Hybrid rye has put Vitebsk region in leading positions for average yield
Nature's Bad Weather
A dry spring, a hot early summer, and a rainy end to it. Precipitation today is catastrophically hindering combine harvesters from entering the fields. Farmers note that in this case, contrary to the famous song, nature does have bad weather.
– We are trying to use every minute, – says Nikolai Zaitsev, a machine operator at the "Vymno" branch of OJSC "Moloko" in Vitebsk (pictured). – The grain must be as dry as possible so that the farm does not have to spend a huge amount of money on drying it.
Yield is also affected by many other factors. For example, low field contouring. Areas with lowlands and elevations. The grain burns out at the top and gets waterlogged at the bottom. For machinery, this is a real obstacle course. In addition, groundwater is close to the surface in the region's fields, there are sharp temperature changes, and the land is not the best. It would seem that the region could not escape the endless string of "cons".
A Successful Experiment
A few years ago, on the initiative of the chairman of the regional executive committee, Nikolai Sherstnev, hybrid rye was brought to the region. In 2015, it was sown for the winter in SUP "Svytino-VMK" (Beshenkovichi district) on 89 hectares. This year, 200 hectares have already been allocated to it – ordinary rye is not sown here at all. The director of the agricultural enterprise, Lyudmila Mamoyko, notes: "Today, it is necessary to count the profit. And this crop is much less costly in many ways. It does not require extra treatments. Up to 12 stalks grow from one grain. The ear is full, without empty spaces. This rye is not susceptible to many diseases and tolerates winter well."
The only drawback, farmers joke, is that it's not cheap. For one hectare, you need to purchase either 250 kg of elite rye seeds or 70 kg of hybrid seeds. 100 rubles versus 170 rubles, respectively. However, after a year, the money returns manifold: one field can yield up to 96 centners per hectare!
Won Over the Northerners
The successful experience of their colleagues was adopted by farms throughout the region. And in just a couple of years, the unpretentious hybrid rye, on which they staked their hopes, brought the northern part of Belarus to leading positions in terms of average yield.
For instance, in several farms, the areas under hybrid rye are increased every year. Vitaly Vorobyov, Director of SUP "Vymno" (Vitebsk District), recalls how frightening it was to take a "pig in a poke," how they worried about the yield, even though they only planted 25 hectares in the first year. Today, hybrid rye is harvested from 400 hectares. And for the next harvest, they plan to sow almost twice as much. The total area is also growing throughout the Vitebsk region.
– Breeding is now focused on obtaining the most productive, high-yielding crops and varieties, including hybrids. Their productivity potential is much higher compared to varietal seeds, – notes Ivan Boris, Head of the Department of Land Cultivation, Crop Production, and Fodder Production of the Committee for Agriculture and Food of the Regional Executive Committee. – I am confident that hybrid rye will continue to gain ground in agriculture. If two years ago we sowed 7.5 thousand hectares, then in 2018, we planted 13.4 thousand hectares. And this autumn's plans are over 20 thousand hectares.
How is it Used?
Hybrid rye, in essence, does not differ from elite rye. The lower quality rye is used for compound feed. The better quality rye is used for flour production, from which the black bread so loved by Slavs is subsequently baked. The simplest loaf consists of 70 percent rye flour and 30 percent wheat flour. By the way, recently "Vitebskhlebprom" has already produced bread from the new harvest grain. Daily, in the regional center alone, up to 30 tons of rye-wheat loaves of 35 varieties are produced.
– We add mashed potatoes to some varieties. Many are surprised: why? – says Olga Pavlyuchenko, chief technologist of Vitebskhlebprom OJSC. – Since ancient times, potatoes were added so that the bread would not stale for a long time. And not because something is missing. There is enriched bread, for example, with selenium or iodocasein. There are different types with dried fruits and nuts.
Rye can also be used to make kvass wort concentrate. Such products are currently produced at the Polotskiye Napitki i Kontsentraty enterprise. True, the composition currently includes triticale instead of rye. This crop is easier to process with existing equipment. But after the modernization that the plant is carrying out, using rye in the composition will make it possible to reduce the cost of the final product. According to Sergey Kuksov, the enterprise's director for the production of beverages and concentrates, they will produce twice as much concentrate, meeting the needs of the domestic market. But for this, the plant will need about 100 tons of rye per month.