FOOD CROP

BY-ADITI SHARMA

GRADE-8 ‘A’

CONTENT

INTRODUCTION TO FOOD CROP

RICE(major introduction, rainfall, temperature, sunlight, soil)

WHEAT(major introduction, temperature , rainfall, soil)

MAIZE(major introduction temperature, rainfall, soil)

FRUITS

VEGETABLES

SPICES

PULSES

OIL SEEDS

INTRODUCTION TO FOOD CROP

Food crops are any plants intentionally grown with the primary purpose of being eaten by humans or animals. This definition separates a food crop from wild edible vegetation, grazing material and edible food used for other purposes. The vast majority of store-bought fruits, vegetables and grain-based foods started in this category. This makes up one of the three main divisions of useful growing plants, the other two being wild plants and non-food crops.Food crop includes wheat, rice, maize, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruits and vegetables.

RICE

Rice is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa (Asian rice) or Oryza glaberrima (African rice). As a cereal grain, it is the most widely consumed staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in Asia. It is the agricultural commodity with the third-highest worldwide production, after sugarcane and maize.

RAINFALL-Rice cultivation is possible only in areas with good rainfall, as the crop requires standing water for growth. A monthly rainfall of 100-200 mm is a must and about 125 cm is during vegetative season. And there should be no water at ripening stage.

TEMPERATURE-Rice being a tropical and sub-tropical plant, requires a fairly high temperature, ranging from 20° to 40°C.

Sunlight- Sunlight is a must for all plant lives, a source of energy. During the ripening period of last 35 to 45 days, the yield is most benefited by sunlight. Bright sunshine with low temperature during ripening period of the crop helps in the development of carbohydrates in the grains.

SOIL- Rice grows on a variety of soils like silts, loams and gravels. However, clayey loam is well suited to the raising of this crop.

WHEAT

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East but now cultivated worldwide. In 2010, world production of wheat was 651 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize (844 million tons) and rice (672 million tons). Wheat was the second most-produced cereal in 2009; world production in that year was 682 million tons, after maize (817 million tons), and with rice as a close third (679 million tons).

This grain is grown on more land area than any other commercial food.[citation needed] World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined. Globally, wheat is the leading source of vegetable protein in human food, having a higher protein content than other major cereals, maize (corn) or rice. In terms of total production tonnages used for food, it is currently second to rice as the main human food crop and ahead of maize, after allowing for maize's more extensive use in animal feeds.

TEMPERATURE-Wheat is crop of cool environment. However, it requires different temperatures at different stages of plant growth and development. Temperature requirement may slightly differ from one variety to another at the time of germination, however, general minimum temperature is required from 3.5-5.50 c and optimum 20-250 and maximum temperature is 350 . On temperature below or above to optimum, germination of seed decreases slowly. If temperature is more than 300 c at the time of maturity it leads to force maturity and yield loss. Winter wheat bears cold waves and frost in a better way in comparison to spring wheat.

RAINFALL-Wheat is cultivated in the region where annual precipitation occurs from 25 to 175 cm, though 75% wheat area falls where annual rainfall precipitation occurs between 37.5 to 87.5 cm.

SOIL-Loam soil is the best for wheat cultivation. Clay and sandy loam soils can also used for wheat cultivation provided there is proper system of drainage and these soils should not either be acidic or sodic. Besides wheat field should be free from weeds.

MAIZEThe word maize derives from the Spanish form of the indigenous Taíno word for the plant, maizE. It is known by other names around the world.Corn outside North America, Australia and New Zealand means any cereal crop, its meaning understood to vary geographically to refer to the local staple. In the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand,[citation needed] corn primarily means maize; this usage started as a shortening of "Indian corn". "Indian corn" primarily means maize (the staple grain of indigenous Americans), but can refer more specifically to multicolored "flint corn" used for decoration.In places outside North America, Australia, and New Zealand, corn often refers to maize in culinary contexts. The narrower meaning is usually indicated by some additional word, as in sweet corn, sweetcorn, corn on the cob, popcorn, corn flakes, baby corn.

TEMPERATURE-Maize is grown in temperatures between 18°C and 27°C during the day and around 14°C during the night. But the most important factor is the 140 frost-free days. The crop is very susceptible to frost; therefore, its cultivation in temperate latitudes is limited.

RAINFALL-Maize is grown mostly in regions having annual rainfall between 60 cm to 110 cm. But it is also grown in areas having rainfall of about 40 cm.

SOIL-The most suitable soil for maize is one with a good effective depth, favourable morphological properties, good internal drainage, an optimal moisture regime, sufficient and balanced quantities of plant nutrients and chemical properties that are favourable specifically for maize production.12Although large-scale maize production takesplace on soils with a clay content of less than10 % (sandy soils) or in excess of 30 % (clay and clay-loam soils), the texture classes between10 and 30 % have air and moisture regimes that are optimal for healthy maize production.

FRUITSa fruit is a part of a flowering plant that derives from specific tissues of the flower, one or more ovaries, and in some cases accessory tissues. Fruits are the means by which these plants disseminate seeds. Many of them that bear edible fruits, in particular, have propagated with the movements of humans and animals in a symbiotic relationship as a means for seed dispersal and nutrition, respectively; in fact, humans and many animals have become dependent on fruits as a source of food. Fruits account for a substantial fraction of the world's agricultural output, and some (such as the apple and the pomegranate) have acquired extensive cultural and symbolic meanings . In common language usage, "fruit" normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of a plant that are sweet or sour and edible in the raw state, such as apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries, bananas, and lemons. On the other hand, the botanical sense of "fruit" includes many structures that are not commonly called "fruits", such as bean pods, corn kernels, wheat grains, and tomatoes .The section of a fungus that produces spores is also called a fruiting body.

VEGETABLES

a vegetable is an edible plant or its part, intended for cooking or eating raw.The non-biological definition of a vegetable is largely based on culinary and cultural tradition. Apart from vegetables, other main types of plant food are fruits, grains and nuts. Vegetables are most often consumed as salads or cooked in savory or salty dishes, while culinary fruits are usually sweet and used for desserts, but it is not the universal rule. Therefore, the division is somewhat arbitrary, based on cultural views. For example, some people consider mushrooms to be vegetables even though they are not biologically plants, while others consider them a separate food category; some cultures group potatoes with cereal products such as noodles or rice, while most English speakers would consider them vegetables . In 1767, the meaning of the term "vegetable" was specified to mean "plant cultivated for food, edible herb or root." The year 1955 noted the first use of the shortened, slang term "veggie". As an adjective, the word vegetable is used in scientific and technical contexts with a different and much broader meaning, namely of "related to plants" in general, edible or not — as in vegetable matter, vegetable kingdom, vegetable origin, etc The meaning of "vegetable" as "plant grown for food" was not established until the 18th century.[8]

SPICESA spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetable substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Sometimes a spice is used to hide other flavors.

Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are parts of leafy green plants used for flavoring or as a garnish.

Many spices have antimicrobial properties. This may explain why spices are more commonly used in warmer climates, which have more infectious disease, and why the use of spices is prominent in meat, which is particularly susceptible to spoiling.

A spice may have other uses, including medicinal, religious ritual, cosmetics or perfume production, or as a vegetable. For example, turmeric roots are consumed as a vegetable[citation needed] and garlic as an antibiotic.

PULSESIndia is the world's largest producer and the largest consumer of pulses. Pakistan, Canada, Burma, Australia and the United States, in that order, are significant exporters and are India's most significant suppliers. Canada now accounts for approximately 35% of global pulse trade each year. The global pulse market is estimated at 60 million tonnes. Pulses provide protein, complex carbohydrates, and several vitamins and minerals. Like other plant-based foods, they contain no cholesterol and little fat or sodium. Pulses also provide iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and other minerals, which play a variety of roles in maintaining good health.[6]

Pulses are 20 to 25% protein by weight, which is double the protein content of wheat and three times that of rice.[7] While pulses are generally high in protein, and the digestibility of that protein is also high, they are often relatively poor in methionine, an essential amino acid. Grains (which are themselves deficient in lysine) are commonly consumed along with pulses to form a complete diet of protein. Indian cuisine also includes sesame seeds, which contain high levels of methionine.

OILSEEDS

Seeds that gives us oil and from which plant these seeds are provided comes in food crop. Oil seed is a food crop. Oil is a fat obtained from the different plants .The oil is produced by pressing whole olives. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps. The general definition of oil includes classes of chemical compounds that may be otherwise unrelated in structure, properties, and uses. Oils may be animal, vegetable, or petrochemical in origin, and may be volatile or non-volatile. They are used for food, fuel, lubrication, and the manufacture of paints, plastics, and other materials. Specially prepared oils are used in some religious ceremonies as purifying agents.

BY- STUDENT OF THE DOON GLOBAL SCHOOL (SOCIAL SCIENCE PROJECT)