Lentils

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Lentils - herbaceous plant belonging to the legume family; drought-resistant valuable food and forage crop. By the way, this is one of the very first plants domesticated by man, along with peas, barley and wheat.

Description

Lentil is a herbaceous plant of rather short stature, endowed with strongly branching stems and alternate paired leaves. The roots of the plant are small and very thin, and erect pubescent stems grow from fifteen to seventy-five centimeters in height. All lentil leaves end with slightly branching or simple antennae.

Small flowers formed on lentils are painted in bluish or white tones. And the short fruits of this culture are in the form of flattened beans and contain from one to three seeds. By the way, the color of the seeds, depending on the variety, can be completely different.

Where grows

The homeland of lentils is considered to be Western Asia and Southern Europe - there it has been cultivated since the Neolithic era. Repeated references to this leguminous crop can be found even in the Old Testament.

Currently, the largest areas of lentil cultivation can be found in Iran, Nepal, Turkey, Canada and India.

Usage

For a number of Asian peoples, lentils are a valuable source of protein that can replace meat, cereals and bread. Lentil grains are eaten almost everywhere.

In addition, lentils have long been valued as a medicinal plant. Even ancient Roman doctors actively used this culture to treat nervous disorders and stomach diseases. And in the old Russian herbalists you can find recommendations on the use of lentil infusion for smallpox. The thick lentil broth is an excellent astringent for a variety of gastrointestinal ailments, and the liquid broth is the best aid in the fight against constipation. It is also good to drink a decoction of lentils for kidney stones.

Growing and caring

Germination of lentil seeds begins already at a temperature of four degrees - the shoots of this plant are not at all afraid of even minor frosts. However, in order for both plants and beans to form properly, it is desirable that the temperature is in the range of eighteen to twenty-two degrees.

Although lentils are considered a fairly drought tolerant crop, it is important for them to try to provide sufficient soil moisture. And the yield of this crop is directly dependent on the absence of weeds on the site and on the quality of the soil. Sandy loam or loamy soils are the best for growing lentils. If it is cultivated on heavy or acidic soils, the harvest will definitely not please. In addition, lentils grow superbly in those areas where previously row crops or winter crops were grown.

Sowing lentils begins as soon as the soil temperature reaches five to six degrees, planting seeds to a depth of five to six centimeters. At the same time, it is advisable to maintain a distance of about ten to fifteen centimeters between the rows. As soon as all the seeds are in the soil, the soil must be lightly rolled from above - this measure will contribute to better seed germination. And after the emergence of seedlings, the soil should be buried - this will eliminate the weeds that hinder the growth of plants. Ideally, harrowing is done at midday.

Pests and diseases

Among the most active pests of lentils are the gamma scoop, meadow moth and lentil weevil. As for diseases, most often lentils are attacked by rust, ascochitosis and fusarium.