The Buktarminskaya rye variety was developed through mass and individual selection from a sample found on the shore of the Bukhtarma Reservoir in Kazakhstan. The plant features an erect bush with a tall stem measuring 120-150 cm in height and a dark green coloration. Leaves are lanceolate, slightly drooping, with a high level of leaf area coverage—44%. The spike is white, prism-shaped, 5-7 cm long, loose and awned, containing about 35 spikelets with white, non-hairy glumes. The grain has a yellowish-greenish tint with a whitish coating; the mass of 1000 grains is 23.5 g. The vegetative period lasts 327 days, with 45 days from the start of spring vegetation to hay-making maturity. Green mass yield reaches 318 c/ha, exceeding the Vятка variety's yield by 38% and dry matter by 11.4 c/ha. In terms of fiber and crude protein content, Buktarminskaya rye exceeds standard indicators by 4% and 1%, respectively.
This winter rye variety is widely used as a fodder crop, sown in early summer and harvested 8-10 days earlier than winter wheat. Buktarminskaya rye is part of the green conveyor belt as the first crop; the optimal period for using the crop as feed is at the tillering stage, approximately 6-8 days after the start of vegetation. Rye grain differs from wheat by having higher lysine content and lower tryptophan, making it a valuable component in animal feeding.
Studies conducted in the southwestern Fore-Ural region showed that water-soluble pentosan content in winter rye grain varies, affecting the quality of feed raw materials. Although these studies did not directly address the Buktarminskaya variety, they underscore the importance of selecting varieties with optimal water-soluble polysaccharide content and high protein levels to enhance grain nutritional value. Thus, Buktarminskaya rye represents a promising fodder variety with high yield and improved nutritional characteristics, making it in demand in agriculture.
