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Number of types of cereals. Main types of grain crops

Cereals are the main sources of human nutrition, animal feed, and raw materials for industry. Grain farming accounts for 35% of arable land in the world.

Due to the diversity of species, varieties and forms, crops can grow in different climatic zones. For this reason, the concentration of grains on heavy and light soils is the same, but the yield differs significantly.

Grain is easy to transport and does not require high storage costs. At low humidity, about 18%, it is stored for a long time, with losses of only 2%.

The share of grains growing in temperate climates is 40%. The most important grain crop in Russia and the world is wheat.

Cereals - list of plants with photos

Cereals belong to the cereal family (Poacea) or bluegrass ( Pooideae).

Among them there are breads of the first group (typical breads) and the second group (millet breads). Typical grains are rye, wheat, barley, and oats. Millet crops include rice, corn, buckwheat and others.

The structure of important organs in most breads looks similar. The root system of cereals is fibrous, with the exception of buckwheat - it has a taproot. Winter rye, wheat and corn boast the most powerful, well-developed roots.

The stem is a hollow straw and has up to 8 internodes. The greatest width is at the roots and the smallest at the top. The exception is corn - its stalk is filled with loose tissue.

The inflorescence is an ear (in rye, barley and wheat) and a panicle (oats, rice). Corn has two types of inflorescences - panicle and cob. The fruit is a grain or nut of buckwheat.

Rye

There are annual and perennial types of rye. Of these, only one is cultivated - Secale cereale.

The rye inflorescence is a complex spike. Among winter grains, rye has the most developed roots. The leaves are linear, green, matte. Wind pollinated. Rye tolerates cold better than other crops.

The main composition of grains: carbohydrates and protein (up to 10%). Also contains vitamins B, PP, E and minerals.

Due to its beneficial composition, rye is used in folk medicine:

  • increases the body's resistance to diseases;
  • lowers blood sugar levels;
  • has an expectorant effect on coughs;
  • dietary fiber stimulates the gastrointestinal tract.

Processed grains are used to bake bread. The waste obtained during the sorting process has nutritional value for livestock. A good rye harvest can be obtained even with poor climatic conditions.

Oats

Two types are most widespread in cultivation: common oats (Avenasativa) and Byzantine oats (Avenabyzantina).

The stem of a herbaceous plant is a hollow straw. The root system, like most cereals, is fibrous. The leaves are elongated and have a linear pattern. The inflorescence of oats is a panicle, and the fruit is a caryopsis.

The chemical composition of the grain is rich in vitamin B, calcium, iron, and phosphorus. The main place is occupied by carbohydrates, starch and protein.

Oats are widely used for processing into human food and animal feed. From its grains you can get oatmeal, oatmeal, and biscuits. Porridges made from oatmeal are recommended for dietary nutrition.

Oats are also used to prepare alcoholic drinks and mash. Oat grain is a high-quality feed for large and small livestock. The harvest of oats and other crops is used for haylage and silage.

Wheat

Wheat is the most common cultivated herbaceous plant.

People often ask, is wheat a bush or a grass? Let's take a look: up to 10 stems can grow from one plant; outwardly, wheat looks like a shrub, but its stems are soft and hollow inside, which classifies it as a herbaceous plant.

Due to its ability to grow on different soils and in different climatic conditions, wheat (Triticum) has many species, subspecies and varieties.

Winter wheat

Spring and winter wheat are distinguished, depending on the sowing time; soft (T. Aestivum) and hard (T. durum) - based on the hardness of the grains. Soft wheat contains a large share gluten, therefore flour is produced from it, and pasta is made from solid gluten.

Wheat grains contain a large amount of fiber, vitamins E and B, magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, and pectin.

Wheat benefits the human body:

  • lowers cholesterol levels;
  • improves digestion processes;
  • due to the presence of phosphorus in the composition, it stimulates the heart;
  • large amounts of carbohydrates provide energy;
  • The fiber in the composition cleanses the intestines, thereby promoting the loss of extra pounds.

It grows almost all over the world, with the exception of the tropics. It is of great food and economic importance.

Ground wheat grains are used for baking, confectionery and pasta, and for brewing beer and vodka. Fiber is part of bran for dietary nutrition. Good fodder for livestock.

Semolina, Poltava, Artek are made from wheat. By special processing of grain you can get bulgur and couscous. IN Lately Whole grain baked goods made from wheat have become popular.

Wheat and rye are the most important cereal plants in the production of bread. However, there are differences between them:

  1. The cultivation of wheat began much earlier. Initially, rye was considered a weed.
  2. The chemical composition and color of the grains are different.
  3. Rye tolerates unfavorable climatic conditions more easily.
  4. There are many cultivated varieties of wheat, while rye is represented by only one.

Corn

Corn is a dioecious annual herbaceous plant. Wide linear leaves are arranged alternately around the stem.

There is one cultivated species of corn called Zea mays. Depending on the structure of the grains, it is divided into several subspecies. The most popular of them are: starchy, tooth-like, sugar, popping, siliceous. Each subspecies has its own purpose in industry.

Let's see, is corn a grain crop or a vegetable? Corn belongs to the cereal family, but is used as a vegetable for human nutrition. Accordingly, it can be attributed to both.

The grains contain a lot of vitamin E, starch, mineral salts, and amino acids. Corn is grown for food and as feed for animals.

They are consumed in the form of boiled cobs, popcorn, starch, alcohol, corn sticks, and corn grits porridges.

The plant is thermophilic, so it is grown in China, Brazil, Argentina, Central America, Mexico, USA, India. Russia ranks 12th in the list of countries for corn cultivation.

Barley

This culture unites 30 species. Barley (Hordeum sativum) is cultivated. Appearance and its structure is the same as that of rye and wheat.

There are three subspecies of barley:

  • multi-row (vulgare) – three spikelets are developed;
  • two-row (distichum) – the middle spikelet is developed;
  • intermediate (intermedium) - up to three developed spikelets.

Barley grains contain a small amount of protein, so they are used mainly in the brewing industry. It is also used to produce flour and cereals – barley and pearl barley. Straw and greens are used to feed animals.

Countries such as Canada are engaged in growing barley on an industrial scale. North America, countries of Europe and Asia. In Russia, barley is produced in all grain-growing regions.

Rice

Rice (Oryza sativa) is a herbaceous cereal. The root system is superficial and contains air-bearing tissue. The leaves are elongated, lanceolate, narrow, pointed. The inflorescence is a panicle.

Depending on the subspecies, the forms of grains are distinguished:

  • Indian – thin and long;
  • Javanese - wide and short;
  • Japanese – rounded.

Asia is considered the birthplace of rice. It is grown in Canada, America, India, Japan, and the Mediterranean. In Russia, rice plantations can be found in the Krasnodar region.

Rice grains contain significant amounts of carbohydrates, but little fat and protein. Has good taste qualities, easy to digest. Rice water is used for medicinal purposes.

In light industry, rice starch and oil are used. Straw can be made into paper High Quality, cardboard, rope, used as livestock feed.

It is worth noting: Among grains, rice is the most productive.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat (esculentum moenh) is a herbaceous plant up to 190 cm high. It is an annual plant. It is divided into subspecies - ordinary (vulgare) and multi-leaved (multifolium).

The hollow ribbed stem branches. The leaves are arrow-shaped and arranged alternately. The flowers are collected in clusters and have an intense aroma, which attracts honey insects.

Buckwheat has good nutritional properties, a pleasant taste and is easy to digest. The protein in buckwheat fruits contains a large number of valuable amino acids, so it is considered one of the best dietary foods.

Suitable for consumption buckwheat core, flour. Waste from processing is used to feed livestock.

The yield of buckwheat depends on where it grows. The greatest yield is produced by crops located close to forest belts.

Conclusion

Cereals are a large family of angiosperms. Over the entire period of their existence, only a small part of their representatives has been domesticated. However, the fruit of cereals - the grain - has become the main food product for the population of the entire globe.

The high nutritional value of cereals is due to their balanced protein and starch content. Vegetable protein is well absorbed by the human body.

Growing grain crops is the most important agricultural sector. These plants provide animal feed and industrial raw materials. Grain crops occupy one of the most important places in the food industry.

General classification

Grain crops are divided into legumes and grains. The latter mostly belong to the botanical cereal family. The main grain crops are:

  • Millet.
  • Sorghum.
  • Corn.
  • Barley.
  • Millet.
  • Rye.
  • Wheat.
  • Buckwheat and others.

The meaning of plants

The products of grain crops are used for the development of livestock and poultry farming. A large amount of nutrients contained in plants contributes to the active growth of livestock and increased milk yield. Such important products as pasta and bread products, flour, and cereals are also produced from grain. Plants act as raw materials for the production of starch, alcohol, molasses, and so on.

Chemical composition

Cereals are rich in carbohydrates and proteins. The latter are present in quantities from 10 to 16%. Carbohydrates in plants contain from 55 to 70%. Most grains contain from 1.5 to 4.5% fat. Corn and oats contain about 6%. The percentage of protein in grain crops is not constant. Its share depends on the varietal and species features, agricultural practices, climate, weather. Thus, placing grain crops in areas with a continental climate, in areas where there is a lot of light and heat, allows you to obtain plants with more protein than in areas with mild conditions and rainy weather. In addition, an increase in the content of this compound is observed in soils rich in phosphorus and nitrogen. Cereals are rich in B vitamins, PP. Sprouted cereals contain C, A and D.

Importance of Proteins

Of particular value are the compounds that form gluten. The baking properties of the resulting flour (volume of products, porosity, elasticity of the dough) will depend on its quality and quantity. Wheat grain can contain from 16 to 40% raw gluten. Cereal protein contains amino acids. Among them there are also irreplaceable ones - those that are not synthesized in the body of humans and animals. These include, for example, tryptophan, methionine, lysine and others. These amino acids must be supplied to the body through food. In this regard, their increased content in cereals has a beneficial effect on the condition of animals and humans.

Nutritional value

It is measured in feed units. For 1 unit The nutritional value of a kilogram of dry oats is generally accepted. Thus, 1 kg of wheat and rye has an indicator of 1.18, barley - 1.27, corn - 1.34. The nutritional value of a kilogram of straw can range from 0.2 (wheat, rye) to 0.3-0.35 (barley, oats) feed unit.

Current industry issues

Every year, programs are developed to increase the yield of grain crops. However, this is not the only task of the agro-industrial complex today. Along with an increase in raw material volumes Special attention is given to its quality. The emphasis, first of all, is on the production of grain crops, which are most in demand in the food and agricultural industries. These include strong and durum wheat, the most important fodder and cereal varieties. Many cereal grains, such as oats, barley, rye and wheat, have winter and spring forms. They differ from each other in the way they are grown. The development of winter crops is related to wintering conditions. Grain crops are sown in the fall, and harvested in next year. Spring forms can withstand exposure to low temperatures only for a short period. In this case, grain crops are planted in the spring and harvested in the same year.

Structure: root system

All grains have approximately the same structure. The root system consists of many adventitious branches, which are collected in a lobe (bundle). There are embryonic (primary) roots and secondary ones. The latter are formed from stem nodes located underground. Most of the roots develop in the arable (top) layer of the soil. Only a few branches penetrate deep into the soil: in corn, rice, oats and barley - 100-150 cm, in rye and wheat - 180-200 cm, in sorghum - 200-250 cm. During germination, the grain first forms primary roots. Secondary branches subsequently begin to develop from the underground nodes of the stem. With enough water, they begin to grow quite quickly. Primary roots do not die off. They perform main role in the delivery of moisture and nutrients to ground parts. In sorghum and corn, aerial (supporting) roots are formed from above-ground nodes closest to the surface.

Stem

It is called straw. Cereal crops, as a rule, have a hollow stem with 5-6 nodes dividing it into internodes. The straw can reach a height of 50 to 200 cm - this depends on the biological characteristics of the variety and its growing conditions. Corn and sorghum have stems 3-4 or more meters high. However, greater height is not always considered an advantage of the variety. This is due to the fact that with a long stem, resistance to lodging decreases.

The number of internodes coincides with the number of leaves. The lowest one is touched first, then all the subsequent ones. The stem develops through all internodes. The upper one becomes longer than the lower one towards the end of development. Durum wheat and corn have a stalk filled with spongy tissue. The lower part is immersed in the soil along with the nodes. From them roots and secondary stems are formed. This part is called the tillering node. If it is damaged, the plant dies.

Leaves and inflorescences

Cereals can have linear (rice, oats, rye, wheat), medium (barley) or broad (millet, sorghum, corn) leaves. They are also differentiated depending on location. Leaves can be stem, basal (rosette) and embryonic. All of them consist of a vagina, which covers the stem, and a plate. In the area where the vagina passes into the plate, there is a tongue - a membranous formation. In triticale, barley, rye, and wheat, the inflorescence is a complex spike. Rice, sorghum, millet and oats have a panicle. On one corn plant, a panicle is formed, in which there are male flowers (sultanas), and an ear, where the female flowers are located. A rod stands out in the ear. Small spikelets alternately form on its ledges on both sides. The panicle contains branches of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd order. There are also spikelets at their ends. The flowers are small in size. As a rule, they are greenish. Flowers have two scales: internal and external (in spinous forms it turns into an awn). There is a pestle inside between them. It consists of an ovary, which contains three stamens and two feathery stigmas. Cereals have bisexual flowers. Their number in a spikelet varies.

Fetus

It is a single-seeded grain called grain. Sorghum, rice, barley, oats and millet have scaled fruits. The top of the wheat grain is covered with a seed coat. Underneath it is the endosperm - mealy tissue. It provides nutrition to the plant during the germination process. The endosperm contains about 22% protein and 80% carbohydrates of the total mass of the grain. Under the shell, in the lower left corner, there is an embryonic root and a bud.

Cereal seeds: sustainability

Dry fruits do not lose their viability even after being in liquid hydrogen. Thus, they can withstand cooling down to -250 degrees. At the same time, the germinating grain cannot tolerate temperatures of -3...-5 degrees. The fruits are highly resistant to drought. They retain their viability even in cases where they lose almost all moisture. During active growth, however, crops become very sensitive to dehydration. They can die even with minor moisture loss.

Phases of development

During the growing season, plants go through several stages. The following development phases are distinguished:

  • Seed germination.
  • Formation of seedlings.
  • Tillering.
  • Tube formation.
  • Sweeping (earing).
  • Bloom.
  • Formation and filling of grains.
  • Maturation.

Germination requires sufficient air, moisture and heat. This process begins after the grain swells. With sufficient heat supply, the enzyme system starts in it. As a result of its activity, starch, fats and proteins are transformed into water-soluble, simpler organic compounds. They are nutrients for the embryo. When they arrive, the primary roots begin to grow, and then the stem. When the first unfolded leaf appears above the ground, the seedling formation phase begins. They appear on 7-10 days.

Wheat

It acts as one of the main grain crops. According to botanical characteristics, soft and durum wheat are distinguished. Depending on the time of sowing, the crop is divided into winter and spring. Soft wheat is distinguished by its fruit having a mealy, semi-vitreous or glassy consistency. The grain has a round or oval shape, slightly expanded towards the germ, with a deep groove and a pronounced beard. The fruit may be yellow, red or white. Soft wheat is used in baking and confectionery production. Depending on the technological properties, raw materials are divided into three categories:


Durum wheat has significant differences from soft wheat. Its fruits are elongated, with a thickening on the embryonic back. The ribbed grain is translucent and glassy when cut. The beard of the fetus is poorly developed, the groove entering shallowly inside is open. The color of the grain can vary from light to dark amber. It contains more sugar, protein and mineral compounds than bread wheat fruits. Durum varieties are used in the production of semolina and pasta. They are also added to wheat, which has poor baking properties. In addition, it is used to produce semolina flour.

Rye

It is a winter-hardy plant. Rye grains are longer than wheat. The color of the fruit can be brown, purple, gray-green, yellow. Gray-green grains are larger than others. It contains more protein. Such grains are distinguished by high baking properties. Rye contains less endosperm than wheat. This, in turn, causes a large number of membranes that contain the aleurone layer. On average, rye contains about 9-13% proteins. Their peculiarity is that they cannot form gluten. In this regard, rye is used primarily to produce flour. A small amount of it is used for the production of alcohol and malt.

Triticale

It is a hybrid of rye and wheat. Triticale is a cereal grain characterized by winter hardiness. Its grains are larger than rye and wheat. Gluten is washed from triticale flour. In this regard, its baking properties are close to those of wheat. Depending on the variety, the color of triticale bread can be dark, gray or white.

Millet

This cereal crop is drought resistant. Millet is a heat-loving plant. It is grown as a spring crop. The fruit of the plant is covered with floral films. They are quite easily separated from the kernels. Millet grain can be oval-elongated or spherical, and the endosperm can be mealy or glassy.

Barley

This spring crop has a short ripening period (the growing season lasts 70 days). Barley can be two-row or six-row. Culture grows everywhere. Cereals (barley and pearl barley) are produced from barley. A small amount is used to produce malt and flour. Barley is considered the main brewing raw material. The cereal is also used as livestock feed.

Rice

This grain crop loves warmth and moisture. The shape of the fruit can be oblong (wide and narrow) or round. The endosperm is mealy, semi-vitreous and vitreous. The latter is considered the most valuable. This is due to the fact that during the collapse process ( technological process, during which the grain is separated from the shell), glassy rice is less susceptible to crushing and produces a larger volume of grain.

Oats

This is a rather demanding culture. Oats love moisture and warmth. The plant is grown everywhere as a spring crop. The maturation process takes place quite quickly. The grain is yellow or White color. In addition to proteins and starch, oats contain a fairly large percentage of fat - about 4-6. The crop is used for fattening livestock and for producing cereals.

The most economically important crops are those of the cereal family, such as wheat, rye, corn, barley, rice, oats.

Wheat

 Wheat is one of the oldest cultivated plants. It has been cultivated for more than \(10\) thousand years. Wheat grains were found during excavations of the first human settlements and even in the pyramids of the Egyptian pharaohs.

More than \(20\) types of wheat are known, each species has many varieties. But all its types and varieties have common characteristics:

  • the stem is a straw with clearly visible nodes; one plant can have from \(2\) to \(12\) or more stems.
  • The leaves are narrow, with parallel veins and well-developed leaf sheaths.
  • The inflorescence is a complex spike.
  • Wheat flowers have a typical structure for cereals: \(2\) flower scales, \(2\) flower films, \(3\) stamens, pistil with \(2\) stigmas. Self-pollination occurs in still closed flowers.
  • The fruit is a grain.

Wheat varieties are divided into two groups: hard and soft.

The endosperm of durum wheat grain is dense, when cut it shines like glass, almost a quarter consists of a protein called gluten. Great content gluten in grain is valued in baking ( White bread premium quality, as well as the best varieties pasta is obtained from durum wheat grain).

Durum wheat is very demanding on soil and climate; it is grown mainly in the Kuban and Volga region, where there is a lot of heat and light, and the soil is fertile.
In soft wheat grains, the endosperm is loose, mealy, and less rich in proteins. But soft wheat is less demanding on soil and heat and is distributed almost everywhere.

Exist winter and spring varieties wheat.

Spring wheat is sown in early spring; during the summer it has time to ripen and produce a grain harvest. Winter wheat is sown in autumn. Its shoots appear in the fall, the wheat bushes and overwinters under the snow. In spring it continues to grow and ripens earlier than spring, bringing a higher yield.

Rye is a wind-pollinated plant, each spikelet of its complex spike contains \(2\) well-developed flowers and \(1\) underdeveloped ones.

The fruit is a narrow, long rye grain.

Flour from rye grains is dark, used for baking Rye bread.

Barley is an early ripening grain plant. Barley grains are used for the production of barley and pearl barley, as well as for fattening pigs and poultry.

The inflorescence of barley is a complex spike inflorescence. Each spikelet has \(1\) flower. When barley blooms, self-pollination occurs, but in hot, dry summers cross-pollination is also possible.

Oats are different from barley and rye. On the branches of its spreading inflorescence, panicles are located spikelets, each of which contains \(2\)–\(3\) flowers. Self-pollination occurs in them. Oats are mainly a fodder crop, but oatmeal, oatmeal, and rolled oats are also produced from its grains. Oats are cold-resistant and are grown in middle lane and in the northern regions of our country.

Millet, like oats, has a panicle inflorescence. Its stems not only bush, but also branch. Millet is a cereal crop; grains made from it are called millet. A heat-loving plant, millet tolerates drought well, so it is cultivated mainly in the southern regions of the European part of the country.

Rice is a valuable grain crop. Rice is a moisture-loving, heat-loving and light-loving plant. Therefore, it grows well where the air temperature is high and there is a lot of moisture: in fields flooded with water or with sufficient irrigation.

Corn

Corn is one of the largest cereals, up to \(2\)–\(3\) m high. Its roots grow strongly in the arable layer and go \(150\) cm or more into the soil. Large adventitious roots emerge from the lower part of the stem; hilling promotes their development. The corn stalk is thick and not hollow. The long, wide leaves have parallel veins.

Corn is monoecious. Pistillate and staminate flowers are found on the same plant. Pistillate flowers have a rounded ovary with a long silky style, ending in a bilobed stigma, and are collected in an inflorescence of a complex spadix. The ears develop in the axils of the leaves; they are covered with a green wrapper of modified leaves. Staminate flowers form a spreading inflorescence, a panicle located at the top of the stem and consisting of spikelets, each of which has \(2\) flowers with \(3\) stamens. The pollen ripens before the stigmas appear on the same plant from the cob wrappers. Therefore, self-pollination in corn almost never occurs. The wind carries pollen to the stigmas of neighboring plants.

Corn roots need good air access. The soil must be carefully cultivated before sowing and loosened in the summer. Corn is photophilous. It is sown in rows far apart from each other. It is relatively drought-resistant, but still each plant requires about a liter of water per day. Corn is very thermophilic. It is removed before the onset of frost, since adult plants are damaged even at \(1\) °C.

In areas with a temperate climate, most corn varieties often do not have time to ripen. In the middle zone, it is grown for silage for feeding to farm animals. Behind last years Varieties have been bred that produce mature grain not only in the middle zone of the country, but also in Siberia. Corn is a valuable grain, food and feed crop. It also serves as a raw material for industry.

People began to grow cereal plants even before our era in warm countries like India, Ethiopia, Macedonia, realizing that they could be used to make flour for pasta and baking bakery products, cereals for porridges. Later they decided to brew beer. From the plant itself you can get molasses, starch, alcohol, sugar, which is extracted from cane. The list goes on and on. It is not surprising that now almost every country is massively growing grain crops, trying to increase and improve their production.

There have been cases of popular dissatisfaction due to grain crop failure, but there is not a single uprising due to a lack of vegetables or meat. If there is enough grain, you can use it to cook a hearty and tasty porridge or bake bread. If there are different types of grain crops, the people will not be in danger of starvation, since even in pure form grains contain vital and nutritious substances.

Consider a list of common grain crops that are grown all over the world.

It is not for nothing that it is in first place, since it is the most popular cereal in the whole world. Wheat began to be grown ten thousand years ago in Central Asia. Wheat has many types, but the most popular are soft and durum varieties. The first varieties germinate well only in warm countries with a humid climate, for example, in Australia. And hard varieties are in countries with a dry climate, for example the USA, Western Asia, Russia. It can be said that durum wheat is more common than soft wheat.

Flour from soft wheat is very crumbly and does not absorb liquid well, so it is used only in baking confectionery, as it quickly becomes stale and the bread spoils the very next day. To understand what type of flour is made from, on packages soft flour is designated “group B”, and hard flour is designated “group A”.

Durum wheat is valuable because it can be used to make excellent white flour, from which you can bake premium bread with excellent taste properties and easily absorbed by the body. This is all due to the fact that the protein composition of wheat forms gluten, which binds the dough. In addition to flour, you can make bran from wheat, which contains valuable proteins, fats, and minerals that are so useful to the human body. It’s not for nothing that most people love bran breakfast cereals.

Rye began to be grown by accident; for a long time it was considered a weed, which was destroyed every time among the wheat sprouts. People have noticed that wheat often dies in cold countries, but cool summers do not matter to rye. After which they decided to try grinding its grains and obtained excellent flour, from which they baked delicious dark rye bread. Now hardy and strong rye is grown en masse mainly in northern countries. It doesn’t care about poor and acidic soil or bad weather conditions; it can even withstand temperatures as low as -22 degrees. Due to this, it always produces a rich harvest, which often saved people from hunger.

Rye, unlike wheat, contains little protein, but is very rich in minerals and vitamins that are essential for humans. It is an excellent dietary product, especially in the form of wallpaper flour containing particles of grain shells. Rye decoctions also help against many diseases. Rye preparations are used to treat cancer, liver, kidneys, arthritis, asthma, diabetes and many diseases. Rye grains can be different: oval, elongated. The length of the grain can be up to 9 millimeters. They are yellowish, brown, gray, greenish. From the day of planting it sprouts very quickly; already on the 50th day you can harvest.

Historical notes say that the world's first purpose-grown grain was barley. Its grains were even found in the burials of the pharaohs. Before the spread of wheat and rye throughout the world, barley was very popular; in ancient times they even learned to brew beer from it. Yes, barley beer is the oldest drink. And now barley is grown not only to feed animals and birds, but also to produce malt, from which the beer beloved by mankind is made. During the war years of famine, a drink was made from barley that tasted like coffee. In alternative medicine, soothing and cleansing preparations are made from barley. A decoction of barley can cure dry cough and cystitis.

Thanks to its rapid ripening, they learned to grow spring barley in northern countries, where wheat and rye short summer do not have time to mature. And winter barley is popular in countries where droughts are common and air temperatures are high. Due to its undemanding nature, barley can be grown in any soil. The barley itself is very rough, so it is soaked in water for a long time before cooking. And in order to obtain useful pearl barley for porridge from barley, its grains are ground from the skin of the chaff. Barley is used to make flour from which healthy bread is baked. Those who want to lose weight eat barley porridge, as they remove excess cholesterol and toxins from the body.

It adapts even more easily to soil and weather conditions than rye. It grows without problems on any soil: clay, sand, peat. It is a self-pollinating crop with a high productivity rate. Thanks to these qualities, oats are successfully grown in northern countries such as Russia, Germany, Kazakhstan, and the USA, where they easily tolerate summer frosts. Oat grain contains a large amount of vegetable fats, high-quality protein and beneficial substances, such as iron and calcium. Of all the varieties of oats, white grain is considered the most valuable. Grains of other colors, such as red, black, grayish, are considered less healthy.

Almost 90 percent of oats are used as feed for birds and animals, only the remaining 10 percent is used as food for the population. But it is almost never consumed in its entirety; it is processed into cereals for porridges, or used to make healthy cereals. It is not advisable to bake bread from oatmeal flour, as it contains little gluten. But the world famous healthy and tasty oatmeal cookies are baked from it.

For southern countries rice is the main grain, like wheat for the northern countries. It's hard to say when they started growing it. At ancient excavations, pottery with traces of rice was found. In addition to eating it, ancient people used rice as ritual offerings to the gods. Rice is 89 percent rich in starch, which is where people get most of their calories. Thanks to the large amount of amino acids, rice is easily absorbed by the body and is a dietary product.

Because rice loves warmth and moisture, it is grown on a large scale in Thailand, China, India and Vietnam due to their humid tropical environment. Now many countries, for example, Mexico, the USA, Brazil, have the opportunity to grow rice thanks to artificial soil moisture, but Asian countries hold the palm.

There are many varieties of rice in the world, but their processing is divided into three types: brown, polished, and steamed. Rice of the first type undergoes minimal processing, retaining all its beneficial features. Milled rice becomes smooth and white after several stages of polishing. This is the most popular view rice The latter type of rice is obtained by steaming while maintaining its beneficial properties. This rice has to be cooked longer, as it is harder than the types described above.

Buckwheat is one of the popular and favorite cereals in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, where it is still successfully grown. On this moment European countries Having appreciated its unpretentiousness and usefulness, they began to grow buckwheat at home, since it can germinate even on poor soil. Buckwheat is primarily popular in the form of cereals, from which delicious and healthy porridge. In addition, it can be eaten in the form of flour or flakes. You can use peeled buckwheat to make great amount dishes: soups, casseroles, meatballs, bread, sausage, dumplings, pancakes.

Even buckwheat waste is beneficial; it is used to feed animals or stuff pillows with it. Buckwheat is rich in B vitamins, vegetable protein and amino acids. Accelerates metabolism, removes excess water from the body. Thanks to these qualities, buckwheat is included in the list of many diets. The main thing is not to add sugar to buckwheat. You can make tea from buckwheat flowers.

Thanks to ancient excavations, it was found that corn spread around the world from Mexico. The difference between corn and other cereal crops is that in addition to cereals, starch and flour, they also extract vegetable oil, however, not very popular in the world. Corn flour is only good for four months as it becomes bitter later. Corn is grown on an industrial scale in the USA, where it is used not only for animal feed, but also as a raw material for the production of whiskey.

It is also used to make sugar syrup and starch for soups and desserts. Corn cobs can be simply boiled and consumed with just a sprinkle of salt on top. Corn flakes have conquered the whole world due to their simplicity and beneficial properties. Just fill them with milk to get a delicious breakfast. Thanks to regular consumption of corn, the aging of the body slows down. But corn is not dietary dish due to its high calorie content.

The numerous family of cereals is the most famous representative of the monocot class.

The varied ratio of proteins, carbohydrates, enzymes and vitamins in cereals meets the needs of the human body and is valuable for animals. Basic food products such as flour and cereals are made from grain for people, and compound feed for animals.

Cereals are characterized by a number of common characteristics that distinguish them from other monocots.

Variety of cereals

Cereal crops are represented by two large groups.

The first includes types of cereals of the same family (the so-called true breads):

  1. Wheat (including spelled - the ancestor of modern durum wheat varieties).
  2. Rye.
  3. Oats.
  4. Barley.
  5. Triticale (hybrid, intermediate form of rye and wheat).

The second group consists of grain crops (millet breads) of the cereal family:

  1. Corn.
  2. Millet.
  3. Sorghum.

The varieties of the millet genus include:

  • Chumiza (capitate millet, buda, black rice) is cultivated in China, in Far East.
  • Paisa (wild millet, barnyard grass, Japanese millet) is cultivated in the Far East, Asia, Australia, and southern Africa.
  • Mogar (Italian millet, Italian foxtail) is grown in the North Caucasus, Ukraine, Asia, Australia, Africa, and North America.
  • Dagussa (finger millet, Eleusina coracana) grows in the arid regions of Africa, Asia, and India.

Cereal crops can be distinguished into a separate group:

  1. Quinoa (other names: quinoa, rice quinoa). An ancient cereal that replaced rice and bread for the Incas. Chenopodiaceae family.
  2. Amaranth. It was used instead of wheat by the Aztecs and is still popular among the mountain tribes of China, Nepal, Pakistan, and India. Amaranth family.
  3. Buckwheat. The lack of gluten makes it unsuitable for baking bread; it is used for flatbreads, pancakes and pancakes. Buckwheat family.

These crops are not part of the cereal family, but are similar to them in structure and nutritional value, and have a grain-shaped fruit.

The structure of cereals and cereals

Cereal crops are characterized by common morphological characteristics.

The root system is fibrous. Under favorable conditions, it goes 1.5-2 meters into the ground. The bulk of the roots are located in the top layer of soil, 25-30 cm from the surface. Cereal roots are divided into 3 types:

  • primary;
  • secondary (subordinate clauses);
  • supporting (aerial) - found only in corn and sorghum.

The stem is a thin straw, divided by thickened partitions (stem nodes) along its entire length. Inner part The stem of corn and sorghum is filled with parenchyma (pulp).

The leaf is linear in shape, the leaf blades are rolled.

The inflorescences have the form:

  • Spike-shaped (with a jointed stem and spikelets): rye, wheat, triticale, barley.
  • Paniculate (with a central axis and lateral branches with spikelets): oats, rice, millet, sorghum.
  • Combination of panicle and cob: corn.

The flower consists of two types of scales:

    lower (outer);

The flowers have different development: in the first group of grasses the lower ones are more developed, in the second group the upper ones are more developed.

Between the flowers there is an ovary (2 feathery stigmas and 3 stamens; rice has 6 stamens).

Grain structure

The fruits of cereals are grains with the following structure:

  • 2 shells: fruit (outer) and seed (inner).
  • Endosperm (mealy kernel), which contains protein and starch.
  • An embryo containing sugars, nitrogenous substances, vitamins, fat, enzymes. Consists of 3 parts: bud, rudimentary root, scutellum - a conductor of nutrition for the embryo.

A distinctive feature of cereals of both groups is the structural features of the grain. In crops of the first group, a longitudinal groove runs along the abdominal part of the grain (wide in wheat, barley, oats; deep in rye), the top is crowned with a tuft (pubescence). The pappus is absent only in barley. The cereals of the second group have neither grooves nor pubescence.

The grain of each crop has a different shape. For cereals of the first group:

  • ovoid (wheat);
  • elongated, pointed towards the base (rye);
  • elongated, very narrowed along the entire length (oats);
  • elliptical, spindle-shaped (barley).

The surface of the grain is different:

  • in wheat and barley - smooth;
  • in rye - finely wrinkled;
  • in oats it is pubescent.

In cereals of the second group (cereals), the grain form can be of two types:

  • elongated oval (rice);
  • round (corn, millet, sorghum): the corn kernel may have edges and a sharp point in the upper part; millet grain - pointed at the ends.

The color of the grain is influenced by pigments (chlorophyll, carotenoids), which form a color spectrum: from white, gray and greenish to red and black.

Spring and winter crops

There are 2 forms of cereals:

  • Winter crops.
  • Spring

Spring crops are sown in the spring, they go through their full development cycle during the summer, and are harvested in the fall (later than winter crops).

Winter crops are sown in the fall. Before the beginning of winter, they manage to germinate, go to winter in the tillering phase and in a dormant state, and in the early spring of next year, continuing their life cycle, actively develop stems and begin bearing fruit in mid-summer.

Winter varieties, using soil moisture reserves in the spring, produce not only an earlier, but also a more abundant harvest.

Compared to spring varieties, winter varieties have less drought resistance and require compliance with certain conditions when growing:

  • high snow cover and mild winters;
  • fertile soil.

Cereals come in both forms. Among them, winter rye has the greatest frost resistance.

Growing

Cereals are unpretentious, but still require some care. Under optimal conditions, grain yield and quality will be higher.

Cereals of the first group (true breads) have low heat requirements, but need moisture. These are long-day plants that develop quickly from germination to tillering.

There are 70 species found in nature, but only 11 have economic value. The most famous is oats, used for the production of cereals, oat coffee, oatmeal, flour for confectionery and pancakes.

In livestock farming, oats are used as a concentrated feed or an integral part of mixed feed.

Cereals give oats the palm in the production of dietary and baby food: oatmeal cookies, muesli, Hercules cereal. The nutritional value of oats is determined by the optimal content of proteins, starch, organic acids, fats and sugar, which are easily digestible, normalize metabolism, and protect the heart and circulatory system.

Corn

Among cultivated cereals, corn occupies a special place, since its structure is not similar either to representatives of real breads (the first group), or to its “brothers” from the second group, to which it directly belongs.

The stem is unusual: straight and powerful, capable of reaching 5 meters in height, equipped with aerial roots located on the lower above-ground nodes.

The leaf blade is wide, the leaves themselves are long, pubescent on top.

Corn is a monoecious plant, but dioecious, since it has 2 inflorescences: the cob consists of female flowers, the panicle at the top is made of male flowers.

Breeders have developed a huge number of varieties and hybrids, on which the shape and color of the grains, located on the cob in vertical rows, depend.

The homeland of corn is America (Central and South). The ancient Mayans considered it a sacred plant worthy of worship.

It appeared in Europe thanks to Columbus, who saw it for the first time on the island of Cuba.

The main composition of corn grain is starch (70%), protein (10%), fat (8%).

The uses of corn are varied: young cobs are boiled, the grains are frozen and canned, and ground into cereals and flour. Further processing turns the grains into breakfast cereals, popcorn and other treats.

In livestock farming, corn is considered a valuable feed crop.

Rice

The ancestor of modern rice was known in India over 15 thousand years ago. The main cultivation areas are the southern regions on flooded areas.

This high-calorie cereal is called the son of water and sun, the breadwinner of the East, the second bread of humanity, white gold. And this is quite justified, because it feeds more than half of the world's population.

Rice grain consists of 75% starch, 8% protein; The rice shell is rich in vitamin B1.

Rice has a variety of uses: the grain is used to make cereals and flour, and rice straw is used to make high-quality writing paper, hats and mats.

Two dozen species and over a thousand varieties of rice are combined into 3 types according to their shape:

  • Long grain - with long and thin grain. Has maximum transparency. The use of this type of rice is universal for oriental and universal cuisine: from salads to side dishes.
  • Medium grain - with wide and short grains. Less transparent than long grain, with medium gluten content. The main purpose is paella, risotto, puddings.
  • Round grain - with round grains. This rice is opaque, it contains high content starch. Due to its increased stickiness, it is used for preparing porridges, puddings, casseroles, and sushi.

An interesting feature of rice is known: any variety has a different taste and color depending on its processing and cooking time.

Millet and sorghum

The origin of millet as an agricultural crop dates back to the 3rd millennium BC.

Archaeological excavations in Central Transnistria indicate that millet was cultivated by the ancient Scythians. It came to Europe from India, Mongolia and China. In Ancient China, millet stood on a par with other sacred plants: rice, wheat, barley, soybeans.

The cereal is heat-loving and drought-resistant. Millet grain is the smallest and hardest of all cereals, and its protein content is higher than that of wheat and barley.

The grain is used to make the cereal we know as millet, and the flour from which flatbreads and bread are baked. All parts of the cereal are used to feed livestock: grain, husks, straw, flour.

In cultivated agriculture, there is a grain that resembles millet. Sorghum has been used as a staple grain in the drylands of Africa for 5 millennia. Externally, this grain cereal is similar to millet; in terms of the chemical composition of the grain, it is similar to corn.

Cereals, flour, and starch are produced from sorghum grains, and wickerwork, paper, and brooms are made from straw. Green mass is used in silage.