Common barley: what a plant looks like and a description of the culture, application

Barley is one of the oldest crops, well known in many countries as food and fodder. Consider the biological features of common barley, the history of origin, useful properties and composition, types of crops and varieties. How to cultivate a plant in agriculture, where to apply, what are its contraindications and possible harm.

Origin story

Barley, like another important cereal - wheat, was cultivated in the Middle East, presumably more than 10 thousand years ago. The wild plant is found in an area that stretches from the island of Crete through northern Africa to Tibet in the east.Like all cereals, it began to be cultivated because of the ear, which contains nutritious seeds.

Biological characteristics of barley

Common barley is a cereal crop, belongs to the genus barley, family cereals. This is an annual low plant 30-60 cm tall, cultivated grows up to 90 cm. It looks like a typical cereal: the stem of barley is straight, bare, the leaves are straight and narrow, up to 30 cm long, green.

The ear of barley is 4- or 6-sided, consists of single-flowered spikelets, flexible, does not break into segments. The flowers have awns up to 10 cm long. The plant is self-pollinating, but it can also be cross-pollinated. Flowering occurs in June-July. The fruits ripen - grains - in about a month, that is, in July or August.

Grain with a quality certificate is used as a food product, livestock feed and industrial grain. Barley and pearl barley are made from it. In Russia, up to 70% of the crop is used for fodder purposes.

Composition and useful properties

100 g of grain contains 12.5 g of protein, 2.3 g of fat, 56.2 g of carbohydrates, 17.3 g of fiber. The grain contains vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6 and B9, E, K and PP, the grain contains mineral elements: potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper, selenium, zinc. Calorie content of barley - 354 kcal.

Barley groats due to fiber effectively cleanses the intestines and the entire body of toxins. Grain decoctions are an excellent antispasmodic, tonic and anti-inflammatory agent. Drinking decoctions is recommended for liver diseases, overweight, diseases of the urinary tract, diabetes, metabolic disorders and to restore vision.

Types and varieties

There are 32-43 species in the genus barley, which belong to 4 series. Common barley belongs to the Hordéum series. There are also known types of barley: bulbous, short-awned, maned, two-row and others.

In cultivation, the plant is grown in spring and winter varieties. Winter varieties: Worthy, Seim, Rosava, Atlant, Ark, Selena Star. Spring varieties: Stalker, Vakula, Josephine, Helios.

Barley cultivation technology

Barley is considered the most drought tolerant crop, can withstand heat over 40°C. Seeds germinate when swelling up to 50% of dry weight. Grass needs moisture especially strongly at the stage of exit into the tube, heading. At this time, pollination and grain formation take place, the lack of water adversely affects the productivity of plants. The duration of the growing season for spring varieties is from 60 to 100 days, which makes it possible to grow them in regions with a relatively short summer.

Barley adapts well to different weather factors and cultivation conditions, but makes high demands on the fertility of the land. He does not like acidic soils, grows best in neutral ones. Excessively moist soils, sandy and alkaline soils do not suit him.

The forerunners for barley are tilled crops that have been planted in a fertilized area that is relatively free of weeds. Best predecessors: legumes, perennial grasses and flax. Plants leave nitrogen in the soil, which is used by barley.

Culture seeds are able to germinate at low positive temperature (+1-3 °C), +18 °C is enough for ripening. Early maturing varieties produce in northern and mountainous areas.

For sowing, large seeds are needed, they have a strong germination energy. High-quality grain germinates more amicably, gives strong shoots. To increase the yield of plants, air-thermal heating of seed material is used. Also carry out dressing with fungicides before sowing for disinfection.

Barley is an early sowing crop, delaying sowing results in a significant yield loss. Sow the crop in a cross or narrow row way. An increase in yield is noted after fertilization. It has been established that for the formation of 1 centner of grain, plants need 2.5-3 kg of nitrogen, 1.1-1.2 phosphorus and 2-2.4 potassium. Of this volume, plants consume the largest amount of nutrients in the first stages of development: shoots, tillering.

The grain ripens together, in the stage of full ripeness the ears droop. Spring crops are harvested when wax ripeness is reached, dead and weedy plants are harvested separately, clean and mature crops are harvested by direct combining.

Where apply

In Russia, it is customary to grow mainly spring varieties. M alt is produced from grain for brewing, barley and pearl barley, raw materials for kvass, a coffee substitute.Crushed barley contains more fiber than pearl barley because it is not polished. Barley is made from whole grains and is used to make barley porridge.

Barley is also valuable in folk medicine. It contains a lot of β-glucan polysaccharide, which lowers cholesterol, starch and protein are in a good ratio, there are B vitamins, carotene, silicic acid, important trace elements - iodine, phosphorus, calcium.

Barley decoction is used to treat inflammation of the intestines and stomach, it is drunk during the recovery period after abdominal surgery. There is evidence that eating whole grains can help regulate sugar levels. The effect lasts 10 hours after consumption and is due to the slow digestion and fermentation of carbohydrates. Feed barley grain is actively used as livestock feed, it is fed to cows, pigs, goats, poultry, rabbits, and any farm animals.

Harm and contraindications

For he althy people, barley products are not contraindicated, they should not be used by people with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, allergies to cereal proteins. For those who have no contraindications, you can eat barley dishes every day.

Barley is nutritious and good for he alth, first of all, it contains valuable proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates and starch, mineral elements. It contains a lot of fiber, which regulates the work of digestion and allows you to reduce excess body weight. Regular consumption of barley dishes will help protect against the development of diabetes, heart and vascular diseases, and tumors. The best result and long-term effect is the use of whole grain cereals that have undergone minimal processing, since most of the vitamins are preserved in it.

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