From the point of view of agriculture, wheat is divided into different groups, each of which has its own botanical features and specifics of cultivation. The most famous are the two main groups - winter and spring. It is the cultivation of the last variety that this material is devoted to.

What is spring wheat

Spring wheat is a type of culture that is famous for its value: its products are widely used in the baking industry, as well as in the confectionery industry. The plant appeared long before the formation of the current society, and is currently cultivated around the world.

This culture occupies a leading position among agricultural plant species (23% in gross grain harvest) successfully grown in the latitudes of the temperate climatic zone, including in Russia. The largest areas of spring wheat sowing are concentrated in the southern Urals, west and east of Siberia, as well as the Volga region.

This type of the above culture, as spring, is useful and unique, first of all, due to its unusual adaptation to any circumstances: spring breads are widely used in the form of seed crops, while most winter seedlings die.

The composition of spring grains is abundant in protein (from 16 to 24%) and gluten (from 28 to 40%), while if the crop is harvested in regions with dry climatic conditions, the composition of the grains of protein is 20% more than in the crop obtained on areas with moderate or humid weather.

Did you know? Spelled, cusmin, farro (Italian) or “Grain of Being” is the oldest wheat variety that appeared thousands of years ago on the territory of the Roman Empire. But since this variety of culture is too capricious, other varieties that are more adaptable to weather changes have begun to develop around the globe; spelled is still popular only in Italy.

Botanical Description

The spring variety belongs to the grassy self-pollinating plants of a long day from the Myatlikov family. The fibrous root system of spring wheat does not have a main root and includes several germinal roots, which tend to form auxiliary accessory shoots in the future. The root system is fully developed already by the time of flowering and at this moment reaches almost 1.5 m in length.

The stem of this type of culture has the form of a rounded straw up to 1 m high with 5-6 tillering nodes with varying degrees of lodging. Wheat leaves are lanceolate and have parallel veins. At the basal base, the leaves are folded with a tube, attached to tillering nodes and wrap around part of the stem. Each node has one sheet.

An ear includes a spike stem and several inflorescences (spikelets) with a scaly coating. It can be in a multi-colored palette: from bright yellow and straw to dull burgundy and gray. Spring wheat gives a crop in the form of bare kernels preferably large mass and various colors with double-seeded and double-fruit films. In the outer protein layer of the grain is the embryo.

The total weight of 1000 grains of a hard plant variety is 35–45 g; soft type - 40–45 g.

Characteristics

The yield of spring wheat is high, but it can be achieved only with proper care and following the rules of agricultural technology of this crop.

• Negative factors that have a significant effect on the fruitfulness of a plant include:
• steady wind;
• long rains;
• drought;
• pests;
• tendency to disease.

• Distinctive properties of wheat seedlings are:
• development stability with a slight decrease in temperature indicators;
• adaptation to horizontal streams of hot air and low relative humidity in the atmosphere;
• resistance to crumbling;
• immunity to a disease such as fusarium.

Did you know? In Russia, in the old days wheat crops were called "Abundance". Subsequently, this word began to mean a large amount of something, and with the prefix "from" - wealth, wealth.

The ratio of culture to cold, frost resistance:

• not particularly demanding on low temperature indicators: a beneficial level for seed germination is +12 ... + 15 ° C, however, development continues at +1 ... + 2 ° C, and the emergence of seedlings can be seen even at -4 .. .-5 ° C;
• able to tolerate small and short-lived frosts (up to -13 ° C during growth, and up to -8 ° C during tillering).

The ratio of the plant to heat and drought: with a sufficient level of moisture in the soil, it normally tolerates heat (up to -35 ...- 40 ° C), but exceeding this mark, as well as stable dry winds, can severely damage grain quality and significantly reduce yield.

Relation to moisture: the volume of water required for germination of grains is 60–70% of their dry weight, while cultivation of soft wheat varieties requires moisture 5-7% more (due to the high protein content).

The most suitable soil moisture level for active wheat growth is considered to be 70–75% HB. In spring moisture reserves at a level of 1 m deep should be at least 100 mm of water, otherwise the spikelets may not fertilize, and the crop will be scarce.

Species and varieties

The main varieties of spring wheat are the forms of hard and soft bare-grain crops. Some world states are cultivating “their” types of crops - for example, in India spherical crops are grown, in Pakistan two-grain crops are famous, Ethiopia specializes in dwarf crops, and Persian wheat grows in Syria. According to the shape and color of the ears of spring wheat, it is possible to establish its belonging to a certain varietal variety.

Soft

Soft wheat varieties produce high baking quality flour.

Soft are considered:

Characteristic properties of soft wheat varieties:

• higher resistance to low temperatures;
• less susceptible to soil structure, fertility and cleanliness (since root growth at the beginning of development is preferably wider).

The most popular varieties of soft spring wheat are listed below.

Hybrid Variety Daria

Created by crossing the Belarusian variety and mixed G 18.

External description of the plant:

• upright, but prone to lodging;
• the trunk is weak;
• spikelets of a circular pyramidal shape and milky beige color;
• the color of first-class quality oval-shaped grains is golden wheat.

The yield level is medium (up to 30 centners per 1 ha) with limited precipitation (250–350 mm) and warm summers. Maturation: early ripening, ripens in less than 90 days. Tendency to disease: good immunity to Septoria, but frequent rust damage.

Selection spring variety Iren

Obtained by crossing Irgina and Krasnoufimskogo species.

Externally, the plant looks like this:

• erect shoots;
• hollow stems;
• spike light yellow, pyramidal;
• high-quality (makes up protein and gluten) elongated grain.

The yield level is medium (up to 36 centners per 1 ha) with limited precipitation (250–350 mm) and warm summers. Maturation: early ripening, ripens in about 90 days. Propensity to diseases: medium resistance to powdery mildew, but strong susceptibility to stem rust and root rot.

Arabella Austrian spring selection

External description of the plant:

• half erect bush;
• weak stalk;
• an ear of pyramidal shape, dense white;
• high baking grain.

The yield level is high (up to 60 centners per 1 ha) with limited precipitation (250–350 mm) and warm summers. Maturing degree: mid-ripening, ripens in about 70–90 days. Propensity to diseases: high resistance to powdery mildew, spike fusarium, medium susceptible to rust.

Granny spring wheat variety

The appearance of the plant:

• the shoots are half straight;
• straws are of medium strength;
• spindle-shaped spike, dense white;
• high baking grain.

The yield level is high (up to 60–70 centners per 1 ha) with limited precipitation (250–350 mm) and warm summers. Maturation: early, ripens in 80 days. Propensity to diseases: high immunity to brown rust, moderate damage to fusarium, septoria and powdery mildew.

Spring variety Licamero

Appearance of the plant:

• the bush is half erect;
• the stem is medium strength exposure;
• pyramidal spike, medium-dense milky;
• high-quality in the manufacture of bakery products, including flour, grain.

The yield level is medium (up to 35–40 centners per 1 ha) with limited precipitation (250–350 mm) and warm summers. Maturation: medium early, ripens in 70–90 days. Propensity to diseases: high resistance to fusarium, poor susceptibility to rust, powdery mildew and root rot (in the field).

Video: Lycamero spring wheat

Trizo spring wheat

External description of the plant:

• intermediate bush;
• the stem is medium-strong;
• the ear is dense white, pyramidal;
• grain of red color, high baking value.

The yield level is high (up to 75 centners per 1 ha) with limited precipitation (250-350 mm) and warm summers. Propensity to diseases: relative susceptibility to fusarium, septoria.

Variety hybrid spring wheat Lyubava 5

The appearance of the plant:

• the bush is partly upright;
• medium trunk;
• pyramidal spike, light, compacted;
• Grain of excellent baking quality.

The yield level is medium (up to 30–45 centners per 1 ha) with limited precipitation (250–350 mm) and warm summers. Maturation: medium early, ripens in 70–85 days. Propensity to disease: severe brown rust, moderate resistance to smut dusty.

Solid

Hard spring varieties contain high levels of protein, and therefore used as a base for the manufacture of pasta, bakery products, semolina, flour. The remains of the milling industry (bran) is an excellent highly nutritious animal feed. Straw and plant mass obtained by threshing grains of culture, is well suited for feeding livestock.

Species such as melanopus (having dark axes and light grains), valencia, leukurum and candicans (differing in milk-cream grains), and gordeyform (with scarlet spikelets and white seeds) belong to hard varieties.

Important! To significantly increase the yield level (16% higher germination and 25% more grain harvest), it is recommended that seed dressing is carried out by dry spraying with superphosphate powder in a ratio of 1.2-1.3 kg per 100 kg of seed.

Distinctive properties of varieties of durum spring wheat:

• more resistant to crumbling;
• less affected by the Hessian fly, smut and rust;
• less prone to lodging;
• use moisture more fully;
• more sensitive to the structure, fertility and moisture level in the soil during the formation of the spike, and to the cleanliness of the soil (since root growth at the beginning of development is preferably deep).

Widely used varieties of spring durum wheat are listed below.

Variety Omsk 36

It was obtained from Lutescens and Norara.

Appearance of the plant:

• erect bush;
• weak straws;
• spike of cylindrical shape, dense white;
• Grain of excellent baking quality.

The yield level is medium-high (up to 35–40 centners per 1 ha) with limited precipitation (250–350 mm) and warm summers. Maturing degree: mid-ripening, ripens in 70–90 days. Tendency to diseases: low resistance to brown rust, smut solid and dusty.

Selection species of durum spring wheat Chado

Appearance of the plant:

• erect bush;
• strong stalk;
• spike in the form of a cylinder, light;
• grains of amber color.

The yield level is high (up to 55 centners per 1 ha) with limited precipitation (250-350 mm) and warm summers. Maturity: mid-ripening, ripens on average in 80 days. Tendency to disease: increased resistance to lodging.

Spring Wheat Dynasty

The variety was created due to the combination of soft spring wheat of Kharkov 12 and selection of hard species 89-752.

Appearance of the plant:

• half erect bush;
• moderately strong straw;
• pyramidal spike, white, medium density;
• amber grains are oval.

The yield level is medium (up to 35 centners per 1 ha) with limited precipitation (250-350 mm) and warm summers. Maturation: early ripening, ripens on average in 70 days. Propensity to diseases: neutral susceptibility to Septoria and powdery mildew.

Isold hard spring wheat variety

Bred by group selection from the Leukurum collection.

Appearance of the plant:

• semi-erect bush;
• dense straw;
• pyramidal spike, light;
• ovoid grains, brownish-yellow.

The yield level is medium-high (up to 54 centners per 1 ha) with limited precipitation (250-350 mm) and warm summers. Maturing degree: mid-ripening, ripens in about 80–90 days. Tendency to disease: good resistance to powdery mildew and brown rust, not prone to lodging.

Springtime Site

Appearance of the plant:

• erect bush;
• strong stalk;
• spike red, mid-cylindrical form;
• grains elongated amber shade.

The yield level is medium-high (up to 55 centners per 1 ha) with limited precipitation (250-350 mm) and warm summers. The growing season is 90–100 days. Disease tendency: highly resistant to smut, neutral susceptibility to powdery mildew and brown rust.

Growing technology

The technology of cultivating spring wheat, like any agricultural crop, is a combination of certain techniques aimed at creating the most favorable circumstances for the full development of the plant.

It includes the following set of actions:

• work to free the sowing site from the predecessor of the future culture;
• special treatment and top dressing;
• seed preparation;
• sowing and seed care;
• preventive work to protect the culture from the attack of insect pests and disease;
• harvesting seedlings.

Video: Spring wheat cultivation technology

Crop rotation

Sowing of spring wheat varieties should be done locally, the experienced inhabitants of which are perennial and row crops.

An approximate list of favorable predecessors according to the climatic features of the territory for cultivating the future crop is as follows:

• arid regions (Trans-Urals, Siberia) - pure steam;
• forest-steppe zone - peas, corn;
• Southern Urals, Volga region - legumes, black steam.

Important! Weed sprouts should be expected after preliminary sowing at the place of sunflower, so this is an extremely undesirable precursor for this crop. Sowing wheat after winter crops provokes the development of bacterial flora in the soil.

Soil preparation

The soil for the future wheat crop should be highly nutritious, have a finely dispersed mud structure, characterized by an average level of acidity. Pre-sowing tillage should be carried out in the summer-autumn period immediately after harvesting the previous perennial crop in order to increase the moisture level in the soil and to clear the area of ​​weeds.

After this, the land must be carefully plowed with the help of peeling units, and after about 3 weeks it is recommended to carry out arable work so that the depth of the arable land is at least 20-21 cm (it is optimal to do this with a plow).

If the previous inhabitants of the plot were legumes, it is advisable to treat the untreated areas by early plowing with two disk husks and a harrow. The sowing bed is formed by a cultivator (with harrowing) so that the soil area is leveled as much as possible and becomes loose. We must reckon with the fact that spring wheat is very sensitive to soil conditions and its mineral composition (especially at the beginning of the growing season).

So, a favorable pH level is 6–7.5. A reduced level of assimilation of useful elements by the root system predisposes the cultivation of crops on chernozem and chestnut soil (when growing soft varieties, slightly podzolized loams are allowed). Clay soils are absolutely not suitable for high-quality cultivation of spring varieties. Podzolic must be diluted with lime, minerals and organics.

Seed selection and preparation

In order to protect the sowing, the seeds must be sorted, sorted by shape and size, dried in the sun for 3-5 days, and treated with microelements and pesticides to improve the quality of the sowing material. As it is necessary to choose large seeds of a high-yielding variety, and make sure that the seed has a holistic healthy appearance without damage.

Physiologically active substances to improve the sowing qualities of seeds.

Sowing dates

The growing season of spring wheat is short and ranges from 85 to 115 days. This period depends on the variety variety, conditions and region of cultivation, as well as the influence of external factors (weather, possible interference with the development of harmful insects). Sowing is recommended in the first ten days of June.

Seeding rates

The sowing measure of spring wheat material is from 4 to 6 million per 1 ha in order to obtain 500-600 productive stems per 1 m². The conditions favorable to seedlings of the regions make it possible to reduce the seeding rate to 2.5–3.5 million per 1 ha (350–400 productive stems per 1 m²).

Did you know? Kamut, or “wheat of the Prophet” is another ancient wheat variety with an exquisite nutty flavor. It is believed that for the first time grains of this species were found in the tombs of the pharaohs of Egypt.

Sowing process

Recommended sowing depth - from 4.5 to 5.5 cm; if the weather conditions are arid, the sowing bed is allowed to deepen up to 7 cm, but it is worth remembering that if the seeds are improperly or heavily deepened, the probability of their successful germination decreases. Together with seed, it is recommended that granular superphosphate be added to the soil.

The best methods of sowing this variety of wheat are considered to be ordinary (narrow-row spacing 15 cm) and narrow-row tractor, the least compacting soil (row-spacing 7-8 cm). Cross-dressing with an aisle of 15 cm is more expensive, it is distinguished by the sowing duration and the need for double compaction of the soil.

Care

The quality and quantity of the crop directly depends on what measures to care for the crop will be applied in the process of cultivating it. Soil rolling activates tight contact of soil with seed, faster development of the root system, and promotes the germination of seedlings.

Watering

The irrigation rate depends on the physical qualities of the soil and the required depth of moisture, but on average, 600–800 m³ of water per 1 ha should be used in the following periods of wheat development:

• at the beginning of the emergence of shoots;
• when trumping (especially important in hot conditions);
• at the beginning of flowering (abundant watering at high air temperatures and quick drying of the soil);
• before the formation and filling of the grains.

The best way to water when drought is sprinkling.

Fertilizers

Fertilizers of wheat favorably affect its germination, the formation of strong plants, as well as strengthening immunity to diseases. This type of plant needs root fertilizer with phosphorus and potassium. Non-root nitrogen supplements increase grain quality, increase the mass of protein and gluten.

Micronutrient fertilizers with molybdenum, boron, copper, zinc and manganese have a positive effect on the growth and activation of development. Feeding rates are adjusted depending on the type of soil, cultivation region, predecessor and wheat variety.

Important! The effect of liquid potash and nitrogen fertilizers when sowing spring wheat negative: they provoke an increase in the concentration of minerals in the soil and reduce the coherence of seedlings.

Weed, Disease and Pest Control

Timely cleaning of the site from unwanted wild plants helps to maintain a stable crop rotation. In order to protect the culture from insect pests, experts advise holding an arable land using plane cutters and dumps, as well as spraying the plant with drugs such as chlorophos or metaphos, in a proportion of 2 kg per 30 liters of water.

Spring wheat harvest

Grain harvest must be harvested in early summer., since a delay in threshing grains can provoke their defeat by infections, causing an irreversible process of decay. It should also be noted that stopping wheat can result in shedding of fruit and lodging of stems, which negatively affects the mowing of ears and reduces the level of yield by half.

It is advisable to carry out cleaning under dry and sunny weather conditions, because excessive moisture quickly affects the grain and causes various kinds of diseases.

Recently, spring wheat is harvested by a separate method: for self-propelled reapers, it is preferable to mow stems with a height of at least 65–70 cm with thickened crops of 270-320 plants per 1 m². In the process of harvesting, the grains are stored in rolls, and within 3-4 days the stored fruits have time to dry, and, if necessary, to ripen. After that, the rolls are collected using a combine and threshed.

If the weather is unstable, direct combine harvesting is used, in which the crop is harvested and threshed immediately, collecting straw in horns and minimizing grain loss. After the work done, it is recommended to send the grain to storage, to collect straw on the site and to perform autumn tillage at a depth level of at least 12 cm.

Advantages and disadvantages of spring wheat

• Positive qualities of spring wheat:
• high-quality grain material;
• baking properties;
• less risk of damage by diseases and harmful insects;
• non-adherence to shedding;
• high level of heat resistance.

• Disadvantages:
• after germination, the development of spring wheat slows down;
• more susceptible to overgrowing with weed than winter;
• poorly developed root system;
• reduced assimilation abilities;
• sparse seedlings with insufficient moisture in the upper layer of the soil, as well as with the defeat of the Hessian and Swedish flies, fleas, wireworms (in the southern regions), increased soil acidity and Fusarium disease.

Thus, we can conclude that spring wheat, as a kind of food crop, is no less famous and easy to grow than winter wheat.

If you strictly adhere to the indicated recommendations for its cultivation, while sowing vast territorial areas, you can get the highest quality and bulk crop that provides good profit.