Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Corn and relatives
POACEAE
Grass family plants are found all over the world, and they are the basis of agriculture in the
Old and New Worlds. What all cultivated grasses have in common are starch-rich seeds that
are highly suitable for storage. In agricultural communities, the decision to sow, harvest, and
process grain has far-reaching consequences for the rhythm of life. The seeds of grasses,
which have slowly been enlarged over thousands of years of selection, are the fruits of their
labor. Intensive and extensive root penetration of the soil and rapid growth from seeds or
runners are characteristic of grasses. Crops of the grass family include Old World cereal
grains like wheat, rye, oats, and barley as well as New World plants like corn (maize) and
certain millet species. Though all cultivated grasses can also be called cereal grains, “cereal
grains” is generally used in this topic to refer to the various wheats, rye, oats, and barley;
these are combined in the first entry, with individual entries on millet, sorghum, and corn fol-
lowing.
GENERAL PROPAGATION CHARACTERISTICS
All grasses are monoecious; cereals and millet have
perfect flowers clustered together to form an ear. Grasses have no colorful, conspicuous flowers because
individual species are either selfers or wind-pollinated outcrossers. With few exceptions, cereals are an-
nuals. Grow at least 300 plants to maintain genetic diversity. Corn (maize) is different from the cereals:
it has separate male and female flowers and 100 to 150 plants should be grown to maintain genetic di-
versity. In general, though, for genetic diversity, the more plants grown, the better.
Khorasan wheat (
Triticum turanicum
) produces beautiful bearded ears; Kamut brand wheat belongs to this species.
