Chapter 31: Behind the Harvest (3)

Unlike the crops cultivated in the early days of the human world, due to geographical factors and other limitations, the protagonist can only cultivate some "weeds" in his own farmland, which are not eye-catching in the early days.

Like what:

Weed.

It is an annual herb that closely resembles rice and often grows in wetlands or water such as swamps and low-lying heaths, and in drier lands, the stems can also grow scattered close to the ground.

The weeds are the ancestors of wheat, which evolved into wheat through human influence. The flowering and fruiting period is from July to October.

Barnyard has strong adaptability, lush growth, good quality, high forage and seed yield, and high nutritional value: crude protein content is 6.282-9.419%, crude fat content is 1.921-2.45%. Fresh grass can be used as feed, grains can be used as feed, and wine can also be made and eaten.

Dogtail grass.

It is an annual herbaceous plant, a very common weed, the most striking feature is the spikelet resembling a fluffy dog tail, its 2-5 clusters on the main axis or more spikelets on short branches, oval, blunt apex, with grayish-white sprites inside.

Dogtail grass is a late spring weed, which is propagated by seeds, and the seeds germinate from mid-April to May, and the fruiting period is from August to October. Seeds can be dispersed by wind, running water and manure, and germinate after overwintering dormancy.

The dogtail steppe is found in the temperate and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, and is widely distributed in temperate and subtropical regions of the world, and is a common wild grass in the wasteland. The grass prefers to grow in warm and humid climate areas, and is suitable for loose and fertile, humus-rich sandy loam and clay loam.

Saximo.

Synonyms: Stick hammer grass, brush head, coil grass, is an annual herbaceous plant of the genus Saxitail in the family Poaceae.

Similar to dogtail, its ears are very recognizable. Spike-like inflorescences 5 to 10, 1.5-5 cm long, finger-like born at the top of the stalk, often erect and close together into a brush-shaped, sometimes encased in the expanded leaf sheath of the parietal leaf, often purple when mature.

Saxitail seeds germinate after hibernation. Seedlings germinate in early May, peak in mid to late May, 1-2 peaks with rainfall or irrigation, and seedlings still occur frequently from June to July. The flowering and fruiting period is from July to October.

Saxifrage is mostly found in the wilderness and is found everywhere, from tropical to temperate zones in both hemispheres, and can grow up to 3 700 m above sea level. It is an important forage and soil and water conservation crop, and has the advantages of low maintenance tolerance and drought tolerance.

Cow tendon grass.

Annual herbaceous plant. It is widely distributed in temperate regions of the world, but also in tropical regions. It is characterized by an extremely developed root system, strong stalks and leaves, and a strong ability to absorb soil moisture and nutrients. The whole plant can be used as fodder, and it is an excellent soil-retaining plant.

Its spike-like inflorescences 2-7 finger-like on the top of the stalk, rarely solitary, 3-10 cm long, 3-5 mm wide; The capsule is ovate and about 1.5 mm long. The flowering and fruiting period is from June to October.

Martang grass.

Poaceae is an annual herbaceous plant. The appearance is very similar to that of cow tendon grass.

The Matang is adaptable to climate conditions from temperate to tropical. It likes moisture, good fertilizer, loves light, does not have strict requirements for soil, and can grow well in weak acidic and weak alkaline soils. It grows widely in various herbaceous communities such as ditches, river beaches, and mountain slopes, and can even invade other wild grass communities. In particular, in the loose, moist and fertile abandoned or abandoned bare land, it often becomes one of the pioneer species of vegetation succession, and can even form a pioneer community with Matang as the dominant one.

In the wild, the seedlings generally emerge in May-June, heading and flowering in July-September, and fruiting and maturing in August-October. The growth period is about 150 days.

The tillers of the horsetail are stronger. A well-grown plant can have 8-18 stems and branches, and some can have as many as 32 skills. Its regenerative power is quite strong, and it can be mowed 3-4 times during the growth period. The seeds spread quickly, the fecundity is strong, the plant grows quickly, and there are many branches.

Matang is a high-quality forage grass with high grass yield, good grass quality, and high utilization value. With slender stems and soft leaves, it is a good forage for both fresh and hay, and all kinds of herbivores like to feed on it. Matang has a higher content of crude protein and nitrogen-free extract, while a lower content of crude fiber and a higher nutritional value. In addition, it can also be used as soil consolidation, greening and other ground cover plants.

Dogtooth root.

Poaceae dogtooth root is a perennial low herbaceous plant, its stalk is thin and tough, the lower part of the creeping ground spreads very long, and the nodes often have adventitious roots, up to 30 cm high. Spikelets, spikelets gray-green or purple, florets; anthers lavender; The stigma is purplish-red. The fruit is long cylindrical. Flowering and fruiting from May to October.

Dogtooth root is found in warm, humid and warm semi-arid regions of the world, has a long lifespan, is extremely resistant to heat and drought, but is not cold or shade tolerant. It mostly grows on wasteland slopes and is a good plant for fixing embankments and soil preservation.

Roots, stems and leaves can be used as feed. It is rich in nutrients and high yield, and the 4-week-old hay contains 17.59% crude protein, 1.9% crude fat, 22.15% crude fiber, 43.65% nitrogen-free extract and 14.66% crude ash, respectively. Its growth is fast, it can be mowed 3-4 times a year, generally 150-200 kg of hay per mu, and 500-750 kg of hay per mu of fertile soil.

Triangular grass.

An annual herbaceous plant of the sedge family, also known as tripartite grass, sedge, and wild mat, generally 10-60cm tall. The fibrous roots are mostly yellowish-white or reddish-brown, brittle, easy to break, and the section is white. The stems are clustered, triangular in shape, yellowish-brown or yellowish-brown. The leaves are linear, 15-25 cm long, 2-6 mm wide, yellow-green or yellow-brown, leaf sheaths long cylindrical, brown. The bracts are 2-3, longer than the inflorescence, spikelets striped or lanceolate, dark brown.

It is often found on hillsides or in damp places. It is widely distributed in temperate and subtropical regions. It can be used as feed and also has certain medicinal value.

- I'm the dividing line -

The crops cultivated by these protagonists are almost always the most common weeds, ranging from annual herbaceous plants to perennials.

With the exception of the weeds, humans did not domesticate them during the early agricultural revolution.

The main reason for this is that the seeds of these weeds are too small to be collected, unlike the barnyard seeds, which are large and easy to collect, store and follow-up.

However, this is not a problem for ants, which are very small in size and very convenient to carry these small seeds.

The barren and drought-tolerant characteristics of wild grasses are also more suitable for the extensive field management method of ants.

And in the field, in addition to the harvest of grass seeds and fodder stems and leaves, there will be some other unexpected surprises.

Since crops such as horsetail are also high-quality forage grasses, they often attract some herbivorous insects to feed, including crickets, gnats, and locusts that move on the ground, as well as mole crickets that eat roots in the ground.

Naturally, ants will not let go of these prey brought to their mouths, so this farmland has become an excellent hunting ground.

In this way, the farmland provided both an abundance of plant-based food and meat prey for the Divine Envoy King's legions.