The most Important Grain Crop

Neither the geographical, the historical, nor the biological origin of wheat is known. The evidence as exists seem to point to Mesopotamia as the original home of wheat, although there is a belief that the plant once grew wild in the Euphrates and the Tirgis valleys and spread from these regions to the rest of the world.

The most ancient languages mention wheat or corn, and the fact that it has been found in the prehistoric habitations of man notably in the earliest Swiss lake dwellings is proof of its antiquity. We also have evidence that wheat was cultivated in China 3,000 years B.C., and that it was the chief crop in ancient Egypt and Palestine.

Wheat is the most important grain crop in the world. Most of the wheat that is grown is made into flour. The flour is used for making products such as white bread, macaroni.

A small amount of wheat is also used in the manufacture of alcohol. Wheat is an excellent feed for livestock, but because of its importance as a human food, only a small part of it is used for this purpose. By-products of wheat are higher in content of protein than wheat itself and serve a valuable protein supplement in many livestock rations.

Wheat can be grown under a wide range of soil conditions, but it is best adapted to fertile, well-drained clay loam soils.

Wheat can withstand the cold of northern areas quite well, and yet it grows successfully in hot climates, if the humidity is not too high. When wheat is grown in the condition of high temperatures and high humidity during the summer months the plants grow tall and often lodge, which makes harvesting more difficult and it is often hard to reduce the moisture content of the grain. The quality of wheat is determined largely by the prevailing climatic conditions and to a lesser extent by the type of soil. Wheat grows best if it is sown in a well-prepared seedbed. Early plowing or seedbed preparation often results in increased yields of winter wheat.

Importance of selecting the proper variety Choosing the best variety to be grown in a given area is not a simple thing. There is a large number of varieties grown throughout the world. Some of them have white grain, others have red grain. Some have beards, while others are beardless. The varieties are known to differ largely in height, winter hardiness, time of ripening and quality of grain.

It is often difficult to select the variety best adapted to any given region. That is why the Agricultural Experiment Stations in many countries are constantly conducting tests in order to determine the varieties to be best suited for various soil and climatic conditions. Before farmers choose a variety to be grown, they usually consult their local experimental stations for information on recommended varieties. The better is a given variety adapted to local conditions, the higher will be its yield.

Notes:

flour – мука

by-products – побочный продукт, отходы

supplement – добавка

2. Look through the text once again and define whether the following questions are discussed in it:

1) botanical characters of wheat;

2) soil and climatic conditions of wheat cultivation;

3) dates of sowing;

4) preparation of the soil;

5) the work of the Agricultural Experimental Station.

 

Find information in the text and answer the following questions.

1. What conditions favor the extensive wheat growth and cause lodging?

2. What can you say about waste products of wheat and their application?

3. Under what conditions can wheat grow in hot climate?

4. What factors define the quality of wheat?

Enumerate in English the main problems mentioned in text B.

Unit 10

 

Grammar Revision: Nominative Absolute Participial   

                            Construction

Text A:                 Crop Breeding and Improvement

Text B:                 Methods of Plant Improvement