Wheat spike. Ears of wheat: features, structure and differences from rye

There are quite a lot of cereal crops currently known.
Here's what some of them look like:

rye (genus Rye, Secale )

wheat (genus Wheat, Triticum )

oats (genus oats, Avena )

All these plants belong to the class Odnocotyledonous, Liliopsida , family Cereals, Gramineae (bluegrass, Poaceae ).
The "Young Naturalist's Calendar" for 1956 shows images of cereal crops:

types of wheat:
1 - soft, 2 - dwarf, 3 - Spelled, 4 - Polish, 5 - einkorn, 6 - two-grain;
7 - rye;
8 - oats;
9 - millet

Benefits of Rye

The most attractive for growing on your land is winter rye. Rye is an annual plant that can reach a height of 60 - 200 cm. Rye inflorescence is a two-row spike. Sowing rye has 39 (!) varieties, but we grow common rye (lat. Secale cereale ).

Neighbors of rye can only be cornflowers.

planting rye

It is recommended to sow winter rye in your garden or garden in the third decade of August or the first decade of September. Can't plant later, since in this case the rye will not have time to gain strength before winter and will go under the snow weakened. If freshly harvested seeds are used for sowing, then they must be heated in the sun for 3-4 days.

Here is what is said about planting rye in encyclopedias of Brockhaus and Efron:

Here is what is said in Great Encyclopedia Yuzhakov:

And here is what is said about the cultivation of cereals in our area in the Military Statistical Review of the Russian Empire of 1848:

The area intended for sowing must be dug up.

Before sowing for cultivation (loosening with a rake), you can apply 120 g/m² of mineral fertilizers: azofoska, nitrophoska or ecofoska.
Nitrofoska is a classic mineral fertilizer based on three elements vital for the full growth and development of any plant - nitrogen ( N), phosphorus ( R) and potassium ( To).
Nitroammofoska is a complex, solid, complex, granular nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. There are two types of nitrogen in nitroammofosk - nitrate and ammonium, which significantly increases the duration of this mineral supplement. Azofoska is a nitroammofoska with the addition of sulfur.
Ecofoska is a highly effective granular water-soluble complex chlorine-free nitrogen-potassium fertilizer for use under all cultivated crops.

Then the soil needs to be leveled and grooves should be drawn through 15-20 cm, into which the seeds should be sown, laying them out after 3-5 cm.
But in order to simplify the sowing process, seeds can be sown randomly (“as in the old days”), planting them to a depth of 2–5 cm. In dry weather, the planting depth can be increased by 1–2 cm.
Then the surface of the soil must be harrowed with a rake and slightly compacted, for example, rolled with a special roller from a wooden chock so that the seeds are pressed into the ground ( rolling contributes to better wintering).

The optimum temperature for germination is 6-12°C. Rye sprouts will have four roots, and wheat will have three. When the first leaves appear in rye, they will be reddish, and sometimes bluish or bluish, and in wheat they will be green.

Rye is very undemanding to growing conditions, it is the most frost-resistant crop among cereals (even in snowless winters it tolerates frosts of -20 ° C, with a snow cover of 20 - 25 cm, winter rye tolerates up to - 35 ° C), it is also grown in northern areas.

When growing rye in hydroponics, a big problem is the fact that cereal seeds are very often affected by mold and this mold infects the grown plant. When grown in the ground, the mold does not have time to grow enough to cause harm to the plant.

Phenological phases of rye

1. regrowth
In the spring, after the snow melts and the soil warms up a little at a temperature of 3-5 ° C, rye resumes its growth. Winter rye begins to grow rapidly, overtaking and drowning out weeds.

2. tillering
The next phase of rye development after spring regrowth is tillering - this is the appearance of new shoots due to underground branching of the stem.

3. handset exit
Rye usually goes into the tube on the 17th - 18th day after the start of the spring growing season.

4. heading
The earing of winter rye begins 14-15 days after going into the tube. Immature rye is bluish, while wheat is green.

5. bloom
Flowering begins 12-13 days after the start of heading and lasts an average of 10-12 days.
Winter rye is a cross-pollinated plant. Pollination occurs with the help of the wind when the flowers are open. Good pollination of rye is observed on warm sunny days with light winds. Drought, strong winds and rain often lead to incomplete pollination.

6. ripeness
The phase of hard ripeness is observed two months after the start of heading.

Phenological phases of wheat

(from the aforementioned "Young Naturalist's Calendar")

The structure of rye

Rye stalk ( straw) is divided into separate internodes and separating them nodes, to which are attached leaves.

Rye shoot elements:

sheet:
1- leaf sheath (covering the stem, contributes to its strength)
2 - leaf blade (petal)

3 - node (based on the leaf sheath)
4 - internode (the thickness of the internodes decreases from bottom to top, and their length increases).

Season 2015-2016 (I season)

I prepared rye seeds for planting:

I planted these seeds September 5 on a small plantation in rows a few centimeters deep, spaced fifteen to twenty centimeters apart:

After planting, I compacted the ground with a log:

On September 13, the sprouts reached a height of about 4 centimeters:

Also September 13 I planted another plantation of rye, larger than the first one:

As with the first plantation, I also compacted the ground with logs after planting.

By September 15, rye sprouts on the first plantation had grown even more:

and reached a height of about 8 centimeters:

By September 18, small sprouts of rye appeared on the second plantation:

The rye sprouts of the first plantation reached a height of about 12 centimeters.

By September 20, the rye sprouts on the second plantation had reached a height of 4 centimeters.
I also planted various plants on the third plantation - seeds of wheat, oats and rye. Inessa and I did a little weeding on the first plantation.

On September 24, rye sprouts on the first plantation reached a height of 16 cm:

By September 27, wheat sprouts sprouted on the third plantation:

and oat sprouts:

Rye sprouts on the second plantation reached a height of 13 cm:

In the first decade of October, unusually cold weather set in - night temperatures reached -5 ... -7 ° C. By October 12, rye sprouts on the first plantation reached a height of 25 cm, on the second - 22 cm, on the third - 12 cm. Wheat and oat sprouts on the third plantation reached a height of 10 cm.

On October 16, rye on the first plantation (however, like on the others) feels good:

Rye in frost (October 31):

On November 24, the first snow fell!
My rye plantation in the snow:

January 3, temperature - 25 ° C, rye under snow (snow depth about 6 cm):

In mid-January, after the passage of cyclone Emma, the depth of the snow cover was about 13 cm:

In early February, the weather was unusually warm for this time, and almost all of the snow had melted. This is what overwintered plantations look like:

Rye (1) overwintered well, wheat (2) also did well, but oats (3) barely survived.

An ear is a type of inflorescence of angiosperms. It has an elongated main axis and flowers planted on it. Depending on their number, a simple spike with single sessile flowers (orchid, plantain) is distinguished, and a complex spike with several (rye, barley, wheat).

Each type and variety of wheat has its own differences and features in the structure of the ear.

Wheat is the main representative of grain crops. It is an annual self-pollinating plant. Some types can cross-pollinate.

Propagated by caryopsis (seeds), they germinate on average 4 roots. When the first wheat leaves appear, the underground node begins to form a secondary root system. It can penetrate up to 1 m deep. The formation of lateral shoots begins before the nodal roots. In the process of tillering, 1 - 5 shoots appear.

The stem is represented by a hollow straw, which is divided into internodes (5-7). From below they are held by the sheaths of the first leaf. Then they gradually diverge and at the top are converted into sheet plates. They are smooth, freely arranged, have a width of 1-2 cm and a length of 25-35 cm. After the end of tillering, shoots grow due to an increase in internodes from bottom to top. This process is called stemming. As a result, the spike passes up the shoot and leaves the sheath of the last leaf. Earing begins.

The general structure of the ear

The structure of an ear of wheat is a cranked rod with several segments, in the mouths of which spikelets sit on both sides. They include wide spikelet scales, flowers are hidden inside them. The latter have two floral scales - outer (lower) and inner (upper). The bottom is an awn of wheat.

The segments are attached to each other in a spiral manner, as a result of which a platform is formed in their upper part. The place in each of them is filled by a spikelet.

Wheat spikelets are located strictly alternately: one - to the left, the second - to the right, etc. Therefore, two rows are formed on the side - a two-row side, and in front one spikelet rests on the second - a tiled side.

The spikelet of wheat has two outer glumes. Between them are 2-4 flowers.

The number of spikelets in an ear, its length, vary depending on the season, humidity, agrotechnical and territorial conditions.

The shape of the ear of wheat is:

fusiform (the middle is wide, up and slightly tapering down);
prismatic (the same width along the entire length);
clavate (widening towards the apex).

Spikelet scales

One of the main features distinguishing wheat varieties is spikelet scales. It has two wide surfaces separated by a keel. The wider one is turned outward and is used to judge the shape and size of the scales. To determine the variety, evaluate the middle part of the ear. In the upper and lower parts, they change under the influence of the environment.

The color of winter wheat flakes is red and white. At cold air temperatures, the color of the ear becomes more pronounced, at warm air it turns pale.

By length they distinguish:

short 6-7 mm;
medium 8-9 mm;
long 10-11 mm.

Width:

narrow - 2 mm;
medium -3 mm;
wide - 4 mm.

By form:

oval (width is almost 2 times the length);
ovoid (narrowed upwards and expanded downwards);
lanceolate (narrow, elongated tapering downwards and upwards, the length is 2 times the width).

The keel has a tooth and a shoulder, runs along the entire length or does not reach the base. It can be narrow, slightly pronounced, straight or curved.

The shoulder may be absent, be oblique, straight or tuberculate, and also of various widths.

The tooth differs in awnless and spinous forms in length, in the former it is short and blunt, in the latter it is long and sharp.

Corn

The grain has a germ, endosperm, aleurone layer, beard, fruit and seed coats. It is evaluated by size, color, weight, ability to stain with phenol, vitreousness.

Divided by size:

small up to 5 mm;
average 6-7 mm;
large 7 or more.

By form:

oval-elongated;
ovoid;
oval;
barrel-shaped.

By type of cross section:

square;
rectangular;
round;
oval.

Number of grains in an ear of wheat

On average, 7 grains are laid in one spikelet. This figure varies with environmental conditions. Most grains are laid in the middle part of the ear. And at the top and at the base there are fewer of them. For example, at the base - 2, in the middle - 4, at the top - 2. Therefore, in one ear there are from 20-50 grains.

Species differences of wheat

There are signs by which different types of wheat are distinguished:

pubescence of the ear;
spinousness;
awn color;
spike color;
grain color.

The wheat stem is pubescent along the edges with a thin and short pile. Longer - at the base of the spikelet scales. This feature is important for approbation of varieties. The pubescence can be sparse and dense. The color of the straw located under the ear becomes dark purple during the ripening period. But this phenomenon is not present in all varieties. Some do not change color.

There is awned and awnless wheat.

The spinous form has a long, medium or short awn, they also happen:

rough (hard);
thin (delicate);
intermediate (middle).

The more moisture, the softer the awns and vice versa. Rough ones are more brittle. By location, the awns are either parallel to the ear, or diverging from it at one angle or another. The awnless form has spine-like points.

The color of the awns is red, white and black. When the soil is moistened, the black color of the awn is replaced by gray-red, in dry, it becomes blacker.

The color of the ear is white, red, black and gray-smoky. White refers to straw yellow. Under red - all shades from pale tones to bright red. Gray-smoky occurs as an addition to the white and red color of the ear. Black is found when grown in the south. In a damp, cool environment, it is paler.

The grain is found in white, red and purple. White-grain varieties have a white, amber, glassy color. Red-grain - pink, bright red, brown-red. The color of the grain is determined if their number is at least 1000.

The main types and varieties of wheat

There are two main types of wheat:

Winter is the most common type of wheat in the world. Sow in autumn. It begins to develop earlier than spring, ripens faster and is much taller in growth. Selective to the soil. Harvest wheat next summer. Depending on the variety, the number of spikelets in winter wheat is different:

Mironovskaya anniversary - 23-25;
Mironovskaya 808 - 15-17;
Aurora 16-18.

Spring differs from the winter variety in a sharper crest of glumes and a long awn (10-20 cm) of the lower lemma. Whimsical to temperature conditions. Spikelets of spring form can be: pale yellow, gray, pale brown. The color of the grain is yellow, pale yellow and pale red.

Two types of wheat are the most widespread in the world:

soft;
hard.

In the structure of the ear, they have a number of differences:

	Soft	Solid
Ear	awned or awnless	spinous
Head density
loose	<16	<23
medium density	17-21	24 — 28
dense	22-27	28>
very tight	27>
total length
shallow	9 mm	6 mm
average	9-11 mm	7-8 mm
elongated		9-11 mm
large	11 mm
ost	divergent, equal in length to an ear or shorter		parallel, longer than an ear
Spikelet scales	has multiple depressions and wrinkles		does not have depressions and wrinkles
Keel	narrow, poorly defined		broad, clear
Keel prong	long, pointed		short, pointed at the base
Kernel	not covered with spikelets		covered with spikelets

Thus, we can conclude that the ear of wheat has a complex structure. Each of its components has its own characteristics, as well as species and varietal differences.

wheat ears

Anna Petrovna came to live in Altai during perestroika, moved closer to the children. She always warmly remembered her homeland - Kazakhstan, where her childhood and youth passed in the boundless Kazakh steppe, where she devoted more than forty years of pedagogical work to the upbringing of the younger generation in the secondary school of the village of Terenyuzyak. She was born in the village of Tikhonovka, Totsky District, Orenburg Region, on September 2, 1930. In 1938, the family moved to Kazakhstan, to the city of Kzyl-Orda. My father got a job as a laborer on the railroad, then, after graduating from the courses of the railway workers, he was sent to siding number 3. For conscientious, shock work, his father was soon appointed on duty at the siding.
There were no schools along the way, the children of railway workers studied at a school in the city of Kzyl-Orda. For a symbolic fee for those times, the children lived in a boarding school, in which there were three groups: boys and two groups of girls: from the first to the fourth grade and from the fifth to the seventh grade. There was also a dining room, a kitchen, an isolation room for the sick, in the same building there was an apartment for the director of the boarding school.
From the memoirs of Anna Petrovna: “We were given 500 g of bread a day: in the morning - three pieces of bread, at lunch - four pieces and for dinner, as in the morning - three. There was other food besides bread, but for some reason I always remember the song that we sang: “Boarding school, boarding school, good food. Tea in the morning, tea in the afternoon, tea in the evening.
The war found our family on the road, I had already moved to study in the 5th grade and was on vacation. The evacuation to the front began, the men went to assembly points in Kzyl-Orda. They didn’t take my father, he, as a railway worker, was already considered for military service, he had a “reservation”. I was the eldest in the family and also the younger sister and brother. Only Kazakhs lived at our junction No. 3, our family was an exception, Russian. But I don’t remember that there were conflicts between families, we lived very amicably, well, and in difficult times the neighbors helped each other.
Already in the summer of 1941, many evacuees from the western territories, occupied by the enemy, arrived at our junction and in the city of Kzyl-Orda. He supervised all affairs at the junction: he resolved all issues, accepted the evacuees, distributed them to apartments, arranged a job for the chairman. They called him "molda" - a big boss, everyone obeyed him. In those years, there were a lot of lakes near our junction, and on the way to the lakes there were impenetrable thickets of reeds. Reeds were harvested almost on an industrial scale. From the harvested reeds they made shields, wove mats, large baskets and much more. Molda hired workers among the evacuated population. They paid for such work with products, there were always plenty of people who wanted to work at such an object. Often, the entire male population of the junction was alerted, when they were looking for deserters, they could hide in impenetrable thickets of reeds. The men were forced to comb the thickets with a chain, looking for deserters.
They lived hungry, there was not enough food, now it’s hard to remember how and where the parents got food. We, the children, gathered the ears of wheat that had fallen or broken off from the stalk in the harvested grain field, but God forbid the overseer of the fields caught the eye. With a whip it comes out so that you will remember for a long time. And they were glad that they did not say where they should be - otherwise the prison for their parents is inevitable. And if you manage to collect the ears, you will bring them home secretly, so that no one can see, in the dark. They peeled the ears with their hands, freed them from chaff, winnowed in the wind, then mother took dermen from neighbors (these are such millstones), sat down together with mother opposite each other, twisted the circle, poured the grains into the center of the circle - the grains were ground into flour. You sit for several hours at this business, your back is taken away, and your mother bakes only two cakes and the flour is all over.
My father sometimes managed to get out hunting. Many kilometers in winter will pass through the steppe, when he comes with an empty bag, when he brings a hare, he went fishing. Mom smoked fish in a Russian stove, and then we ran to passing trains - we sold fish to passengers. My mother was a craftswoman and needlewoman - she sewed, embroidered, knitted to order. And she also knew the Kazakh language very well, she explained herself easily and could persuade anyone to buy at least something from her. She walked along the nearest sidings, exchanged skillfully woven lace for food. Parents then bought bread with the proceeds, but they spent it on clothes for us. And I also remember that a certain norm was set for each family to knit woolen socks for the soldiers of the Red Army, I don’t remember how many pairs. My sister and I pulled wool, my mother spun yarn, and then my mother and I knitted socks together. Once a week people came from the city and took away the finished products.
The railroad workers were given food cards, a shop came, and with the cards you could buy soap, sugar, flour and something else, I don’t remember. Salt was in abundance, the Aral Sea was 5 hours away, salt was harvested there. But drinking water was spent carefully, it was brought by rail 2 times a month in huge vats. A large well was made near the road. The platform with the vat was driven to the well and filled with water through the chute using a hose, and only then the residents of our station were allowed to disassemble the water. Most likely, there were also coupons for water, I don’t remember that they collected water as much as they wanted, there was always not enough water, like bread.
When studies began in September, we went to a boarding school in Kzyl-Orda, during our studies we rarely managed to come home, only on vacation, and we had to pay for a train ticket. Sometimes it was lucky to meet a friend who was an auditor on the train for checking tickets, you will ask him, if he is kind, he will take it, but no, no. You go back to the boarding school with tears. Not all trains made a stop at the siding, only they slowed down, it happened that they had to jump out of the train on the move. I was desperate, I jumped without fear. Once, in the next jump, she landed unsuccessfully, fell and lost consciousness. The people came running to look at me, “Is it alive?”. Mom then lost her legs from the disorder. For a long time after this incident, my mother was ill.
I never had extra money, but when I went home for the weekend, I tried to bring even a small, but a gift to my sister and brother, I saved a penny for a gift. Once I was carrying a bottle of lemonade, on the train the guys saw the lemonade and took the bottle from me. I had such grief, and I feel sorry for the money and resentment ate my soul. I don’t remember that some holidays were arranged at that time. Somehow everything was gray and ordinary. I realized that a birthday can be a holiday when I had already graduated from a pedagogical college and received my first salary. I brought my entire salary to the penny. And my mother told me: “Let's go, daughter, to the store, choose a dress for yourself, because today is your birthday.” I still remember the style of the dress and the pattern of flowers on the fabric.”
Anna Petrovna was 14 years old when the war ended. “I was in a boarding school then,” recalls Anna Petrovna, “everyone was sleeping. Suddenly, the cook Polina Kuzminichna came in and happily announced: “Girls, the war is over!” As we all jumped off, we jumped on the beds, they began to throw pillows for joy, everyone shouted “Hurrah!” And then no one scolded us! Classes were canceled, there were rallies, what was happening on the street! Laughter, tears, joyful cries, music, dances. All the people went out into the street. Some have tears of joy for the victory, some have tears - that they did not wait for their relatives alive from the front. It was very crowded, it was impossible to pass, push through! It needed to be seen! Everyone was happy and having fun, like children!”
Many years have passed since the dashing war times. But Anna Petrovna remained in the habit of saving bread, using it to the last bite. Those spikelets that she, as a child, secretly collected in the fields, were not erased from her memory.

The memoirs of A.P. Borodkina are used. and
materials of the family archive of the Baranov family, Barnaul.

Wheat is rightfully considered one of the most ancient cereal plants belonging to the class of monocotyledons and the flowering department.

Description of cereal

Absolutely all plant varieties that exist today have the main characteristics characteristic of all. The stem height of wheat varies from 30 to 150 cm. The stems are exceptionally upright, hollow and at the same time with well-marked knots.

Most often, as practice shows, about ten stems grow from one plant in most cases. If you look at a photo of wheat, you can see that the width of its leaves is about 2 cm. Their shape is flat, often linear, and also with additional veins arranged in parallel.

If you decide to touch the varieties of wheat, you will notice that its leaves are quite rough. The root system of this plant is fibrous.

Varieties of wheat

If we talk about wheat varieties, the first thing worth noting is their incredible variety. Plants have a really rather complicated classification, which includes various additional species, sections and about a dozen intergeneric and even intrageneric hybrids.

At the same time, most plant growers, of course, know more than other types of winter wheat. Nevertheless, wheat can be found: biennial or annual, not only winter, but also spring.

Most often, spring wheat seeds are sown from the beginning of spring to its end. It ripens about a hundred warm days. It is customary to clean it with the onset of autumn. Spring wheat is much more drought-resistant than winter wheat, and, in addition, it has good baking properties.

Winter wheat is usually sown in August. In this case, wheat yields can be obtained as early as the beginning of next summer, so you won't have to wait long.

Most growers note that the cultivation of this particular type of wheat allows for greater yields, but it is worth considering that it prefers only those areas in which the winter is quite snowy and the climate is generally mild.

Where can you grow wheat?

If you ever thought about how to germinate wheat, you probably already knew that it grows almost everywhere, with the exception of the tropics, since the variety of newly bred varieties makes it possible to use almost any not only climatic, but also everything else soil conditions.

The plant is not afraid of heat, it is cold resistant.

What is the difference between wheat and rye?

The most popular and at the same time indispensable cereal crops are considered to be wheat, as well as rye.

Despite the fact that outwardly they are quite similar to each other, they also have a lot of differences.

First, rye varieties are not as diverse as wheat varieties.
Secondly, rye has a narrower scope than wheat.
Thirdly, the grains differ in chemical composition, as well as in appearance.
Fourthly, rye makes more serious demands both on the climate and on the selected soil.

Many are interested in wheat at home, or rather, the germination of its grains. Indeed, it is quite easy to germinate wheat grains on your own.

Place a small grain in a liter glass jar (Note that the grain should never take up more than 1/3 or even 1⁄4 of the can).
Fill the jar almost to the brim with water.
Leave the grains for about 7-8 hours.
Drain the water through cheesecloth, rinse the wheat and pour fresh water for another three hours.

Similar actions must be repeated several more times, and then let the water drain and place all the grains in the jar again.

After 24 hours, the seedlings should reach a height of a couple of millimeters and the germinated grains will be ready to eat.

Beneficial features

Since wheat is a food crop, it has a huge number of different useful properties that it pleases many shoppers with. This is exactly the cereal that occupies a significant place in the production of most countries.

Thanks to wheat flour, a wide variety of pasta is prepared, as well as bread and confectionery products. Also, over the past few decades, wheat has been used in the preparation of beer.

Photo of wheat

konovalova olga

I want to present to your attention my work on the manufacture ears of corn for matinees, evening entertainment. We used them at the autumn matinee "Bread Land", a dance with ears of corn. To make one spikelet will be needed: balloon shelf, yellow crepe paper, santipon, glue stick (13 grains:1 on the top and three on each row; rows should be 4).

cut off a thin strip of corrugated paper, coat with glue and wrap obliquely around the stick. Pre-make blanks "seeds" for spikelet. Cut into rectangles (6x12, roll balls from a centipon and wrap like a candy. Twist one side, this will serve as an awn.

Can be collected spikelet. We wind one "grain" to the very top, having previously greased the lower part with glue.

Then we glue 3 "seeds" in each row.

That side of the "seed" that is closer to the stick is also glued with glue and pressed. This is so that the "seed" subsequently does not stick out to the sides (doesn't look good).