Wheat: species and variety

Cereals, including wheat are the major food crops for all humans and are the principal resources that have led to the emergence of human civilization as per today.

Wheat was and established food crop at the dawn of history. It probably originated from grasses native to the Middle East, but cultivation of bread wheat was common in Europe by the time of Greek and Roman Empire, and wheat was brought to America by the earliest explorer.

Wheat was the leading produced, averaging 620 MMT annually, representing almost one-third of all cereal production. It is grown in temperate zones around the world and on some part of every continent except Antarctica.

The principal species of wheat are:
*Triticum vulgare or bread wheat
*Triticum durum, which has extra hard kernels, used primarily for macaroni an related pasta products. 
*Triticum compactum or club wheat has a very soft kernel.

Most of the wheat varieties cultivated today are grouped together under the broad category of common or bread wheat which accounts for approximately 95% of world production.

There are numerous varieties and cultivars within each species. Wheat also classified in the United States according to whether it is hard or soft, white or red, and planted in winter or spring. It is also graded according to such criteria as test weight per bushel and content of damaged kernels, foreign materials, and wheat of other classes.

Wheat class and physical condition are the most important factors determining wheat milling potential and end-product quality.
Wheat: species and variety

Early Food Crops

Early Food Crops
The angiosperms provide most of our food crops. They first appeared in the early Mesozoic or late Paleozoic era about 200 – 250 million years ago, but fossil evidence of them is extremely limited until they began to dominate during the Cretaceous (136 – 190 million years ago). The angiosperms were the first plants to have double fertilization and the enclosure of seeds in fruit. Double fertilization provided zygotes with copious resource to help them get established and fruits attracted animals for dispersal, it was the appearance of the angiosperm that set the stage for the development our mammal ancestors.

A wide range of hypotheses implicating selection have been presented for a rapid emergence and diversification of the angiosperms. The most popular hypothesis is that the concomitant rise of pollinating insects led to powerful divergent selection as foragers and hosts developed complex relationship.

It was the angiosperms that ultimately provided us with most of our crops and their emergence predated the appearance of our species, Homo sapiens. In fact, most of our food families or their close relatives were in existence long before we began farming. The only completely new crop type to appear after the advent of agriculture was maize, Zea mays, which has an ear and tassel arrangement not found in its progenitors. In most cases, human beings did not influence the overall structure of crop species, only the size of their edible organs and their ease of harvest.

Human beings now consume a diverse array of plant structure, and at least 64 families of angiosperms and 180 genera are utilized as crops. This is a broad systematic group, but represents only a small fraction of the total number of angiosperm families (300) and genera (3000). The dicotyledons provide the highest number of crop plants; however, the bulk of the world is fed by a few monocotyledonous grains (maize, rice and wheat).
Early Food Crops

Blueberries: Expensive Crop to Establish

Blueberries: Expensive Crop to Establish
Blueberries are harvested from both wild plants and cultivated varieties. In the United States, blueberry cultivation is mainly in New Jersey, Michigan and North Carolina.

Blueberry bushes require an acid soil and yield fruit the fist year after planting or the first year after the plants has established growth. There are many varieties of both high and low bush blueberries. The fruit of blueberry ripens 50-65 days after the blossom occur at the mill where small twigs and leaves are separated by air.

They are then graded for size, washed in a flotation-type washer, and passed over an inspection belt where green or partially ripe specimens are picked out by hand. Blueberries handled as the fresh product are usually hand-poured into small baskets holding 473ml or 946 ml. the baskets are then overwrapped with cellophane and the product is held at refrigerator temperatures above freezing. Fresh blueberries should be cooled to 32F – 35F and held at this temperature until sold to the consumer. Shelf life 4 – 8 weeks.

Blueberries are good fit for the diversified small farm. Interest in this nutritious and versatile berry is on the increase, as consumers discover its flavor and uses in fresh and home baking recipes. Botanically, blueberries are diverse, and the commercial types represent several different species. They are members of the Vacciniaceae, a sub-family of the Ericaceae family that includes many acid soil adapted plants such as azaleas and rhododendrons. Because of unique soil requirements, blueberries are naturally adapted to well-drained.
Blueberries: Expensive Crop to Establish