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Crop Identification help


Blunderbuss
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The variety of wheat shown in your first photos is Durum wheat, which is the only variety of wheat now grown in the UK that features long 'awns', the feathery spines protruding from each grain. Durum wheat is not common on UK soils. Barley's longer awns and the sagging ear/head of grain (when the plant is reaching maturity) make it instantly recognisable. You can be 95% confident that if you come across a crop of golden, awned plants that all have sagging heads, it'll be barley.

 

Barley looks like this:

 

08-Barley.jpg

 

 

Wheat looks like this:

 

07_07_3---Wheat_web.jpg

 

 

 

To complicate things though, you may also spot the odd field of rye (almost all is grown on contract for Ryvita). Again, rye grains have awns, but the plant stands rigid with no sagging ear, and the blue/grey hue makes it pretty unmistakeable:

 

danko.amilo3.einzelaehreimzuchtgarten.jpg

Edited by Baldrick
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baldrick, changing the subject slightly, is it my imagination but the wheat does not seem to be as high this year is there a new variety

 

k

 

DaveK has hit the nail on the head. Growing lengthy stems diverts nutrients away from the grain itself, and long stems are more susceptible to damage by wind and rain. Stumpy corn is the way ahead, and varieties are getting more stunted each year.

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DaveK has hit the nail on the head. Growing lengthy stems diverts nutrients away from the grain itself, and long stems are more susceptible to damage by wind and rain. Stumpy corn is the way ahead, and varieties are getting more stunted each year.

Doesn't that push the price of the straw up as in supply and demand terms there won't be as much off the fields?

Just wondered!

 

 

 

GH

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Doesn't that push the price of the straw up as in supply and demand terms there won't be as much off the fields?

Just wondered!

 

 

 

GH

 

Probably does but I can also remember the days when straw was waste and burned. Making money out of it now can only be a bonus.

 

Wait for it ........................

 

You still waiting? ..............................

 

 

 

 

 

It'll be worth it ........................................................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that my friend is the LONG and the SHORT of it :lol::oops::hmm::lol:

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Doesn't that push the price of the straw up as in supply and demand terms there won't be as much off the fields?

Just wondered!

GH

 

Yes, wheat straw is not as abundant as it once was, but demand for the stuff (particularly in East Anglia) is at rock-bottom.

 

Ploughing straw back in after harvesting returns valuable nutrients to the soil - nutrients that used to be lost when we were allowed to burn stubble.

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Just to confuse the issue, what about triticale? Our organic neighbours would be sobbing into their sandals if they thought they were being ignored! Quite a bit in organic rotations round here as it is easy to grow, but apparently not much market for it. To the uninitiated it looks similar to rye or durum wheat, but about 5 foot high (and presumably absent tramlines if organic...?) I would post a picture, but too much of a luddite to manage such advanced things.

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  • 7 years later...

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