CEREAL FARMING

growing of cereal crops for human food and livestock feed, as well as for other uses, including industrial starch. Cereals, or grains, are members of the grass family cultivated primarily for their starchy seeds (technically, dry fruits). Wheat, rice, corn (maize), rye, oats, barley, sorghum, and some of the millets are common cereals. The cultivation of cereals varies widely in different countries and depends partly upon the degree of economic development. The condition and purity of the seed has received increasing attention. Other factors include the nature of the soil, the amount of rainfall, and the techniques applied to promote growth. In illustrating production problems, this article uses wheat as the example. For information on the cultivation of other cereal crops such as rice, see articles on the individual crops. For information on the food value and processing of cereals, see the article cereal processing. Additional reading Y. Pomeranz, Modern Cereal Science and Technology (1987), discusses common aspects of cereal grains and their products followed by in-depth descriptions of selected cereals. Neal C. Stoskopf, Cereal Grain Crops (1985), is also useful for an overview. Various grains and their production are investigated in Y. Pomeranz (ed.), Wheat: Chemistry and Technology, 3rd ed. (1988); L.T. Evans and W.J. Peacock (eds.), Wheat Science, Today and Tomorrow (1981), a collection of essays on current international wheat research; Robert W. Jugenheimer, Corn: Improvement, Seed Production, and Uses (1976, reprinted 1985); D.H. Grist, Rice, 6th ed. (1986); D.E. Briggs, Barley (1978); and Hugh Doggett, Sorghum, 2nd ed. (1988). Douglas W. Kent-Jones The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica