Cereal Growing

Introduction

Do you grow crops in your community? Which crops do you grow? Crop production is the leading agricultural enterprise in many communities in Uganda. Common food crops grown include maize, sorghum, finger millet, rice, beans, field peas, cowpeas, groundnuts, simsim, soya beans, bananas, cassava, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams.

The basic parts of crop plants include the roots, leaves, stems and flowers.

For normal growth and reproduction, a plant should have all of the parts mentioned. Uganda is well-endowed with favourable climate and good soils which promote crop production.

As people living in farming communities, you need to understand the growth requirements of crop plants so as to maintain food, nutrition and income security. The higher the population engaged in crop production, the lesser the risk of hunger, famine and poverty.

Therefore, in this chapter, you will discover the basic parts of a plant and their functions; appreciate the growth requirements of crop plants, and learn to grow cereals successfully.

Importance of Crops to Humans

Did you know that food crop products are the most widely consumed food compared to livestock products? What crop products have you ever eaten? The most commonly grown food crops in Uganda are maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, beans, bananas and Irish potatoes. The crops are mainly grown for their nutritional and commercial benefits among the farming households

About 43.2% of the farmers in Uganda practise subsistence farming (UBOS, 2020). In primitive subsistence agriculture, all the food produced is for home consumption and there is little or no surplus for sale, whereas in traditional subsistence agriculture, there is a little surplus left for sale. In some communities in Uganda, food crops are produced commercially on a large scale such as maize in Tooro and Bunyoro sub-regions. Activity 1.1 explores the importance of crops to humans.

Activity 1.1

Examining the importance of crops to humans

What you need

Crop products, notebook, pen, Agriculture learning station

What to do

1. In groups, move around your school community, and identify the crops in the fields. 2. List the crops you see in the fields.

3. Ask the available farmer to tell you the importance of the crops grown.

4. Inquire about the products obtained from the different crops grown in the area.

5. Ask the farmer how he or she benefits from the crop yield and their remains. Record your findings in a notebook.

6. Write a report on the benefits of cereal crops.

7. Display the report at the Agriculture learning station in your classroom.

Structure of a Crop Plant

A crop plant has roots, stems, flowers and leaves. These are some of the basic parts of a plant. Which other basic parts of a plant do you know? The roots, stems, leaves and flowers, perform different physiological functions to maintain plant growth. For instance, without uptake of water, nutrients, and photosynthesis, a plant cannot grow.

The several processes, including transpiration, breathing, translocation, anchorage and reproduction are functions of the basic parts of the plant. Using Figure 1.2 and Activity 1.2. explore and examine the structure and functions of the basic parts of a plant.

Activity 1.2

Examining the structure and functions of the parts a plant

What you need:

Maize plant, bean plant, notebook, pen, word cards

What to do:

1. In groups, go to the school garden and obtain a legume and a cereal plant. Uproot the whole plant to have the roots exposed.

2. Place the plants on a raised platform, draw the plants and label each part.

3. As a class, draw the plants on a manila sheet.

4. Individually, place name cards to the right part of the plants.

5. Compare the parts of the plants.

6. In pairs, discuss the function of each part of the plant.

7. Display your work at the Agriculture learning station in your classroom

The Reproductive System of a Plant

Plant reproduction keeps plant species in continuity of life. The reproductive system of a plant is made up of a flower in which male gametes (pollen) and female gametes (ovules) are produced. Some plants have flowers that are bisexual and unisexual.

In other plants such as pawpaws, the male and female flowers are located on different plants. Use Figure 1.3 and Activity 1.3 to explore the structure and functions of the reproductive system of plants.

Activity 1.3

Examining the parts of the reproductive system of plant

What you need

Crop plants with flowers, notebook, pen

What to do

1. in groups, move around the school community and identify crop plants with flowers.

2. Examine the flower closely and draw its structure 

3. Did you identify ony parts that you know? Nome the ports for the parts that you connot identify, shore with the teacher

4. Are there any parts you did not identify? Share with peers

5. Cut through the reproductive port vertically Drow the structurs of the flower on a newsprint. Which ports did you discover? for the ports that you cannot identify, discuss with the teacher

6. Label the parts and state the functions of each port in the reproductive processes of plants.

7. Display the findings at the Agriculture learning station in your classroom

Factors that Influence Plant Growth and Production

Crop growth and production are affected by a number of factors. Both biotic and abiotic factors influence crop production and productivity A good understanding of these factors and how they influence growth and production is important for you in the management of your own crop production projects. Did you know that the diversity in the factors that influence plant growth and production affects the crops grown in your communities? In Activity 1.4, you will explore the factors that influence plant growth and production.

Activity 1.4

Exploring factors that affect plant growth and production

What you need:

Crop plants in the field, agronomist/teacher/farm manager, notebook, pen

What to do:

1. In groups, go to the crop fields in the school environment guided by an agronomist/teacher/farm manager.

2. Compare the growth conditions of similar crop plants in the same crop field and in different fields.

3. Identify the differences you see among plants observed in the same field in step 2.

4. Suggest some of the reasons for the differences in crop growth and yields.

5. Ask the agronomist/teacher/farm manager to guide you on the conditions that affect plant growth and production.

6. Inquire from the agronomist/teacher/farm manager how each of the factors influences plant growth and production.

7. On a newsprint, draft a write up of how each of the factors discussed affects plant growth and production.

8. Display the newsprint at the Agriculture learning station in your classroom.

Effect of Water Stress and Temperature on Plants

Water uptake influences the rate of transpiration which regulates the osmotic pressure in plants. Increased osmotic pressure increases nutrient absorption from the soil. Water stress greatly reduces productivity since it negatively affects the photosynthetic rates.

There is an optimum temperature at which enzymes work best in regulation of biochemical processes in the plant. Very high and low temperatures are undesirable for plant growth and production. In Activity 1.5, carry out an experiment to examine the effect of water stress and temperature on plant growth.

Activity 1.5

Examining the effect of water stress and temperature on plant growth

What you need:

Potted plants, weighing scale, notebook, pen

What to do:

1. In groups, get three potted plants, take and record their weights separately.

2. Place one of the plants under sunlight and do not water for eight hours. Keep the other plants in a room and apply water to one of them.

3. Observe the leaves of the plant. Record what you see.

4. Weigh the plant and record its weight. Observe if there is any difference in weight? Record the observation.

5. Weigh the remaining potted plants (one watered and another not watered). Is there any difference in weight? Record your observation.

6. Re-weigh all the plants after 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours. Record their weights, Observe if there is any difference in weight.

7. Write an experimental report indicating your findings and conclusions.

8. Display the labelled experimental illustrations in your classroom.

Classification of Crops According to Lifespan

Do all crops take the same time to mature? Different crops take different periods to grow, mature and die. Some crops take as short as two months, for example beans, six to eight months in cassava while others take as long as three to five years. What is the maturity period of the staple crop in your community? Using Activity 1.6, classify crops basing on their maturity periods.

Activity 1.6

Classifying crops as annual, biennial and perennial

What you need:

Coffee plants, tea plants, banana plants, sugarcane, bean plants, maize plants

What to do:

1. In groups, you are provided with crops of different maturity periods.

2. Identify the plants that take one year or less (annual), two years (biennial) and more than two years (perennial).

3. Which plants have you placed in each category?

4. What is the maturity period of each of the plants placed in each category?

5. Record the method of propagation of each crop plant. Write the benefits of propagating using the method.

6. Which of the plants do you grow in your community? Do they mature

within the same time as classified?

7. Record the discussion in your notebook and present them to the teacher for further guidance.

Value of Cereals in Nutritional Terms

Do you eat cereal crop products in your home or school? From which cereals are the products? A cereal is any grassy plant cultivated for its edible grain, composed of endosperm, germ (embryo) and bran. It is a grass-like plant whose seed is used as food. Cereals belong to the grass family gramineae/ poaceae.

Cereals produce seeds from flowers, hence, are classified as flowering plants or angiosperms. They are the most widely grown food crop in the world. Cereal crops give us different products such as flour, grain, straw and animal feed. Use Figure 1.4 and Activity 1.7 to examine the value of cereals in nutritional terms.

Activity 1.7

Examining the nutritional importance of cereals

What you need:

Cereal crop products, Benedict’s solution, ethanol, iodine and copper Sulphate solution, note book, pen

What to do:

1. In groups, observe the cereal crop products provided to you. 2. Identify the product(s) that you have consumed before.

3. In which form did you consume the product (food or drink)? 4. Follow these steps to carry out a food test to discover the nutrients in cereals.

a) Crush some cereal crop product in a mortar using a pestle. b) Add a spatula-full of the crushed cereal to a boiling tube.

c) Add 5 cm³ of distilled water and stir.

d) Bring to boil and simmer for one minute.

e) Cool and add the test reagent. Observe and record your findings in a table.

5. What nutrient(s) are contained in the cereal crop product that you have tested?

6. How is each of the nutrients important to humans?

7. Discuss how the cereal crop products can be prepared and consumed without affecting nutrient composition.

8. Summarise your findings in a table. Display the table at the school kitchen.

Value of Cereals as a Commodity

Cereal crops can be processed into a wide range of products. Some of the products are used as human food and others eaten by animals. Cereals can be sold as; growing plants for fodder, mulch, medical starch, grains in husks or on cobs, threshed grains, roasted grain such as maize, or processed brew. Use Figure 1.5 and Activity 1.8 to examine and explore the value of cereals as a commodity.

Activity 1.8

Exploring the importance of cereals as a commodity

What you need:

Notebook, pen, camera

What to do:

1. In groups, visit a nearby market place, trading centre, food store or the school canteen.

2. Identify the cereal crop products in the market or shop. Record your findings.

3. Ask the trader to tell you the cost of the product per unit quantity.

4. Inquire about the products obtained from the items seen on sale

5. Take pictures of the cereal crop products on sale identified.

6. Ask the trader about the nature of demand (high or low) for the cereal crop products identified.

Selection of Planting Materials for Cereals

In your community, you could have seen farmers preparing land to produce new crops. To produce new plants, seeds or vegetative parts are used. The parts of plants cultivated to produce new plants are called planting materials. Seed propagation is the major mode of multiplying cereal plants. However, vegetative propagation occurs in sorghum where tillers develop into new plants.

There are factors to consider when selecting cereal seeds for planting. The seeds selected must be those that give the expected yield quality and quantity. Do you know what farmers consider to get good planting materials from a mixed up quantity? Using Figure 1.6 and Activity 1.9, identify the qualities of good seeds for planting.

Selection of Seeds for Planting

What planting materials are used in the growing of cereals? Are the planting materials just got from the market or store and planted? Seeds for planting need to be carefully selected to achieve the recommended 85% germinability percentage. Poor germination leads to economic losses in terms of money, labour and seed spent on filling gaps when seeds do not grow. Using Figure 1.7 and Activity 1.10, select appropriate planting materials for cereals.

Growing of Cereal Crops

Cereals are a staple food for over 50% of the world’s population. Did you know that cereals are the most commonly grown seed crop, occupying about 60% of the world’s cultivated area? Growing cereals requires securing good quality seed. The planting field should be prepared early to ensure good growth conditions at the time of planting. Routine management practices including thinning, weeding, pest and disease control should be carried out timely. Use Figure 1.7 and Activity 1.11 to practise cereal growing.

Soil Fertility Maintenance in Cereals

To realise good yield, soil fertility ought to be improved. Soil fertility is the ability of the soil to supply plant nutrients in adequate amounts and right proportions to support plant growth. How do cereal crop farmers in your Community improve soil fertility?

Soil fertility can be improved by using organic or inorganic fertilisers or both. However, inorganic fertilisers should be applied soil tests to control the application of excess or inadequate quantities. Excess inorganic fertiliser will lead to toxicity of the soil whereas inadequate fertilizer will not improve crop productivity. Did you know that the use of fertilisers has been found to increase yield of cereals by 30%? Use Figure 1.8 and Activity 1.12 to practice soil fertility maintenance in cereals.

Handling Cereals During and After Harvest

Harvesting means collecting crops from the field after they have reached their physiological maturity. In cereals, physiological maturity is indicated by hardening of grains. How do farmers in your community identify cereals ready for harvesting? Timely harvesting is recommended to avoid grain losses in the field. After harvesting, care should be taken to control post-harvest losses.

During harvesting, the moisture content of cereal grains is between 18 and 24%. This should be reduced to 12 for safe handling and to reduce chances of rotting and germination during storage. During drying, turn the grain regularly to hasten the process and ensure uniformity. Have your ever seen cereal crop harvesting and drying in your home community? How is it done? Use Figure 1.9 and Activity 1.13 to practice handling of cereals at harvest and post-harvest.

Cereal Store Management

Storage is the process of keeping grains until an appropriate time of use. The primary aim of grain storage is to maintain quality seed, food and nutrition security, seed and better prices. Once grain are sufficiently dried and cleaned, they should be put in the store. In all cases, the moisture content of grain placed in the store must be at or below the safe limit of 12%. Use Figure 1.11 and Activity 1.14 to practice cereal store management.