Maize belongs to family Poaceae, is among the most important cereal crops of the world; it is used for three main purposes as human food, feed for poultry and livestock. Maize being the highest yielding cereal crop in the world is of significant importance for developing countries, where rapidly increasing population has already out stripped the available food supplies (Shafique et al. 2011). The major producers of maize are USA, China, Brazil, India, Argentina, Indonesia and Ukraine. It is cultivated in the world on 159,531 thousands hectares with 885289 thousand tons production (FAO 2011). In Pakistan maize is third important cereal after wheat and rice and plays a considerable role in the overall progress of the national economy. It is cultivated on 910 thousand hectares with a yield of 3885.7 kg/ha and total production 3536 thousand tons in Pakistan (FAO 2012). Punjab is the major producer of maize with total grain production 2959.2 thousand tons, yield 5444 kg/ha and area under cultivation 543.6 thousands hectares. KPK is at 2nd with 740.5 thousand tons grain production, 1751 kg/ha yield and 422.9 thousands hectares area, while Baluchistan is at 3rd with total grain production 5.7 thousand tons, total yield 1096 kg/ha and 5.2 thousand hectares area under maize cultivation. Sindh is at 4rth with total production 1.6 thousand tons, 640 kg/ha yield and cultivated area 2.5 thousand hectares. Punjab contributes 30% of total grain production while remaining 70% comes from other three provinces. (Agricultural Statistics of Pakistan 2010 – 2011).
The maize crop is categorized as cereal due to the presence of starch in the grain and production of starch is the major objective of wet-milling industry. Stalks of maize are used for paper...
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... 500 host species in more than 100 families throughout the world is one of the most damaging seed and soil borne pathogen in both agricultural and natural ecosystems. The diversity of host species and the geographic range have suggested that the M. phaseolina is quite heterogeneous. Variation in morphology and virulence has been reported among isolates of M. phaseolina from different geographical regions and in various crops. Similarly, isolates of M. phaseolina obtained from different plant species differed in cultural and morphological characters and pathogenicity (lotfalinezhad, 2013). In Pakistan, 67 economic hosts of M. phaseolina including cotton, rice, maize, cucurbits, okra, and wheat have been reported. Wide host range of M. phaseolina suggests it as non-host specific fungus. Physiological specialization of the fungus is not well demonstrated (Khan, 2007).
In the first third of the book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, he draws the reader in by bringing to light many interesting facts about corn that most individuals may not realize. He states that the majority of food that people consume contains corn. Although people of Mexican descent are usually referred to as the “corn people”, Americans have now surpassed them in the amount of corn consumed in their daily diet. Corn is consumed in a variety of forms and many of the animals that are eaten by Americans, such as the chicken, pig, turkey, and lamb are fed corn. When a person eats these animals, he or she is essentially increasing their corn intake, and in most cases without even realizing it. The corn crop has spread vastly and is massively produced because it is efficient. Unlike other crop plants, corn can survive in harsh weather conditions and it is light and easy to transport. Maize is also self-fertilized and pollinated by wind, and it has evolved over time and continues to evolve, into new forms and new uses.
Corn, or maize, plays a vital role in many areas of the world today, and each location views and handles corn in a different way. How they manage corn can show small details about the area and culture as a whole. Not only is corn a staple today, it also had a huge presence in the ancient Native American’s lives; corn is sometimes revered as a deity and other times as a gift to the people from the Creator or a hero of the culture.
Old World crops such as wheat, barley, rice, and turnips had not traveled west across the Atlantic. Some of the New World crops that hav...
Below is Diagram 1 showing the longitudinal section through a barley seed, outlining the process undertaken for the conversion of starch into maltose, by the action of seed embryo synthesis initiating germination, and the production of gibberellin. 2(Jones, p. 120).
Maize was first introduced to the Europeans by the Taino Indians. The American Indians used this crop for a variety of reasons to even include worshipping “maize gods”. Maize would be able to provide for humanity more than any other crop. The Old World had the labor power and land to produce such crop. Continuously growing in the vast majorities of fields, the crop is protected by its husk from the weather, birds and rodents. Being able to grow in most any type of weather condition, mai...
In my opinion, Where the Red Fern Grows was an amazing book. It’s honestly amazing because I don’t really read books because most of them are boring. This book is very touching and I will admit that I have cried a few times while reading the book. If you are looking forward to a touching story then this is the right book for you. If you’re not into that kind of stuff then you wouldn’t really like the book. I’m a really touchy person so I liked the book. It all depends on what you’re looking for and what genre you like.
An advantage to genetically modified crops is a higher crop yield; this means the crop will produce more crops compared to a crop that isn’t modified. A significant portion of genetically modified crops have being growing in developed countries. In the last couple of years there has been a steady increase in the amount of ...
This paper research on the different angle that the comparative analysis of the nutritional compositions of the two types of corn. It provides us a view of one of the...
According to Steven Aitchison “Never give up on your dreams. The waiting can seem painful, but the regret of not going for it will be even more painful.” In other words readers learn that when you accomplish something it feels good, but when you don’t, you regret not working. In Wilson Rawls’ Where the Red Fern Grows, he develops the theme of never give up on your dreams and goals, fore you will regret.
With the rapid growth of our global population pouring into the next millennium, we will witness an ever-growing hunger rate around the world. That is unless we call for a revolution on the global scale. The Green Revolution which already sprouted in the early part of the century only need to add a bit more momentum and we will see a bright future for the human race, a future without hunger and starvation ¡V hopefully.It is becoming increasingly difficult for the planet to support its overwhelming population. And since the amount of arable land available is becoming scarce, we must seek ways to dramatically improve crop yields of existing cropland.
Corn, or maize, is native to the Americas. It was was domesticated several thousand years ago and become a staple crop in pre-conquest mesoamerica. It was so central to the mesoamerican diet that it is thought to have made up about 80% of the calories consumed. The importance of maize is further exemplified by its role in mesoamerican cosmovision. The Maya and other mesoamerican cultures believed that humans were made by the gods out of corn.
A pathogen can be anything that causes a disease, including bacterium which causes meningitis, Viruses causing hepatitis A-C, and a fungus that cause athlete's foot. Plant pathology bacteria can serve economically damaging diseases, from spots, pustules on leaves and fruit, tuber rots to a plant's death. Some bacteria causes a hormone base distortion of leaves and shoots called fasciation. Fungi pathogens spread through plants to steal nutrients of living plants and carry out the part of the life cycle in soil. Mycorrhizae fungi make carbohydrates from plant roots, enhancing plant uptake of inorganic nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. Cripps, C.L reported on mycorrhizae that “ The relationship is considered nonpathogenic, and of benefit to the plants involved.”- describing that the relationship between mycorrhizae and pathogens is nonpathogenic because mycorrhizae cancels out the disease. Over 85% of plants in nature have the mycorrhizae condition to keep pathogens away. This is why gardeners buy mycorrhizae fungi to help stop diseases of plants and for the safety of humans catching the disease through eating the plants. Food is one of the most important factors in the ecology life cycle and mycorrhizae makes it safe for these plants to take part in the
Throughout the history of the human race there have been a great number of crops that were discovered, planted, and over time domesticated. Wheat in the Middle East, rice in Asia, and rye in Eastern Europe are all some of today’s staple crops that feed millions every day. Crops like these make up over 50% of the world’s total food supply. However, the third most eaten crop in the world is maize, or corn, which provides 21% of human nutrition. Today maize feeds millions across the world, but its history is different from the others.
Barley is a very important grain in the world today. It is very versatile in every way. It has been well adapted through its evolution. It has a very mysterious and much debated beginning. Now however, barely has become well known and so have its many uses. Barley, which is of the genus Hordeum, is a cereal that belongs to the grass family Poaceae. Barley has many different varieties. The most common is Hordeum vulgare, which is a six-rowed type of barley that has a spike notched on opposite sides with three spikelets on each notch. At each notch there is a flower or floret that later develops into a kernel. Hordeum distichum is a two-rowed type of barley that has central florets producing kernels and it has lateral florets that are sterile. Lastly there is Hordeum irregulare which has fertile central florets and different arrangements of sterile and fertile lateral florets. This is the least cultivated species of the three main forms (2).
In conclusion, the world population is expected to grow by 100 million every year. Above ninety five percent of this population growth will come from the developing countries. This would put pressure on available resources for survival especially food in this regions. Potato production and consumption has increased in developing countries more than any other crop in the last fifty years. It is one of the most vital commodities in the world. It is grown commercially in 130 countries and about 320 million tons produced annually. It has since become a staple food for more than one billion of the world population. Potato will most likely play an increasing role in the world’s future food supply.