Course CodeBAG309Fee CodeS2Duration (approx)100 hoursQualificationTo obtain formal documentation the optional exam(s) must be completed which will incur an additional fee of £30. Alternatively, a letter of completion may be requested. Learn to grow cereals, pulses and pseudo grains Grow grain crops on a small or large scale. Learn production methods, from soil preparation and planting to harvest and post harvest treatment of the grain. This course is an ideal foundation for farmers, farm workers and anyone supporting agricultural grain production or marketing. Lesson Structure There are 9 lessons in this course: Introduction to Grains Production of Crops in Different Climates and Ecological Zones Climate Soil Aspect and Altitude Crop Growing Periods and Growing Degree Days. Cropping Season as Affected by Moisture Availability World Cropping Cereal Crop Growth Stages Jointing Stage Booting Stage Grain Fill Stage Zadok Scale Grain Types Wheat Barley Sorghum Oats Rice Corn Canola Pulses Production Systems Crop Rotation Cover Crops Crop Islands Grain Growing and Processing: Infrastructure and Machinery Equipment Requirements Choosing A Tractor and Accessories Equipment and Tools Used in Different Crop Production Operations Tillage Seed Certified and Saved Seed Seed Production Planting Other Crop Production Operations Irrigation Equipment Crop Lodging Harvest Cereal Harvesting Equipment Threshers/Combined Harvester Thresher Cleaning Grain Storage Silos Silo Bags Bunkers Insect Pest Control in Grain Storage Wheat, Spelt, Triticosecale, Oats, Barley, Rye Wheat and Spelt Cultivars Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium Zinc Crop Health Crown Rot Stripe Rust Leaf Rust Stem Rust Yellow Leaf Spot Nematodes Harvest and Uses Tritosecale Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Harvest and Uses Cultivars Oats Cultivars Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Harvest and Uses Barley Cultivars Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Nitrogen Phosphorus Aluminium And Boron Toxicity Crop Health Crown Rot Net Blotch Spot Blotch Powdery Mildew Harvest and Uses. Rye Winter and Spring Rye Cultivars Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Harvest and Uses Maize, Sorghum and Millet Maize Cultivars Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Nitrogen Phosphorous Potassium Sulphur Iron Crop Health Boil Smut (Ustilago Maydis) Rust (Puccinia Sorghi) Stalk and Cob Rots Harvest and Uses Sorghum Cultivars Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Ergot (Claviceps Africana) Insect Pests Heliothis Sorghum Midge Harvest and Uses Millet Cultivars Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Grey Leaf Spot Charcoal Rot Pests Harvest and Uses Rice Rice (Oryza Spp.) Cultivars Commonly Cultivated Varieties of Rice Grain Type - Colour: Brown Vs White Different Varieties for Eating Cultivation Environmental Overview Altitude Water Irrigating Rice Rainfed - Terrace Systems. Crop Health and Diseases Bacterial Blight Bacterial Leaf Streak Blast, Leaf and Collar Red Stripe Harvest Ratooning Rice-Wheat Systems Pulse Crops Soybeans Crop Health Pidgeon Peas (Congo Beans) Appearance Cultivars Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Harvest Lima Beans Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Harvest Cowpeas Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Harvest Mung Beans Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Harvest Chick Peas Soil and Fertility Crop Health Lentils Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Harvest Faba Beans Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Harvest Field Peas (Green Peas) Growing Conditions Propagation Soil Fertility Crop Health Pseudo Cereals Chia Quinoa Appearance Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Harvest Amaranth Appearance Cultivars Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Harvest Buckwheat Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Sesame Seed Cultivars Cultivation Soil and Fertility Crop Health Harvest Processing Grains for Human Consumption Post-Harvest Processing Drying Morphologically Determining Moisture Content Portable Moisture Meters Simple Drying Test to Determine Moisture Laboratory Testing Types of Drying Natural Drying Heat-Drying (Hot Air Drying) When Is It Dry? Storage Aerating and Cooling Moisture Content in Stored Grain Treatment During Storage Mechanical Treatments Grain Processing for Consumption Hulling Wheat Processing Cleaning and Scouring Tempering Grinding/Milling of Wheat Bleaching the Flour Blending and Final Production of Flours Extraction Rate Processing Maize (Corn) Corn Refining Processing Rice Processing Oats Processing Pseudo grains Quinoa and Amaranth Fortifying Foods Grains for Livestock Consumption Differences Between Crops for Human Consumption and Those for Animal Consumption C3 And C4 Grasses - C3 Plants - C4 Plants - Legume Forage - Mixed Grass and Legume Forages Nutrient-Dense Forages and Forage Quality Forage Maturity and Nutritional Value Forage Quality Palatability and Taste Intake Digestibility Nutrient Density Anti-Nutritional Factors Livestock Performance and Growth Specific Forage, Feed and Grass Types Feeding and Ration Calculations What are the Stages of Crop Development? Crops usually begin as a seed germinating and emerging through the soil top produce it's leaves. From that point, growers commonly identify the following sequence of stages: Two leaf stage Early tillering Mid tillering Late tillering Jointing Booting/Flag leaf emergence Flowering Grain fill Jointing Stage At jointing, just above the first node, you can cut the stem open very carefully you will find a very tiny seed head. More nodes will develop underneath that first node, but the first node on every tiller will have the seed head developing just above it. When the seed head and first node are about halfway up the main stem, the main stem will start to thicken, this is called booting and the last leaf the plant will develop emerges, this leaf is called the flag leaf and is quite distinctive. The seed head will be about 2-4 cm long but a swelling in the main stem will indicate that the crop is now in the booting stage. Booting Stage The booting stage is over when the seed head emerges. In wheat, the crop will then proceed to flower and then form grain. In barley, the seed head often flowers in the boot protecting it from light frosts. Grain Fill Stage As the grain then starts to form we talk about the milk stage, where when the grain is squeezed a milky substance is produced, then milky dough where milky dough like substance is exuded, and then you have soft dough moving onto hard dough stage. After the hard dough stage the crop is then drying down, in preparation for harvest. WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS COURSE? Farmers Farm Contractors Agricultural suppliers Farm Produce agents and marketers Agricultural students Other agricultural professionals, from writers and educators to research scientists, seedsmen and plant breeders. Small farm or hobby farm owners considering new "niche" crops Livestock owners/managers, wanting to produce animal feeds HOW TO ENROL Click box below on left hand side -follow instructions. 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