Wheat cultivation technology from preparation for sowing to harvesting

About 35% of all world grain crops are wheat. Valuable food and feed crops require increased attention during the growth period and strict adherence to agricultural techniques. The cereal is capable of producing good yields in a wide range of agricultural lands in relatively cold regions.

Read all about the technology of wheat cultivation, about its cultivation on an industrial scale and on a personal plot in our article.

In which regions is wheat grown?

Relative unpretentiousness and undemandingness to weather conditions make it possible to cultivate wheat in different regions of Russia. The leaders are the Stavropol and Krasnodar regions, where they harvest about 22% of the country’s total harvest. In second place are the regions of the Central Black Earth Region, the Volga region and Altai.

Growing at home

The population grows wheat in their summer cottages and farmsteads for livestock feed, for flour for homemade bread, as green manure to enrich the soil with nutrients and improve its structure. The grains are sprouted for the consumption of healthy green sprouts.

On an industrial scale as a business

Wheat is one of the most important agricultural crops and will always be in demand in the food industry and livestock farming.

When drawing up a business plan, it is worth considering:

• climate of the region;
• expenses for the purchase of seed, equipment, fertilizers;
• timely harvesting and storage of grain;
• straw processing, grain sales.

Optimal growing conditions

Cultivation of crops in warm continental climates, steppe zones, shows the best results in terms of volume and quality. Seeds germinate already at +1-2°C, germinate at +3-4°C. Full growth is observed already at 12-18°C.

Wheat develops and ripens well in years with a lot of warm sunny days. With a lack of light, the grass bushes too much, does not gain the required height, is susceptible to disease, and loses stamina.

The plant prefers soddy-podzolic and sandy loam soils. Peat swamp lands are also suitable for cultivation. Best soil performance:

• acidity - from 5.8;
• humus content - minimum 1.8;
• potassium and phosphorus - from 150 mg per 1 kg of soil.

Indicators are determined by agrochemical analysis soil samples.

Crop rotation rules

Every year wheat is sown in a new area, since its repeated use will lead to land depletion and unfavorable phytosanitary conditions.

The cereal will grow well after corn, legumes, oats, canola, cruciferous vegetables, and potatoes. The use of green manure perennials and annuals as predecessors would be justified: lupine, vetch, mustard, phacelia. These plants enrich the soil with readily available nutrients, for example, legumes - nitrogen, suppress weeds, and reduce the level of spores of fungi dangerous to wheat.

Reference. The minimum break in the exploitation of a wheat plot is two years. You cannot sow after barley, as these crops have the same diseases.

Varieties

All groups cultivated in Russia are divided into spring and winter crops. First of all, they differ in sowing time. Spring crops are sown from early spring to early summer.

Examples of the most popular spring varieties and hybrids:

1. Trioso - medium-sized, up to 20 spikelets per ear. Sown in the non-black earth region, the central region, and the North Caucasus. Productivity - up to 80 c/ha.
2. Novosibirskaya 31 - mid-early, with a growing season of 95 days. Resistant to drought and lodging, yields up to 36 c/ha.
3. Iren - a mid-early hybrid, considered a valuable variety for its high content of protein, vitamins, and gluten.
4. Uralosibirskaya - medium late variety with a yield of 22-51 c/ha. Cultivated in steppe and forest-steppe regions.

The sowing period for winter crops is August-end of October.. Most Popular varieties:

1. Antonovka — growing season up to 280 days, height about 1 m. Resistant to drought and temperature changes.
2. Lennox - matures in 300 days, is not affected by most diseases. Grain yield - up to 90 c/ha.
3. Tanya - resistant to diseases and sudden changes in weather. Does not crumble, has high nutritional value.

Varieties are classified according to biological differences on hard, soft.

Soft grains are white or red in color. The flour produced from it has a low gluten content and is more crumbly. Typically used in bakery and confectionery production. Examples:

1. Ilias - resistant to lodging, yield reaches 75-85 c/ha. A rare variety that can be sown after all grains.
2. Lars - frost-resistant, mid-season, produces 70-90 c/ha of grain.
3. Favorite - a valuable winter variety, but requires watering. Productivity - up to 90 c/ha.

In Russia, soft varieties are more often grown due to their high productivity.

Durum varieties are inferior in quantity and more demanding on moisture. The raw material is used for pasta, as it contains more gluten. Popular varieties and hybrids:

1. Kubanka - late, spring. They are sown mainly in the North Caucasus.
2. Beloturka - spring. Cultivated in the Volga region and other steppe regions.
3. Blackspikelet - It is highly drought-resistant due to its powerful root system.
4. Melianopus 26 - a mid-season hybrid bred specifically for the production of pasta.

Grains of any variety that have not passed quality control and are not suitable for production, are called feed wheat. It is used as animal feed.

According to the degree of crushing, grains are divided into:

• semolina;
• wheat - the roughest processing method;
• flour - maximum grinding.

Preparation of soil and planting material

Before sowing spring and winter wheat, the ground is equally cleared of weeds. by processing with tooth harrows, and in particularly arid regions - with needle harrows.

Land preparation is aimed at crushing and incorporating plant residues from the previous crop, aeration and leveling. If perennial grasses have been growing on the field for many years, then they are plowed using disk hulling, then plow ploughing.

Processing arable land for wheat consists of harrowing and cultivating. The surface should be compacted, without large lumps. This will increase the area of ​​contact between the grains and soil and ensure uniform germination. Autumn tillage promotes moisture accumulation and suppresses the development of weeds.

Before sowing, seeds are treated with fungicides containing microelements., for example, “Yaros”, “List Forte”, “Raksil”, to reduce the risk of diseases. Sometimes this stage is combined with inlaying - the process of covering the grains with a polymer shell of sodium salt, polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethylcellulose and water.

Growth regulators and microelements are added to the composition: “Plantafol”, “Aquarin”, “Emistim S”.As a result, the grains become more resilient, germinate en masse, and in the future there will be no need to spray the field with chemicals. Large batches of grain are processed in tanks of liquid and dried.

Growing technology

Agricultural technology for growing wheat includes site preparation, compliance with planting deadlines, fertilizing and cultivation.

Sowing

Seeders are used to sow large areas. For most varieties, the consumption rate is 160-250 kg/ha, so that per 1 sq. m accounted for 500-700 productive stems.

Sowing dates depend on the characteristics of the variety and climatic factors.. Winter crops begin to sow on average in the second ten days of September, spring - in early spring. On relatively poor soils, work is carried out in early autumn, on highly fertile soils - closer to winter, so that the plants do not overgrow.

Winter crops go to winter with 2-3 sprouts, which increase two months before the cold weather.

Care

For spring wheat, the following types of work are carried out::

• 5-7 days after sowing, harrow with light cultivators;
• if there is an excess of weeds, spray with herbicides, for example, “Pruner”, “Demeter”, “Bucephalus”;
• they are treated against possible pests with insecticides of a wide range of actions, in particular “Engio”, “Karate Zeon”;
• when identifying foci of infection by pathogens - such fungicides as “Amistar Trio”, “Alto Turbo”, Soligor.”

Winter crops require:

• high-quality pre-sowing tillage;
• applying nitrogen before sowing (35 kg/ha);
• presence of snow cover;
• spring harrowing to destroy dry crust and suppress weeds.

If there is a lack of moisture, water with sprinklers liberally once after the main plowing and during the long dry period in summer.

Harvesting

Winter crops are harvested at full maturity. The period depends on climatic conditions, but usually occurs in June-July. They are most often harvested using combines. The separate method - mowing, laying in windrows for drying, and then harvesting with machines - is applicable for large volumes of weeds, as well as for tall and very dense varieties.

Spring crops are harvested in the early stages of biological ripeness (grain moisture content 25%). If the grain sits for more than a week, the quality of the raw material will deteriorate and the yield will decrease. The harvest begins in July, in the northern regions - in August and early September.

Disease and pest control

Wheat is susceptible to diseases at all stages of the growing season. The most common:

1. Dusty smut — infects the ear, simultaneously develops and parasitizes the plant. Takes away from 1 to 30% of the harvest.
2. Stem smut persists in the soil and migrates to young seedlings.
3. Powdery mildew - affects plants in areas with moderate humidity, manifests itself as a white coating, followed by necrosis and tissue death.
4. Root rot - cause rotting and death of the neck of the plant’s root system.
5. Rust - mainly affects stems and leaves, slows down the growth and maturation of the ear.

Treating seeds with fungicides is the main measure to combat pathogens. Further protection consists of the use of antifungal drugs (Flutriafol, Diniconazole-M, Benomil) for prevention or treatment during the growing season.

To prevent the number of wheat pests from increasing, crop rotation must be observed.. Spring crops are sown as early as possible. For spraying, approved insecticides are used, for example, “Bishka”, “Di-68”, “Desant”.

Most common parasites:

1. Fall armyworm - moth, the most dangerous agricultural insect.Its larvae overwinter in the soil and eat germinating grains in the spring.
2. Wheat thrips - a flying black insect with transparent fringed wings. First it eats ear scales, then damages the grains and lays eggs.
3. Opomiza - cereal fly, penetrates the stems, feeds on the juice of the cereal.
4. bread beetle — its adult individuals eat up young grains, damage seedlings until the death of the plant.
5. Winter fly - lays eggs in a young shoot. The hatched larvae live inside the shoots, which stop developing.

How many ears of wheat will grow from one grain of wheat?

The average number of spikelets in a wheat bush is 16-22 pieces. Ear productivity is increased by agrotechnical measures.

How much harvest can be harvested from 1 hectare

If all agrotechnical measures are followed, 50-90 centners of grain are collected from one wheat. The average is 40 cents, 10 cents is extremely low.

Features of growing winter wheat

A plot of land for winter crops is chosen without lowlands and slopes, with protection from weathering. The soil should be moist, well fertilized - preferably black soil. Most varieties are frost-resistant (Mironovskaya, Kaluzhskaya, Velkhatnaya), but seedlings without snow die already at -15°C. The growing season from sowing is 270-350 days. Sow in a row method with seed placement 6-8 cm deep in light soil, 3-4 cm in peat soil, 1-2 cm in heavy soil.

Important! Spring temperature fluctuations and frosts after the beginning of the growing season can completely destroy the crop.

Winter crops are fertilized several times per season with nitrogen-containing additives. Foliar feeding of leaves with a solution of carbamide (urea) in a proportion of 50 g per 10 liters of water helps to increase the weight of the grain.

Spring

Spring wheat is ready for sowing at soil temperature +2°C. Seeds are planted to a depth of 5-6 cm in light soil, and 3-4 cm in heavy soil. Traditionally, they are sown using the continuous or strip method.

During the tillering period, they begin to apply mineral fertilizers, first based on nitrogen, then phosphorus.. In the heading phase and filling of grains, potash fertilizers are used. At the same time, water if there is a prolonged drought and the roots do not reach the moist layers of the soil.

Storing the harvested crop

After harvesting, the grain is usually taken to elevators, procurement bases, transshipment warehouses, stock complexes.

The safety of the crop is affected:

• temperature, air humidity in the granary;
• presence or absence of pests and pathogens;
• degree of grain ripening.

Wheat must be dried before storing. The most favorable temperature is +10-12°C, at which the grain cools down and biochemical processes stop.

Conclusion

Wheat has been and remains a strategically important food crop. It is valued for its high nutritional qualities and high yield per unit area. The variety of cereal varieties allows it to be cultivated in a temperate climate with average soil conditions.

Crop rotation ensures optimal conditions for growth and development. Profitable cultivation of wheat requires significant costs for high-quality planting raw materials and strict adherence to the stages of agricultural technology.