Two-phase harvesting begins when the rye reaches wax ripeness and its moisture content is 35-40%.It is mowed down with headers and laid in windrows when the grain and stalks dry out, which will happen in a few days. Plants are picked and threshed. All stages of harvesting must be carried out in a short time so that the grain does not begin to crumble from the ears.

Use of rye

Rye grain is used as food for people and animals. Animals are also fed green crops. Grain and products from it have not only nutritional, but also medicinal value. Rye is an excellent green manure, a forerunner for any crop. Plants clean the soil from clogging with weeds, strengthen and accumulate nutrients.

Traditional medicine

Eating rye tones up, improves mood. Products from it normalize metabolism and have a restorative effect. To regulate the activity of the intestines, it is useful to eat bread for constipation, and for disorders - a decoction of bran.The decoction has other properties - softening cough and expectorant.

Useful and external use of rye bread. It is soaked in milk and applied to the abscesses. Dough compresses are applied to the back with sciatica to relieve pain.

Bran and greens will be useful for thyroid dysfunction and diabetes, atherosclerosis, anemia, tuberculosis, hypertension, as a means to improve heart function.

Cooking

From ripe seeds, plants produce various products: flour, bread is baked from it, kvass is made, cereals and starch are obtained from grain, ethyl alcohol.

Sprouted grains are useful for increasing efficiency, endurance, activity. They are taken for diseases of the gallbladder, to strengthen teeth, improve the condition of hair and skin, restore vision, and lower cholesterol.Thanks to vitamins, which are more in sprouts than in flour or cereals, sprouted grain is useful for the functioning of the circulatory and nervous systems, normalizes metabolism, and strengthens the immune system.

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Contraindications

Because of the acidity of the product, it is impossible to eat rye bread with an ulcer, especially during exacerbations, with chronic hyperacid gastritis. You can not eat products with intolerance to substances in the composition; made from low-quality raw materials.

Rye - a traditional culture in Russia, has not lost its popularity even today, despite the fact that it is inferior to wheat in terms of cultivation area. It makes delicious and he althy bread; cereals, bran decoctions have healing properties.Rye is used in agriculture and as a good fodder crop.