Sunflowers

Sunflowers originate in the Americas. They were first domesticated in what is now Mexico and the Southern United States. Domestic sunflower seeds have been found in Mexico, dating to 2100 BCE. Native American people grew sunflowers as a crop from Mexico to Southern Canada. In the 16th century the first crop breeds were brought from America to Europe by explorers.

Sunflowers are usually tall annual or perennial plants that in some species can grow to a height of 300 cm (120 in) or more. They bear one or more wide, terminal capitula (flower heads), with bright yellow ray florets at the outside and yellow or maroon disc florets inside. During growth, sunflowers tilt during the day to face the sun but stop once they begin blooming. This tracking of the sun in young sunflower heads is called heliotropism. By the time they are mature, sunflowers generally face east. The movement of sunflowers through heliotropism happens as the sunflower follows the sun, the opposite side of the sunflower stem begins to accumulate growth hormones and this causes growth which redirects the sunflower. The rough and hairy stem is branched in the upper part in wild plants but is usually unbranched in domesticated cultivars.

In France the Loire river forms a meteorological barrier and the climate north of the Loire is too cool for sunflowers to grow productively. However as soon as you cross the Loire sunflowers make up one of the lands principle crops. Sowed in April the harvest is at the end of the summer in September. The seeds are crushed and oil produced used in food production.

Barley

Barley (Hordeum vulgare), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. Barley was one of the first domesticated grains in the Fertile Crescent, an area of relatively abundant water in Western Asia, and near the Nile river of northeast Africa. Wild barley (H. vulgare ssp. spontaneum) ranges from North Africa and Crete in the west, to Tibet in the east. According to some scholars, the earliest evidence of wild barley in an archaeological context comes from the Epipaleolithic at Ohalo II at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee. The remains were dated to about 8500 BC. Other scholars have written that the earliest evidence comes from Mesopotamia, specifically the Jarmo region of modern day Iraq.

One of the world's most important crops, barley is a highly resilient crop, able to be grown in varied and marginal environments, such as in regions of high altitude and latitude In 2017, barley was ranked fourth among grains in quantity produced (149 million tonnes) behind maize, rice and wheat

The barley grown at Pas de Loup is principally used as animal fodder. It is also used as a source of fermentable material for beer and certain distilled beverages, such as whiskey, and as a component of various health foods. It is used in soups and stews, and in barley bread of various cultures. Barley grains are commonly made into malt in a traditional and ancient method of preparation. Similar to wheat it is sowed in the autumn, sprouting and remaining dormant over winter to the then grown in spring and be harvested in June.

Rape Seed

Rapeseed (Brassica napus subsp. napus) is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed. Rapeseed is the third-largest source of vegetable oil and second-largest source of protein meal in the world. Rapeseed flowers are yellow and about 17 mm (0.67 in) across. They are radial and consist of four petals in a typical cross-form, alternating with four sepals. They have indeterminate racemose flowering starting at the lowest bud and growing upward in the following days. The flowers have two lateral stamens with short filaments, and four median stamens with longer filaments whose anthers split away from the flower's center upon flowering.

The rapeseed pods are green and elongated siliquae during development that eventually ripen to brown. They grow on pedicels 1 to 3 cm long, and can range from 5 to 10 cm in length. Each pod has two compartments separated by a inner central wall within which a row of seeds develop. The seeds are round and have a diameter of 1.5 to 3mm. They have a reticulate surface texture, and are black and hard at maturity. Crops from the genus Brassica, including rapeseed, were among the earliest plants to be widely cultivated by mankind as early as 10,000 years ago. Rapeseed was being cultivated in India as early as 4000 B.C. and it spread to China and Japan 2000 years ago.

Rapeseed is grown for the production of animal feed, edible vegetable oils, and biodiesel. Rapeseed was the third-leading source of vegetable oil in the world in 2000, after soybean and palm oil. It is the world's second-leading source of protein meal after soybean. Oilseed rape at Pas de Loup is cultivated in its winter form due to the requirement of vernalization to start the process of flowering. It is sown in autumn and remains in a leaf rosette on the soil surface during the winter. The plant grows a long vertical stem in the next spring followed by lateral branch development. It generally flowers in late spring with the process of pod development and ripening occurring over a period of 6–8 weeks until midsummer.

Lucerne

Lucerne, otherwise known as alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is a perennial flowering plant grown for its nutritious foliage. Historical records suggest that it originated in south-central Asia, was first cultivated in ancient Iran and it was introduced to Greece in about 490 BC when the Persians invaded Greek territory

It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as well as a green manure and cover crop. The name alfalfa is used in North America. The name lucerne is the more commonly used name in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The plant superficially resembles clover (a cousin in the same family), especially while young, when trifoliate leaves comprising round leaflets predominate. Later in maturity, leaflets are elongated. It has clusters of small purple flowers followed by fruits spiralled in 2 to 3 turns containing 10–20 seeds.

The Loire Valley is an important horse breeding area and Saumur is the base of the French Military Cavalry Regiment as well as the “Cadre Noir” Frances National Riding School. As such there is huge local demand for Lucerne for horse fodder.

Lucerne is a perennial forage legume which normally lives four to eight years, but can live more than 20 years, depending on variety and climate. The plant grows to a height of up to 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches), and has a deep root system, sometimes growing to a depth of more than 15 m (49 ft) to reach groundwater. Typically the root system grows to a depth of 2–3 m (7–10 ft) depending on subsoil constraints. Owing to deep root system, it helps to improve soil nitrogen fertility and protect from soil erosion. This depth of root system, and perenniality of crowns that store carbohydrates as an energy reserve, make it very resilient, especially to droughts. Lucerne is more drought-hardy than drought-tolerant and the persistence of the plant also depends on the management of the stand. It has a tetraploid genome.

Given the rich limestone soils at Pas de Loup this makes it perfectly suited to the production of Lucerne for seed production. The plant has a life span of 4 years and annually around July it is cropped and the seed recovered for resale. Given the high stores of nitrogen the roots absorb during its life cycle once ploughed in and wheat is planted behind it the best yields are always achieved given the natural nitrogen fertilizer the roots of the Lucerne leave behind.