Cultivos / Crops

GALEGO

ENGLISH

O sistema de cultivos tamén cambiou moito. As técnicas empregadas para mellorar os cultivos aumentaron a calidade e cantidade dos mesmos pero ao mesmo tempo son moi agresivos co contorno. Anteriormente as técnicas empregadas estaban en equilibrio co medio. A agricultura orgánica intenta volver a isto.

Farming has changed a lot. The techniques used to improve the crops have increased the amount of them but at the same time they are very aggressive with the environment. In the old times, techniques were in equilibrium with nature. Organic agriculture is trying to bring this back.

Trees are going under a similar process. Native forests which used to maintain a natural equilibrium avoiding fires and erosion and keeping humidity are now disappearing.

Agora substitúense por especies de crecemento rápido coma o eucalipto, que non favorecen ese equilibrio natural do que se falou anteriormente.

Native trees are being replaced by fast growing species such as eucaliptus which do not help to maintain that natural harmony.

Protección con palla.
As plantas nadas necesitaban protección contra a xiada. Antigamente, non había invernadoiros nin plásticos . Un método eficaz consistía en botar unha capa de palla por riba das ringleiras das plantas novas. Ás veces tamén podían ser follas secas ou outro material vexetal. Esto aminoraba os efectos do frío.

Protection with hay.
Plants just born need protection against frost. In the old times, there weren´t greenhouses nor plastic. An effective method consisted in putting a layer of hay on the baby plants. It could also be dry leaves or other vegetal material. This diminished the effects of the frost.
 

Protección con plástico
A introdución dos mateirais plásticos fixo posíble unha nova forma de protección das plantas. Os montículos de terra cóbrense de plástico e fanse uns pequenos buratos para que saian as plantas. Esto protéxeas da xiada e dos paxaros, pero é máis contaminante.

Protection with plastic.
The introduction of plastic materials made possible a new form of plant protection. The soilbeds are covered with plastic and then holes are opened through it so plants can come out. This protects from frost and birds but it causes pollution.

Os invernadoiros
A forma máis popular hoxe en día de protexer os cultivos son os invernadoiros. Aínda que poden chegar a ser construcións moi grandes de vidro, o máis común é que sexan de plástico transparente. Os invernadoiros permiten ter cultivos delicados case todo o ano pero son contaminantes.

Greenhouses.
The most popular system of protection nowadays are the greenhouses. Even though they can be very big glass buildings it is more usual to make them with transparent plastic. Greenhouses allow us to have delicate crops all year round but they are polluting.

Os espantallos
Unha vez que asoman os froitos, un dos principais problemas é a ameaza das pragas, os paxaros e outros animais. Tradicionalmente, os sistemas usados eran naturais, é dicir, non ían contra a natureza. O máis coñecido era o uso de espantallos. Un boneco feito con roupas vellas e cheo de palla que ten a función de espantar aos paxaros dos cultivos.

Scarecrows
Once the fruits show, one of the main problems is the threat of plagues, birds and other animals. Traditionally, the systems used were natural, that is, they did not go against nature. The most typical one was scarecrows. A muppet made with old clothes and full of straw whose function was to scare the birds away from crops.
 

Espantallos básicos
Os espantallos podían ser calquera cousa que se atopase pola casa e que ben pola súa cor ou material poidese espantar aos paxaros. Ás veces unhas sinxelas bolsas de plástico facían esa función.

Basic scarecrows
Scarecrows could be anything that was found at home and either because of its colour or material could scare birds. Sometimes, simple plastic bags could work as scarecrows.
 

Protección contra as vacas
Cando as árbores estaban nas leiras onde pastaban as vacas, tíñanse que protexer delas. Unha maneira tradicional de facelo era rodear o tronco da árbore de estacas facendo unha especie de gaiola de madeira para que as vacas non se puidesen achegar.

Protection against cows
When trees were in the fields where cows graze, they had to be protected. A traditional way was to surround the treetrunck by sticks as a wooden cage so cows could not reach the leaves.

Protección contra o xabarín.
Uns dos inimigos naturais máis comúns dos campos de millo eran o xabarín e o teixo. O xabarín destroza as plantas para comer as espigas e pode causar moito mal. Unha maneira de escorrentar ao xabarín era facer lume entre uhas pedras e queimar pelo nelas. Outra era botar xofre arredor dela. O cheiro afastábaos de alí.

Protection against the wild hog.
One of the natural enemies of corn fields were wildhogs and badgers. Wild hogs destroy the plants to eat the ears and it can be desastrous. A traditional way of keeping it out was to make a fire among a few stones and burn human hair . You could also spread some sulphur around. The smell kept them away.

O sulfatado
Hoxe en día os métodos máis comúns para loitar contra as pragas dos cultivos é o sulfatado con produtos químicos. Este método é seguro e doado para o agricultor pero moi contaminante, xa que ademais de acabar coa praga, faino tamén cos outras especies animais.

Insecticide spraying
Today the most common methods for fighting the plagues is spraying chemical products. This is safe and easy for the farmer but very polluting because not only does it kill the plagues but it also kills other species.

Novas variedades
Actualmente outra forma de loitar contra as pragas de insectos é plantando variedades  seleccionadas xenéticamente de xeito que non se vexan atacadas por eses insectos. Eso representa un perigo para o contorno pola perda das variedades autóctonas da zona e de outras especies vexetais.

New varieties
Nowadays another way of fighting the insect plagues is planting genetically selected varieties so they do not get attacked by this plagues. This is a danger for the evironment because native varieties are lost and also other vegetal species.

Apitar
Aínda que a rega non foi tradicionalmente un problema en Galicia, si había varios sistemas de rega. Un deles usábase para regar os porrais. Consistía en facer unha especie de poza ou "corgo" onde se acumulaba a auga e logo se  "apitaba" desde alí cunha tixola ou similar.

"Apitar"
Even though water was never a problem in Galicia, there were several systems of watering. One was used to water the vegetable gardens. It consisted in making a sort of small pond ou "corgo" where water was accumulated and then it was splashed from there with a frying pan or lid.

As presas
Nos campos polos que pasaba un regato, o sistema era distinto. Facíanse presas ou canles polos que conducir a auga ata as distintas zonas. Estes canais eran moi básicos e  facíanse segundo as necesidades que houbese na zona.

Ditches
When a stream was near the fields, the system was different. Ditches were made so water was delivered to the different areas. These were very basic canals and were made on demand.

Tornar a auga
O sistema da rega tamén podía controlarse pechando as presas ou abríndoas. Para pechar as presas usábanse pedras ou pezas de madeira e ao feito de cambiar a dirección da auga "tornar a a auga". Nesta foto podemos ver unha desas pedras.

Water Shifting
The system of watering could also be controlled by closing the ditches or opening them. To close a ditch stones or boards were used. "Water shifting" meant a change in the direction of the flow. In this picture we can see one of those stones.

Rega por aspersión
Hoxe as grandes extensións de millo poden necesitar da rega. Nestes casos, os sistemas de rega artificiais por aspersión son os máis usados. Estes sistemas son máis caros e necesitan dunha toma de auga con presión.

Sprinklers
Today large corn fields may need to be watered. If this is so, artificial watering systems are commonly used. These systems are more expensive and they need a pressurized source of water.

Fertilización orgánica
O sistema tradicional de estercado foi con material orgánico. O esterco, a mestura de bosta de vaca e materia vexetal, era, e aínda é, o material máis usado.

Organic fertilization
The traditional system of fertilization was by organic material. Manure, the mixture of slurry and vegetal materials was, and still is, the most used fertilizer.

O esterco.

O esterco dispoñíase en montes e logo  estendíase por todo o campo. Esto era parte do ciclo de reciclaxe natural.

Manure

Manure was piled in heaps and then spreaded all over the field. This was part of the natural recycling process.

Fertilización vexetal
Ás veces, en vez de esterco usábase materia vexetal coma o toxo. Os montóns de toxo fresco estendíanse pola leira e arábase inmediatamente.

Vegetal fertilization
Sometimes, instead of manure, vegetal materials were used, such as gorse. Heaps of fresh gorse were spreaded over the land and then this was inmediately ploughed.

A cuba
Hoxe o sistema máis común e rápido de fertilización orgánica é o dos xurros. Os residuos orgánicos líquidos das explotacións gandeiras recóllense coa cuba e logo régase con eles directamente o campo. Este sistema está a piques de ser regulado polos graves problemas de contaminación que leva consigo, xa que un dos compoñentes que se lanza ao aire é o amoníaco. Tamén é problemático porque causa a contaminación da auga potable.

Vacuum tanker
Today, the fastest and most common system of organic fertilization is swine broadcasting. Swine from farms is collected in the vacuum tanker and then it is broadcasted on the field. This system is under regulation because it may cause serious pollutionn problems as one of the elements thrown to the air is ammonia. It is also a danger for drinkable water and springs.

Fertilización química
Outro sistema de fertilización é con productos químicos minerais como o cal e os fosfatos.

Chemical fertilization
Another system is using mineral products such as lime and phosphates.

Corn and beans polyculture
Until recently, the system of cultivation was less intensive, based on the rotation of different  species. So, it was normal to plant wheat and then late corn, or rye and then potaoes, for example.

Cabbage and beans.
Two products could also be planted at the same time, for example potatoes and cabbage or corn and beans.

Cultivo intensivo de millo.
Nesta foto podemos observar o sistema contrario, que é o cultivo intensivo dun só produto: por exemplo o millo.

Intensive corn crop.
In this picture we can see the opposite system, that is, the intensive cultivation of an only product: corn, for example.