Ear of wheat - structure, botanical description and features

Wheat accompanies people since ancient times. In gratitude, people put the ear of this cereal on numerous coats of arms, for example, in the USSR before and in the Orenburg region now. Wheat - not only a source of life, but also a symbol of fertility in many cultures of the world. An ear of cereal has an amazing structure and a wide variety of shapes.

What is an ear of wheat

Person domesticated this crop back in the neolithic age... The earliest people probably ate unripe grains of wheat, since when it reached maturity, it crumbled, and it was impossible to collect it.

Over time, under the influence of weather and climatic conditions and random thousand-year selections within the ancient species, varieties appeared that amenable to harvest. The ancient wild wheat received the names of one-grain and spelled, from which porridge was prepared in Russia. And here for flour production it is not good - it is difficult to grind it.

Spelled - one of the healthiest types of wheat... She has fragile ears, but in terms of fiber, protein, fat and vitamins, she surpasses all other varieties. Adherents of proper nutrition often use spelled for cooking cereals.

Important! Thousands of years of selection have led to the fact that without a person, wheat is not able to reproduce on its own.

Scientists have discovered spelled grains in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs, which fully correspond to the varietal characteristics of modern ones. Historically, the most common cereal in our time comes from southern Europe, North Africa and Asia Minor. Today it sows 70% of all arable land on the planet.

An ear of wheat is an inflorescence characteristic of angiosperms... It consists of many flowers planted on an elongated main axis.

What a spikelet of wheat looks like can be seen in the photo.

Wheat spikelets grouping

Cereal happens spring and winter, one- and two-year-old, the grains are soft and hard. The structure of spikelets is not the same for different varieties of wheat.

Botanical

Biologists classify spikelets by size and shape.

Subdivided by length:

• in soft wheat - into small (up to 8 cm), medium (8-10 cm) and large (more than 10 cm);
• solid - for short (up to 6-7 cm), medium (7-8 cm), elongated (8-10 cm) and large (more than 10 cm).

The spike length can vary in plants of the same variety under the influence of weather and climatic conditions, soil and agricultural technology.

Important! The most popular type of durum wheat is durum. They make couscous from it, produce flour for pasta, pizza, dumplings.

Spikelets are shaped like:

• clavate - expanding towards the apex;
• fusiform - the middle part of the spike is the widest, it tapers towards the top and base;
• prismatic - almost the same thickness along the entire length.

In cross-section, ears are rectangular, square, oval and rounded.

Spikelet varieties

Currently the most common are two types of wheat - hard and soft.

Durum wheat:

• spinous, sometimes awnless;
• awns are longer than the spike and are parallel to it;
• scales without wrinkling and depression;
• the stem is covered with spikelets;
• the grain is round-triangular in cross-section, glassy, ​​elongated, very large.

Common wheat varieties are grown more often because it is easier to harvest with combines... It does not crumble, harvest losses are minimal, the grain is well stored.

Important! The stalk of the cereal can grow up to 1.5 m, and one plant produces up to 12 stalks.

Ear of soft wheat:

• prismatic spinous or awnless;
• awn shorter than or equal to the ear;
• scales with characteristic longitudinal wrinkles are depressed at the base;
• the stem is not covered with spikelets;
• the grain is mealy, short, rounded in cross section.

In addition to soft and hard, the world is cultivated English wheat varieties, dwarf, Polish and spelled.

Wheat ear structure

An ear of wheat reaches 4-15 cm in length, depending on the variety... Spike scales do not exceed 6-15 mm. The ears of the cereal are solitary, closely adjacent to the axis in two identical rows (from 5 to 18 mm), each of which has from 2 to 7 close flowers. The flower consists of 2 scales, 2 films, 3 stamens, 2 stigmas and one pistil.

Important! From unripe green grains of wheat by roasting over an open fire, they make freekeh grits, which are popular in diets for diabetes.

What does it consist of

An ear is a continuation of the grain stem... It includes a segmented stem and spikelets located on its ledges. The narrow side of the rod is called the side, the wide side is called the front. Each ledge has one spikelet, which consists of two spikelet scales and flowers. An apical spikelet grows at the end of the rod.

Important! Wheat is used to produce not only flour, but also cereals. In our country - millet and semolina, in the Middle East - bulgur, in the Mediterranean - couscous.

How many grains are in one ear of wheat

This cereal one spike contains up to 16-22 spikelets, depending on the species and variety... Each spikelet has 2-3, sometimes 4-5 flowers, giving grain. All other flowers either do not develop or do not produce grain. With proper agricultural technology, the maximum number of grains in a spikelet reaches 8.

Important! On the territory of the Russian Federation, an ear of wheat with 45 grains is considered average. In Europe, an ear yield of 60-80 grains is the norm. In our fields, European varieties give such yields only for 2-3 years, then wheat begins to give us the usual 45 grains.

Where spikelets are used

In addition to traditional processing into flour, medicines are made from grains, spikelets are used to make bouquets, waste from threshing is used as food for livestock.

In medicine

The extract "Cholef" is prepared from cereal germs, which is intended for patients with muscle dystrophy. The "Mitroshin Liquid" is prepared from grain for the treatment of lichen, eczema of neurodermatitis, sycosis.

The grains are processed into oilwhich is rich in B vitamins and tocopherol. This drug is prescribed to treat burns, psoriasis, and eczema. In cosmetology, it is recommended for strengthening hair and treating stretch marks in the postpartum period.

In folk medicine, preparations are prepared for internal and external use. from bran, decoction of grain and germinated seeds.

In floristry

Experienced and novice craftsmen make beautiful wreaths, bouquets and compositions from spikelets of cereal involving various elements. For a variety of decor, the spikelets are painted in bright colors.

The trend is to decorate wedding tables, landing cards and invitations for guests with small sheaves of spikelets. They make jewelry and toys for children.

Important! In floristry, wheat is commonly referred to by its Latin name - Triticum.

In animal husbandry

According to experts, up to 90% of all wheat cultivated in the world goes away for livestock feed... These are grain, haylage, straw and green mass.

Conclusion

The ear of bread is distinguished by its beauty and grace due to its natural structure. Spikelets grown in the vastness of our country contain, as a rule, 45 grains, and European ones - up to 80. Soviet breeders bred varieties with a yield of over 100 seeds, but these developments have not survived.

Spikelets are used not only for the production of flour, bread and cereals, but also in cosmetology, medicine, decoration, and animal husbandry.