GROWING GRAIN CROPS IN RUSSIA: HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The article deals with the historical context of growing grain crops in Russia. The production conditions for growing new varieties of wheat are shown. Particular attention is paid to the development of agricultural machinery for the specific soil and climatic conditions of Russia, which is one of the urgent tasks of crop production. First of all, it concerns the seeding rate - a technological method that has a huge impact on the yield and quality of products. At the same time, this is a complex and most difficult indicator to establish, requiring constant adjustment due to the emergence of new varieties and technologies. Great importance in increasing yields was attached to the rational use of basic fertilizers to improve the quality of grain crops at various phases of crop development. The main feature of the cultivation of grain crops in Russia was that the serf system of economy that existed in Russia until the beginning of the XX-th century had the most detrimental effect, first of all, on agricultural production