Appearance and preparation of buckwheat seeds for sowing

Buckwheat is often grown in our latitudes. This is beneficial, given the yield of the crop and the cost of cereals ー it is 2-3 times more expensive than most cereals. The plant itself is a tall reddish stem with heart-shaped lower leaves. Let's tell you how grow buckwheat and prepare the seeds for sowing.

What buckwheat seeds look like

In June - September, the plant has brushes with red, white, pink fragrant flowers... The fruits appear later, they look like small triangular grains covered with a film. Fruit color is dark gray or dark brown. Each fruit is a nucleus of two cotyledons and a root in a fruit sheath.

Buckwheat ー not a grain croptherefore it is correct to call its seeds fruit, not grain. There are two types of its fruits: aptera and alata.

Aptera ー wingless type of fruit... The wings (fringes) can only be slightly seen on the ribs, which are more obtuse and convex than the second type. The fruits seem to be bloated.

Alat-type fruits, on the contrary, are winged and sharp, with flat edges.... Species differ in germination and climate requirements, so read the tips for soil preparation and sowing before buying.

Culture divided by type on common, multi-leaved and Tatar buckwheat.

Ordinary

The most common type of buckwheat ー common... The seeds in this case are plump and with smooth ribs. Stem up to 1 m high, about 0.5 cm in diameter.

The leaves are drooping, up to 6 cm, tough greens with reddish veins. Requires high humidity and sunlight, therefore it is more common in mid-temperate latitudes.

Multifoliate buckwheat

Multifolium - tall buckwheat with a lot of foliage, most often found in the Far East.

The stem of this species is already higher (about 2 m) and wider. The flowers are most often red, the leaves are long and thin.

The best varieties kind:

1. Kama ー up to 90 cm, with medium leaves and white flowers. Most often it gives 1 ton from 1 hectare.
2. Bogatyr is a tall plant with white flowers and very large leaves. A high-yielding variety, record indicators - about 10 tons per hectare.
3. Dikul ー average 125 cm tall, with small leaves and pinkish flowers. Harvest ー 1.7 tons per hectare.
4. Sakhalin is a very tall plant, about 3 m tall, found in the wild in the southern part of Sakhalin (hence the name). On average, it yields 3 tons per hectare.

Tatar buckwheat

A wild type of crop occurs in nature and very often interferes with the germination of grain and spring plants... Therefore, it can be considered a weed.

The stems are green, not very tall (up to 80 cm), the buds are small and pale green, the panicles are loose. Grows wild on roads and cliffs, most often in the United States and east Asia. You can also harvest from it about 1.5 thousand fruits from each plant. The seeds themselves are wrinkled, dark gray, slightly elongated.

Preparing buckwheat seeds for sowing

If you are going to plant buckwheat on your site, it is better to take two varietiessuitable for climatic conditions and with different growing seasons. Before being planted in the soil, they must be carefully prepared. The most important steps are: seed selection, fertilization, air treatment.

First class seed selection

Buckwheat is divided into two classes according to GOST, and for planting it is important to choose the best... Seeds of the first class ー select, with a high percentage of germination (95%).Purity percentage ー more than 99%; this means that only 20 seeds of other plants are allowed per kilogram and less than 10 weed seeds per 1 kg.

To get a high yield, you need to focus on options with high germination (more than 92%). Buckwheat varieties differ in terms of sowing requirements and yield properties, take this into account.

On the plant itself, the fruits are formed in several places: on the main stem, on the branches of 1, 2, 3 orders. Therefore, before planting seeds from the harvested crop, it is necessary to carefully review them and select the best ones. Large, heavy seeds will provide a third higher yield than those sown without selection.

Air-thermal heating

After the best seeds buckwheat for sowing will be selected, proceed to air-thermal heating. For this, their poured onto a flat, open area (preferably covered with a canopy) for several days... The weather must be warm (+ 20 ... + 25 ° С) so that they are warm and ready for planting. Air humidity ー not higher than 50%. Remember to stir them periodically. It is better to keep buckwheat seeds in such conditions for 3-5 days.

Microfertilizer treatment

Before sowing, buckwheat seeds are pickled and treated with microelements in order to increase field germination and disease resistance. Unfortunately, buckwheat is often susceptible to various diseases that interfere with harvesting. To avoid this, it is recommended to use any phosphorus-potassium or magnesium fertilizer at the rate of 2 l / t (working solution consumption - 10 l / t of seeds ).

Fungicide etching

Fungicidal disinfectants showed themselves well in matters of seed germination and their protection from pests... Of the most common, Vintsit, Vitavax and Quinto-Duo are suitable.

To prevent fungal diseases, the seeds of this culture are treated in a dry or semi-dry way in advance (about a few months before sowing). With the dry method, the seeds are mixed with antifungal drugs in special dressing machines, with semi-dry they are immersed in an antifungal solution, and then dried before planting.

Dusting is another option for processing planting material for better germinationwhen it is dry sprinkled with fertilizer powder. Different micronutrient fertilizers are suitable for dusting:

• manganese (manganese sulfate) ー dosage 50-100 g / c;
• zinc (zinc sulfate) ー 50 g / c;
• copper (copper sulfate) ー 50-100 g / c;
• boric (boric acid) ー 100-200 g / c.

Conclusion

Buckwheat seeds require careful processing, since they can be subject to various diseases. If you want to plant this crop on your site, do not forget to study all the features of the soil, storage of seeds and the intricacies of collecting fruits. Then it is possible to get a really profitable crop.