For many years, wheat has been at the top of the list of major crops in many countries of the world. Throughout the millennia-old history of grass, thanks to human intervention, the appearance of its stems and the quality of the grains have changed. Today, breeders continue their improvement, and scientists are still debating the classification of this plant. The best varieties of wheat, as well as the latest breeding innovations will be discussed later.

Types of wheat

Among cereals known to mankind, there are no such crops that could compete with wheat in the number of species and varieties. In addition, their list significantly expand the regional varieties of culture that are in every country. Therefore, there is no uniform systematization of wheat variations yet. Classifications of farmers and nerds are significantly different.

Did you know? Slavic peoples from ancient times associate wheat with a symbol of life and prosperity. Folk legends say that cereal protects a person from evil sorcerers.

Most modern agronomists tend to divide wheat, which today is of economic importance. It is based on the main characteristics of the vegetative organs of culture, as well as its stems, spike, spine. The region and the method of growing cereals, seedling processing, the method of threshing the crop and its further use in the food industry depend on their characteristics.

Winter

The main advantage of the winter species is its high productivity, resistance to diseases, weeds, as well as the possibility of cultivation in areas with harsh climates and unstable weather conditions.. Shoots appear in late autumn, winter well, and in spring, when stable heat is established, they begin to grow intensively.

If for some reason bald spots have formed on the field or rows with weakened shoots are noticeable, they are sown with spring wheat. But in comparison with it, winter, according to experts, is characterized by a 25% higher biological potential and earlier ripening.

Important! Watch out for predecessors to whom this type of cereal is very demanding. It is good to sow it after green manure, as well as after corn, clover and early potatoes.

For ripeness of the ears, the temperature regime of + 12 ... + 14 ° C is sufficient. The grown crops easily withstand spring frosts to -6 ° C. The variety compares favorably with its undemanding state of the soil, but its productivity is closely related to the quantity and quality of fertilizer applied. Harvested crops are mainly used for baking bakery products.

Of the popular winter varieties in special demand:

• Ermak - mid-season, drought-resistant, soft wheat with stubs and white grains resistant to abutment, moderately vulnerable to diseases, fruit bearing is estimated at 40 kg / ha;
• Don anniversary - characterized by early ripening, softness, high productivity (up to 37 kg / ha), endurance to a pathogenic environment and unstable weather conditions;
• Stanichnaya - the main characteristics of the species are early maturity, high yielding capacity (more than 40 kg / ha), high winter and drought tolerance, and has red grains.

Spring

This type of popular cereal is characterized by greater vulnerability to negative environmental factors and pathogenic microflora. Drought, “rampant” winds, torrential rains, the spread of pathogens of various diseases and the invasion of harmful insects can significantly reduce the yield of bright varieties. High rates can be obtained only with strict adherence to the necessary agricultural measures.

The maximum yield was recorded in the regions with the longest daylight hours. When the daily level of natural insolation does not exceed 15 hours, the plant stops its growth and begins to wither. This feature of spring crops is caused by short periods of development - the crop ripens 120 days after sowing seeds.

Important! You can distinguish between winter and spring wheat grains 14 days after sowing. Winter does not change its shape, preserving the hemisphericity of the fruit, and spring — stretches out a lot.

In addition, the analyzed wheat does not tolerate weed neighborhoods and can fully develop only in fertile soils. Lack of sufficient moisture during the heading period, as well as heat and light, can ruin the crop.

Of the popular spring varieties, farmers often prefer:

Soft

There is a conditional division of the whole wheat variety into hard and soft types, which in turn can form subspecies. Each of them has its own characteristics and differences.

Soft or ordinary varieties are called that are distinguished by a low gluten composition in grains.. As a rule, these are early ripening undemanding cultivars with high resistance to weather instability and imperfection of the land.

In Russia, according to GOST R 52554-2006, soft varieties of red-grain spring / winter and white-grain spring / winter wheat are distinguished. More often this variety is cultivated in the Altai Territory, Orenburg Region and other regions where the continental climate prevails.

The best examples of such wheat can be considered varieties:

• Elias - winter variety of French breeding, characterized by stems up to 1 m high, and boneless ears, tolerates cold and drought well, under favorable weather conditions and proper care can produce up to 85 kg / ha;
• Lars - mid-season, high-yielding (97 kg / ha) wheat, which is highly resistant to lodging, disease, and adverse weather conditions;
• Favorite - Valued due to high productivity (90 kg / ha), but does not tolerate drought, requires additional watering.

The flour obtained from soft varieties is often used in the confectionery industry. It is characterized by increased friability and poorly absorbs moisture. The dough from such raw materials is loose and slightly elastic. Finished bakery products crumble and quickly become stale, pasta loses its shape during cooking.

Important! Dry wheat contains about 22% protein, most of which is gluten. It is this specific protein that is the reason why people with celiac disease are completely contraindicated in products from any flour.

Solid

The main difference between hard grains is, on the contrary, a high concentrate of gluten and organic pigments in grains.. Visually, the crop is characterized by a specific glassiness and hardness. Due to the inherent carotenoids, the flour obtained from such raw materials has a unique delicate cream color.

State standards provide for hard winter and spring (durum) varieties. According to experts, they are superior to soft species in usefulness to the human body. This is due to the low calorie content, high content of proteins, minerals and fiber, as well as a low concentration of carbohydrates.

Did you know? The ancient Egyptians buried the pharaohs in necklaces made of wheat grain. Grain was supposed to protect the deceased in the other world.

Flour made from such hard grains is usually used to make high-quality pasta and bakery products. It is characterized by weak granularity and the ability to quickly absorb water. It makes an elastic soft dough. Finished products do not lose their original shape and softness.

The best varieties of durum wheat are:

• Kubanka - represents late-ripening wheat with long awns and glassy light yellow grains, the yield is estimated at 50 kg / ha;
• Moth - spring variety with dense ears of medium length and oblong grains, its yield is up to 45 kg / ha;
• Garnovka - differs in a smoky-bluish bloom on spikelets, bears fruit with a dense grain of elongated shape, tolerates cold and adverse weather conditions, yield does not exceed 45 kg / ha.

Fodder

Feed or fodder wheat is one of the classes of its division according to quality attributes. This grain does not meet food standards and is characterized by a high percentage of damage, low concentration of constituent proteins and fats. As a rule, it has a minimal amount of fiber, and its moisture content does not exceed 15%.

Feed raw materials are used to feed agricultural animals. They do not specially cultivate or harvest its seed, but get it in the process of harvesting and storing the crop.

International standards of quality and GOST allow any variety and type of wheat, strictly regulating the appearance of the grain, the amount of weed impurities and the degree of infection with fusarium. Other diseases, as well as signs of vital activity of harmful insects, are unacceptable.

In the agricultural market, the price and quality of such a product is much lower compared to food wheat.

The best varieties for the regions

Statisticians of Rosstat estimated that last year the country's agrarians planted more than 50 million hectares of winter and spring cereals. The largest crops are concentrated in the Altai Territory, Rostov and Orenburg Regions. Thanks to correctly selected varieties of wheat, respectively, with the characteristics of the climate and soil of a particular region, agronomists of many farms managed to obtain high crop yields. Below is a selection of the best wheat varieties for the northern and central regions of Russia.

Did you know? In 1324, King Edward II of England introduced a new standard of measure, according to which one inch corresponded to 3 dry wheat grains arranged in a row with touching ends.

For the northern regions

In areas dominated by cold northerly winds and short daylight hours, farmers advise sowing environmentally plastic high-yielding varieties of wheat with excellent winter-hardiness. Namely:

1. Shestopalovka - highly productive winter wheat of universal type of use with high resistance to droughts, frosts, lodging, sprouting of ears and shedding of grain (8.8 points). It is characterized by early ripening, medium sensitivity to powdery mildew and rust. Other diseases rarely affected. Productivity 85 c / ha. The protein concentration in fruits does not exceed 14%, gluten - 30%. It compares favorably with other varieties by its unpretentiousness to growing conditions, predecessors and sowing dates.
2. Bogdana - winter high-yielding drought-and frost-resistant variety of intensive type with average rates of resistance to infection with powdery mildew and leaf rust. It is characterized by average ripening. Shoots do not die, the grain does not spill out of the ears. The protein composition in the grain does not exceed 14.7%, gluten - 32.3%. The maximum yield is 98.2 c / ha.
3. Skagen - mid-season high-yielding litter with excellent indicators of resistance to cold, drought, pathogenic environment, lodging and shedding of grain. It is favorably characterized by productivity, which reaches 100 kg / ha. Grains contain about 28% gluten and 13.5% protein.

For the middle band

In temperate regions, the following wheat varieties give good performance:

1. Zlata - medium early spring variety. Demonstrates high resistance to typical diseases of cereal crops, does not die. Grains of medium size ripen 95 days after sowing and do not crumble from ears. The vitreous nature of this wheat, depending on cultivation conditions, ranges from 60–71%. Among the constituents, gluten is 38%, and protein - 15%. Productivity reaches 50.8 c / ha.
2. Darya - an early soft hybrid with medium-tall erect stems and golden oval-round grain, which meets the criteria of the first class. It is characterized by high resistance to powdery mildew, septoria. Lack of variety can be considered a tendency to lodging and vulnerability to rust. Productivity does not exceed 35 kg / ha.
3. Nemchinovskaya 85 - characterized by rapid adaptation to the soil-climatic environment of the middle and southern latitudes. Resistant to lodging, disease, shedding, drought and cold. The main advantage of the variety is its high yield, which is 10-12 t / ha. Not afraid of late sowing. It gives an excellent crop even after sunflower, which greatly depletes the soil.

Important! To prevent lodging, on high backgrounds of mineral nutrition, farmers are advised to make retardants.

Breeding News

Trying to take into account all the vagaries of weather and climate, as well as soil features in different regions of Russia, breeders have developed varietal lines of wheat, in which different variations are presented.

Domestic scientists place particular emphasis on improving the populations of Novosibirsk 31 and Novosibirsk 29, whose mid-season and early varieties occupy more than a third of the total number of crops in the country.

Of the new products that have been successfully tested, have already been introduced to the agricultural market:

The choice of planting material for wheat has always been of particular concern. In order to collect a high crop, the agronomist must take into account the characteristics of the region and analyze their relationship with the biological characteristics of a particular variety. In search of the best grain, be sure to follow the new developments of breeders and follow the recommendations of experienced farmers.