What are the differences between wheat, rye, oats and barley: photos and comparative characteristics

Many city residents can judge cereal crops only by the bakery and confectionery products, pasta, cereals, cereals and beer made from them. Not everyone knows how crops grow, what their characteristics are, how wheat differs from rye or barley.

Our article will dot all the “e”s in this topic. Read on to find out what these most valuable plants for life look like, their composition, beneficial and harmful properties.

Characteristics of the plant: what it looks like, chemical composition, nutritional value

Cereals are divided into cereal grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats) and millet grains (millet, corn, sorghum, rice). The first group has winter and spring forms, characterized by frost resistance.

Rye

Cultivated rye or sowing rye is an annual plant of the cereal family. The stem is a straw 60 to 200 cm long with 5-7 internodes. It bears linear leaves, consisting of a leaf blade 15 to 25 cm long and an ear at its base, which covers the stem.

The fibrous root system is located in the upper layers of the soil, but in sandy loam soil it can penetrate to a depth of 1.5 m. The inflorescence of rye is a dense two-row, two-flowered spike. The fruit is an oblong grain, slightly flattened laterally.

It is believed that seed rye comes from a field weed species growing in the foothills of the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Central Asia.In Russia, the more productive winter rye is mainly grown. Spring rye is sown only in Transbaikalia, Yakutia and Central Siberia, where winter rye freezes out due to low winter temperatures.

Reference. In the central regions of the Russian Federation, spring rye is used as a safety net in the event of the death of winter crops.

Wheat

Cultivated wheat - an annual plant of the grass family (poagrass) of the monocot class and unites species belonging to three series, differing in the number of chromosomes in somatic cells:

• diploid;
• tetraploid;
• hexaploid.

Wheat is also divided into hard wheat (species with membranous grains and naked grains of the tetraploid series) and soft wheat (species of the hexaploid series).

The stem of the plant is a hollow straw, covered with elongated lanceolate leaves. The root system is fibrous. The inflorescence is an oblong, sometimes tetrahedral complex spike with 3-5 flowering spikelets placed on its stem, each of which is wrapped on the sides with scales. The fruit is a single-seeded grain in which the thin pericarp is tightly fused with the seed coat.

The grain can be mealy or glassy and have a white, red, and sometimes purple color.

Reference. Wheat is one of the most ancient cultivated cereal plants. On the territory of modern Iran, Turkey and Syria it was known in the 6-5, and in Russia - in the 4-3 millennium BC. e. On the territory of the Russian Federation, spring varieties of soft and durum wheat are grown mainly, and winter varieties are grown only in the southern regions.

Oats

Oats sowing or cultivated - An annual herbaceous plant of the grass family, grown as a fodder and partly a cereal crop. The stem of oats is a straw, 50 to 170 cm high, on which linear alternate leaves are located, consisting of a leaf blade and a sheath. The root system is fibrous. The inflorescence is a spreading panicle consisting of 1-3 flowering or multi-flowered spikelets. The fruit is a grain.

The northeastern provinces of China and Mongolia are considered the birthplace of oats, and in Rus', for many centuries, dishes made from oatmeal (oatmeal) and oatmeal jelly were everyday food. Cultivated oats are divided into filmy and naked oats based on the type of flower film. In Russia, preference is given to the more productive film form.

Reference. The first mention of oat jelly is in the Nestor Chronicle (“The Tale of Bygone Years”), the earliest chronicle text from the beginning of the 12th century.

Barley

This annual or perennial plant of the grass family has a strawy stem 50 to 110 cm long with linear leaves, a fibrous root system and single-flowered spikelets, sitting in threes on each projection of the spike shaft.

In agronomic practice, barley is used, which is divided into 3 subspecies:

• multi-row;
• two-row;
• intermediate.

In Russia, only multi-row and two-row subspecies are sown, using mainly spring varieties. Winter crops are grown in the North Caucasus.

Barley is used as a feed and food crop (pearl barley and barley are produced from the grains), and is also used as the main raw material in the brewing industry.

Barley - one of the oldest cultivated plants. It is believed that during the Neolithic period it was introduced into culture in different areas independently of each other.

The chemical composition, nutritional value of cereals, as well as the mass of nutrients contained in 100 g of the edible portion are presented in the table:

The chemical composition of these crops varies depending on the variety, soil and climatic conditions, fertilizers, precursors and growing methods.

What are the similarities and differences between rye, wheat, oats and barley?

Despite the family relationship, cereals differ greatly in both morphological and biological properties.

By appearance

All four plants have the following similarities:

• fibrous root system;
• stem in the form of a hollow straw, branching in the lower part (tillering node);
• linear or linear-lanceolate leaves;
• small bisexual flowers collected in multi-flowered spikelets forming a complex spike or panicle at the top of the stem;
• fruits - grains.

However, there are differences between these cereals:

• rye has the tallest stems;
• before ripening, rye has a pale green color, and wheat, depending on the variety, is pink-red or bluish;
• before the ear is thrown out, in oats, the reverse side of the junction of the leaf with the stem has a “tongue”, and in barley, at the attachment point there are two “ears”;
• the ears of rye and durum wheat always have vertical awns, while the awns of soft wheat are scattered both upward and to the sides (there are varieties of awnless soft wheat);
• in low-growing barley, the spikelets have a serrated awn, and taller oats, unlike other cereals, have a panicle-shaped inflorescence;
• rye grain is elongated, oval, with a “beard”;
• in barley - wide, flattened on the sides (after threshing it remains in scales);
• the oat grain is covered with soft, pressed hairs, elongated, with a tuft and groove, pointed at the end;
• wheat grains, due to the huge variety of species and varieties, have different sizes and shapes, but usually in soft wheat they are short with a tuft (rounded, semi-vitreous or mealy at the break), and in hard varieties the grains are elongated with a weakly defined tuft or without it (at fracture angular, glassy).

Triticale, a viable hybrid (amphidiploid) of wheat and rye, also belongs to cereals.

By properties

Rye, wheat, barley and oats are considered crops of northern origin, requiring long daylight hours in the summer, which go through the same phenological phases during the growing season:

• germination;
• tillering;
• shooting;
• heading;
• bloom;
• maturation.

However, for full development, each of the cereals requires certain climatic conditions and soil composition.

Thanks to its developed root system, rye is not demanding on the composition of the soil and grows well on light sandy soil, while well absorbing the beneficial elements necessary for development, even from poorly soluble substances.

Winter rye is more frost- and winter-resistant, and also less demanding of moisture than wheat. With appropriate hardening of plants in the fall, this cereal crop, depending on the variety, can withstand temperatures from -27 to -35°C.

Wheat was cultivated earlier and has more varieties than rye. It is also several times higher than this crop in terms of productivity. But when growing both durum and soft wheat, unlike rye, special agrotechnical conditions are required:

• soils should be chernozem or podzolic with neutral or low acidity;
• wheat is less resistant to diseases and lodging, and has poor resistance to weeds;
• hard winter wheat is less winter-resistant, and soft spring wheat is more demanding in terms of irrigation (its regularity and abundance).

Oats are a temperate crop. It is not demanding on heat and soil conditions, but is moisture-loving (intensive irrigation is required during the booting period). To obtain maximum yields, the temperature during seed germination should be 12-16°C, and for the formation of generative organs and fruiting - 16-22°C. Optimal soil acidity is pH 5-7.

Compared to other cereal grains, spring barley has a shortened growing season under long daylight conditions and is considered the most resistant to frost and heat among other cereal crops.

Barley seedlings successfully withstand short-term frosts down to -10°C, so it ripens faster in the northern regions, but produces better yields in the southern and southeastern regions.

Beneficial properties for the body of rye, wheat, oats and barley

Sprouted wheat is the most useful - it has enormous energy potential, improves immunity and cleanses the body of toxins due to its high content of B vitamins, antioxidants and microelements.

Oatmeal in combination with fruits, nuts or milk keeps bones strong, strengthens blood vessels and eliminates atherosclerosis. Consuming decoctions of grains helps in the treatment of impotence and infertility.

The most useful element of barley - indigestible fiber.Porridges and soups are good for weight loss, for psoriasis, pyoderma and eczema, and a mucous decoction is good for intestinal diseases.

Which is healthier?

Rye, according to nutritionists, is the healthiest of cereals. With the lowest calorie content, it has the most balanced content of vitamins, macro- and microelements.

In folk medicine, whole and sprouted grains are used to treat diseases of the stomach, genitourinary and cardiovascular systems, diabetes, and colds.

Harm and contraindications to the consumption of rye, wheat, oats and barley

Wheat dishes are not recommended for ulcerative colitis, hyperfunction of the endocrine glands, and diabetes.

Oats have no contraindications, but if you have kidney or heart failure, it is better not to use them.

Barley porridge is not recommended for children under two years of age.

Rye bread and bran are contraindicated during exacerbation of gastritis, as well as for patients with stomach ulcers.

Which is more harmful?

To say that one of the grains is more harmful is completely wrong. Less useful are processed products and products made from them (for example, semolina and instant oatmeal).

A serious danger for people with individual intolerance is gluten (a hidden allergen), which is contained in all these cereals.

Conclusion

Cereals have both biological and morphological differences, but for humans the most important factor is the factor that unites them. Rye, wheat, oats and barley are cultivated plants that provide the main food product - grain, animal feed and raw materials for many industries.