Page 22 - Introduction to Agriculture by: Aqleem Abbas

Introduction to Agriculture Notes prepared by: Aqleem Abbas

AGRONOMIC CLASSIFICATION

Scientific names Sugar cane Sacchrum
officinarum
flax Linum usittissimum cotton Gossipium
hirsutum
Jute Corchorus
capsularis
sunhemp Cannabis sativas
sunflower Carthamus
tinctorus
Rape and Brassica campestris
mustard
soybean Glycine max
pepper Capsicum annum

Cereal crops or grain crops or cereal grains

The most important food-energy source for three-fourths of the world population is grains. Most
grains are members of the grass family that are grown for their large edible seeds. Chief among
these are wheat, rice, corn (maize), barley, oats, rye, sorghum, and millet. All are widely used as
food for humans, both directly and in processed forms. Corn, barley, oats, and sorghum also
serve as livestock and poultry feeds; stalks and straw from these crops are important sources of
fodder (feed) and bedding for livestock. Grains are among the oldest crops, with their cultivation
dating from about 10,000 years ago.

Wheat, barley, oats, and rye are grown throughout much of the Temperate Zone world, most
commonly in areas with moderate to low annual rainfall (25 to 76 cm/10 to 30 in), where they
are more productive than crops that require more water. Higher rainfall, irrigation, and
fertilization, however, boost the yields of these cereal grains. Rice is primarily a tropical or
subtropical cereal, although Chinese and Japanese breeders have developed short-season strains
adapted to temperate areas. Most rice is grown in water or in paddies with ample water supplies.
Upland, or dry land, rice is grown in limited areas.

Sorghum historically has been a tropical grain, grown for food in Africa and Asia. In the past
half century its use has spread so widely that it has become an important livestock feed in dry
land (arid) areas such as the southwestern United States. Corn originated in subtropical climates,
but is now grown predominantly in temperate climates that have rainfall of more than 63 cm
(more than 25 in) per year. Rapid expansion of irrigation systems has made possible the
extension of corn acreage into drier areas in the central and western United States.

Grain crops are well adapted to mechanization. In the temperate zones most grain production is
on large farms, where machines till, plant, and harvest (see Agricultural Machinery). This is less
true in the Tropics and in locations where terrain is too rough for machinery. In these areas