Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
seed), barley stripe disease ( Pyrenophora graminea , symptoms: stunted growth, shrunken grains, non-
viable seed), and barley net blotch ( P. teres , symptom: yellowing of tissue).
Treatment: Tillecur (85% yellow mustard powder), warm or hot water treatment of seeds. The hot
water treatment can be tricky, as it is crucial to maintain exact temperatures for an exact amount of
time to avoid damaging seeds. Warm water treatment: leave seeds in 113°F (45°C) water for two
hours. Hot water treatment: leave seeds in exactly 125.6°F (52°C) water for exactly 10 minutes. These
water treatment methods are being intensively studied, as they are extremely useful in organic agricul-
ture. Synthetic chemicals are used in conventional agriculture, often in the form of a coating on the
seed.
CULTIVATION HISTORY Many of the various grains have been cared for by people for thousands of
years. The oldest finds of cultivated wheat are 9,500 years old. Wheat domestication began in the
Middle East, where wild wheat species are native. Wheat and barley were the most important crop
plants of early Old World agriculture. Rye and oats were domesticated in a roundabout way: originally
weeds in grain fields, they were slowly transported by people to other climates, where they sometimes
thrived better than the crop they were intending to grow. Almost all the world's rye is now grown in
Russia, Germany, and eastern Europe.
MILLET, SORGHUM
Panicum miliaceum, Setaria italica, Sorghum spp.
Millet is an umbrella term for various grass species that produce similar edible seeds. It is the most im-
portant grain crop in Africa but is hardly grown in the USA and Europe. Proso or common millet
( Panicum miliaceum ), depending on the variety, can be 1 ft. (30 cm) to up to 6 ft. (180 cm) tall. It does
not contain gluten and thus cannot be made into traditional breads; it is usually consumed as a porridge
or flatbread and is also used as a fodder crop. A panicle (a kind of flower head) up to 8 in. (20 cm)
long produces legions of small round seeds. The Latin name is a variation on the word mille , suggest-
ing that each plant produces a thousand seeds. In German agriculture, millet was once grown as a row
crop and was considered a “poor man's food” until the 19th century.
Foxtail millet ( Setaria italica ) is the most widely grown millet of the genus Setaria . The plant itself
is strong and sturdy, its stalks standing up straight. Ears of the plant can be so heavy that they hang
down, giving the appearance of the tail of a fox. Ears can be fed whole to caged birds. Foxtail millet is
grown on a large scale in Africa, India, northern China, and Russia. It is relatively easy to cultivate and
is often grown as livestock feed where corn does not do well. The seeds of the various foxtail millet
varieties come in many different colors but are otherwise very similar to proso millet seeds.
Proso millet ( Panicum miliaceum )
Search WWH ::




Custom Search