Barley is one of the oldest crops, well known in many countries as food and feed. Let's consider the biological characteristics of common barley, history of origin, beneficial properties and composition, types of crops and varieties. How to cultivate the plant in agriculture, where to use it, what contraindications it has 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 features of barley
Common barley is a cereal crop that belongs to the barley genus of the cereal family. 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 barley ear is 4- or 6-sided, consists of single-flowered spikelets, flexible, does not break up into segments. The flowers have awns up to 10 cm long. The plant is self-pollinating, but can also be cross-pollinated. Flowering occurs in June-July. The fruits, the grains, ripen 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 harvest is used for feed purposes.
Composition and beneficial 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. The calorie content of barley is 354 kcal.
Due to its fiber, barley groats effectively cleanse 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, excess weight, urinary tract diseases, diabetes, metabolic disorders and to restore vision.
Types and varieties
There are 32-43 species in the barley genus, which belong to 4 series. Common barley belongs to the Hordéum series. There are also known types of barley: bulbous, short-awned, maned, two-rowed and others.
In cultivation, the plant is grown in spring and winter varieties. Winter varieties: Dostoyny, Seim, Rosava, Atlant, Kovcheg, Selena Star. Spring varieties: Stalker, Vakula, Josephine, Helios.
Barley cultivation technology
Barley is considered the most drought-resistant crop and can withstand heat of more than 40 °C. Seeds germinate when they swell to 50% of the dry weight. The grain needs moisture especially at the stage of booting and heading. At this time, pollination and grain formation occur; lack of water negatively affects plant productivity. The duration of the growing season for spring varieties is from 60 to 100 days, which allows them to be grown in regions with relatively short summers.
Barley adapts well to different weather factors and cultivation conditions, but places high demands on soil fertility. It does not like acidic soils and grows best in neutral ones. Excessively moist soils, sandy and saline soils are not suitable for it.
The seeds of the crop are able to germinate at low positive temperatures (+1-3 °C); +18 °C is sufficient for ripening. Early ripening varieties produce crops in the northern and mountainous regions.
For sowing, large seeds are needed; they have strong germination energy.High-quality grain germinates more quickly and produces strong shoots. To increase plant productivity, air-thermal heating of seed material is used. They are also treated with fungicides before sowing for disinfection.
Barley is an early sowing crop; delay in sowing leads to a significant loss of yield. Sow the crop in a cross or narrow row manner. An increase in yield is noted after applying fertilizers. It has been established that to form 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, and at the stage of full ripeness the ears droop. Spring crops are harvested when they reach waxy ripeness, laid down and weedy plants are harvested separately, and clean and mature crops are harvested by direct harvesting.
Where is it used?
In Russia, it is customary to grow mainly spring varieties. The grain is used to produce malt for brewing, barley and pearl barley, and raw materials for kvass and a coffee substitute. Crushed barley contains more fiber than pearl barley because it is not ground. Pearl barley is made from whole grains; pearl barley porridge is prepared from it.
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 microelements - iodine, phosphorus, calcium.
Harm and contraindications
Barley products are not contraindicated for healthy people; they should not be consumed by people with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or allergies to cereal proteins. Those who have no contraindications can eat barley dishes every day.
Barley is nutritious and healthy, primarily because it contains valuable proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, starch, and mineral elements. It contains a lot of fiber, which regulates digestion and helps 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 results and long-term effect are obtained by consuming whole grain cereals that have undergone minimal processing, since most of the vitamins are retained in them.
