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Cereal

Cereal

:This article is about grains. See also breakfast cereal Cereal crops are mostly grasses cultivated for their edible seeds (actually a fruit called a caryopsis). Cereal grains are grown in greater quantities worldwide than any other type of crop and provides more food energy to the human race than any other crop. In some developing nations, cereal grains constitute practically the entire diet of common folk. In developed nations, cereal consumption is more moderate but still substantial. The word cereal has its origin in the Roman goddess of grain, Ceres. Staple food grains are traditionally called corn in Britain, though that word became specified for maize in the United States. And a merchant of corn was in Britain called a chandler, which in the United States is an obsolete word for someone who sells candles. maize

Cereal crops

True cereals

The cereal crops are (in approximate order of greatest annual production):
- wheat, the primary cereal of temperate regions
- rice, the primary cereal of tropical regions
- maize, a staple food of peoples in North America, South America, and Africa and of livestock worldwide; called "[Indian] corn" in North America and Australia
- millets, a group of similar but distinct cereals that form an important staple food in Asia and Africa.
- sorghums, important staple food in Asia and Africa and popular worldwide for livestock
- rye and triticale, important in cold climates
- oats, formerly the staple food of Scotland and popular worldwide for livestock
- barley, grown for malting and livestock on land too poor or too cold for wheat
- teff, popular in Ethiopia but scarcely known elsewhere
- wild rice, grown in small amounts in North America
- spelt, a close relative of wheat Cereal

Pseudocereals

In addition, several non-grasses that are grown for their seed may also be referred to as cereals. These pseudocereals include (in no particular order):
- buckwheat
- amaranth
- quinoa
- kañiwa
- cockscomb

Cultivation

cockscomb.]] While each individual species has its own peculiarities, the cultivation of all cereals crops is similar. All are annual plants; consequently one planting yields one harvest. Wheat, rye, triticale, oats, barley, and spelt are the cool-season cereals. These are hardy plants that grow well in moderate weather and cease to grow in hot weather (approximately 30 °C but this varies by species and variety). The other warm-season cereals are tender and prefer hot weather. Barley and rye are the hardiest cereals, able to overwinter in the subarctic and Siberia. Wheat is the most popular. All cool-season cereals are grown in the tropics, but only in the cool highlands, where it may be possible to grow multiple crops in a year.

Planting

The warm-season cereals are grown in tropical lowlands year-round and in temperate climates during the frost-free season. Cool-season cereals are well-adapted to temperate climates. Most varieties of a particular species are either winter or spring types. Winter varieties are sown in the autumn, germinate and grow vegetatively, then become dormant during winter. They resume growing in the springtime and mature in late spring or early summer. This cultivation system makes optimal use of water and frees the land for another crop early in the growing season. Winter varieties do not flower until springtime because they require vernalization (exposure to low temperature for a genetically determined length of time). Where winters are too warm for vernalization or exceed the hardiness of the crop (which varies by species and variety), farmers grow spring varieties. Spring cereals are planted in early springtime and mature later that same summer, without vernalization. Spring cereals typically require more irrigation and yield less than winter cereals.

Harvest

Once the cereal plants have grown their seeds, they have completed their life cycle. The plants die and become brown and dry. As soon as the parent plants and their seed kernels are reasonably dry, harvest can begin. In developed countries, cereal crops are universally machine-harvested, typically using a combine harvester, which cuts, threshes, and winnows the grain during a single pass across the field. In developing countries, a variety of harvesting methods are in use, from combines to hand tools such as scythes. If a crop is harvested during wet weather, the grain may not dry adequately in the field to prevent spoilage during its storage. In this case, the grain is sent to a dehydrating facility, where artificial heat dries it. In North America, farmers commonly deliver their newly harvested grain to a grain elevator, a large storage facility that consolidates the crops of many farmers. The farmer may sell the grain at the time of delivery or maintain ownership of a share of grain in the pool for later sale.

Food value

Cereal grains supply most of their food energy as starch. They are also a significant source of protein, though the amino acid balance is not optimal. Whole grains (see below) are good sources of dietary fiber, essential fatty acids, and other important nutrients. Rice is eaten as cooked entire grains, although rice flour is also produced. Oats are rolled, ground, or cut into bits (steel-cut oats) and cooked into porridge. Most other cereals are ground into flour or meal, that is milled. The outer layers of bran and germ are removed (see grain (fruit) and seed). This lessens the nutritional value but makes the grain more resistant to degredation and makes the grain more appealing to many palates. Health-conscious people tend to prefer whole grains, which are not milled. Overconsumption of milled cereals is sometimes blamed for obesity. Milled grains do keep better because the outer layers of the grains are rich in rancidity-prone fats. The waste from milling is sometimes mixed into a prepared animal feed. Once (optionally) milled and ground, the resulting flour is made into bread, pasta, desserts, dumplings, and many other products. Besides cereals, flour is sometimes made from potatoes, chestnuts and pulses (especially chickpeas). In American English, cold breakfast cereals and porridges are simply called cereal. Cereals are the main source of energy providing about 350 kcal per 100 grams Cereal proteins are poor in nutritive quality, being deficient in essential amino acid lysine. The proteins of maize are still poor, being deficient in lysine and tryptophan (a precursor of niacin) Rice proteins are richer in lysine than other cereal proteins and for this reason, rice protein is considered to be of better quality. Rice is a good source of B group vitamins, especially Thiamine. It is devoid of Vitamines A, D, C and is a poor source of Calcium and Iron.

Breakfast cereal

.]] A breakfast cereal is a food product designed especially to be marketed to consumers as a ready-made breakfast food. Though cereal foods such as porridge are a staple of daily meals in many countries around the world, in wealthier, consumer-conscious nations such as the United States, entire industries have been created dedicated to the sale of specialized products, such as breakfast cereals. Breakfast cereals are generally eaten cold and mixed with milk and fruit as opposed to hot cereals like oatmeal, grits, etc. Breakfast cereals are marketed to all ages. For adults, companies such as Kellogg's, Quaker Oats, Nestle and General Mills promote their products for the health benefits gained from eating oat-based and high fiber cereals. Nevertheless, the vast majority of breakfast cereal sold is marketed to young children. Cereal manufacturers have been criticized for manufacturing breakfast cereals with a heavy sugar content aimed at children. Sugar-laden breakfast cereals have been extremely popular with children for decades, and many adults also buy them out of nostalgia (also because they enjoy the taste). Manufacturers often fortify breakfast cereals with various vitamins to allay concerns that their products are not very nutritious.

From bowel relief to sugary treat

Breakfast cereals have their root in the temperance movement in the United States in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Americans were still essentially eating an English breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, and beef, with very little fiber. As such, many people suffered painful and debilitating gastrointestinal disorders. The first breakfast cereal, Granula (named after granules) was invented in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson, operator of the Dansville Sanitorium in Dansville, New York and a staunch vegetarian. Despite its high fiber content, the cereal never became popular. It was far too inconvenient, as the heavy bran nuggets needed soaking overnight before they were tender enough to eat. The next generation of breakfast cereals was considerably more convenient, and, combined with clever marketing, they finally managed to catch on. John Harvey Kellogg, a Seventh Day Adventist and the operator of the Battle Creek Sanitorium, invented in 1887 a ground up wheat, oat, and cornmeal biscuit for his patients suffering from bowel problems, Granola (initially also named Granula, but changed after a lawsuit). His most famous contribution, however, was an accident. After leaving a batch of boiled wheat soaking overnight and rolling it out, Kellogg had created wheat flakes. His brother Will Kellogg later invented corn flakes from a similar method, bought out his brother's share in their business, and went on to found the Kellogg Company in 1906. With his shrewd marketing and advertising, Kellogg's sold their one millionth case after three years. A patient at the Battle Creek Sanitorium, Charles William Post, also made significant contributions to breakfast cereals. After his 1893 visit, he started his own sanitorium, the La Vita Inn, and developed his own coffee substitute, Postum. In 1897, Post invented Grape Nuts and, coupled with a nation-wide advertising campaign, became a leader in the cereal business. By the 1930s, Kellogg had invented a puffing gun, inventing the first puffed cereal, Kix (Kix is a General Mills product though). Soon shredding was introduced, yielding Shredded Wheat. Starting after World War II, the big breakfast cereal companies (now including General Mills, who started in 1924 with Wheaties) increasingly started to target children. Sugar was added, and the once-healthy breakfasts looked starkly different from their fiber-rich ancestors (Kellogg's Sugar Smacks, started in 1953, had 56% sugar). Different mascots were introduced, first with the Rice Krispies elves and later pop icons like Tony the Tiger and the Trix Rabbit.

Highlights in the history of American breakfast cereals

- ~1600's — North American colonists pour sugar and cream on popcorn, making the first puffed breakfast cereal.
- 1877 — Portrait of the Quaker man on the Quaker Oats package created. Updated three times: 1946, 1957, and 1972.
- 1885 — Quaker Oats first packages Quaker Oatmeal in square boxes after years of selling oatmeal in bulk.
- 1906 — Kellogg begins production of Kellogg's Corn Flakes at W.K. Kellogg's newly formed Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flakes Company.
- 1915 — Quaker Oats packages Quaker Oatmeal in now-familiar cylinders.
- 1916 — Kellogg introduces All-Bran, nicknamed "The Grim Reaper of Loin Chow."
- 1924 — General Mills introduces Wheaties, called Washburn's Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flakes during its development.
- 1928 — Kellogg introduces Rice Krispies.
- 1941 — General Mills introduces Cheerioats, later to be called Cheerios.
- 1942 — Raisin Bran first available in stores.
- 1952 — Kellogg introduces Sugar Smacks.
- 1958 — Tony the Tiger wins contest over Katy the Kangaroo to become sole spokes-character for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.
- 1961 — Quaker Oats introduces Life Cereal.
- 1963 — Quaker Oats introduces Cap'n Crunch. Kellogg introduces Fruit Loops.
- 1965 — Quaker Oats introduces Quisp.
- 1978 — Quaker Oats introduces Cinnamon Life Cereal.

References

- [http://breakfast.cereal.com/better-breakfast-ideas.htm Better Breakfast Ideas]
- [http://www.mrbreakfast.com/article.asp?articleid=13 The Early Days of Breakfast Cereals]
- [http://www.fitnessandfreebies.com/health/cereal.html The History of Cereal]
- [http://www.cuisinenet.com/digest/breakfast/cereal.shtml Breakfast Cereal Beginnings]

Agriculture

working the land in the traditional way, with horse and plough]] Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by the cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). The practice of agriculture is also known as "farming", while scientists, inventors and others devoted to improving farming methods and implements are also said to be engaged in agriculture. More people in the world are involved in agriculture as their primary economic activity than in any other, yet it only accounts for four percent of the world's GDP.

Overview

GDP, Indonesia]] Agriculture can refer to subsistence agriculture, the production of enough food to meet just the needs of the farmer/agriculturalist and his/her family. It may also refer to industrial agriculture, (often referred to as factory farming) long prevalent in "developed" nations and increasingly so elsewhere, which consists of obtaining financial income from the cultivation of land to yield produce, the commercial raising of animals (animal husbandry), or both. Agriculture is also short for the study of the practice of agriculture—more formally known as agricultural science. Agricultural students are known (sometimes derisively) as "Aggies". Increasingly, in addition to food for humans and animal feeds, agriculture produces goods such as cut flowers, ornamental and nursery plants, timber or lumber, fertilizers, animal hides, leather, industrial chemicals (starch, sugar, ethanol, alcohols and plastics), fibers (cotton, wool, hemp, and flax), fuels (methane from biomass, biodiesel) and both legal and illegal drugs (biopharmaceuticals, tobacco, marijuana, opium, cocaine). Genetically engineered plants and animals produce specialty drugs. In the Western world, the use of gene manipulation, better management of soil nutrients, and improved weed control have greatly increased yields per unit area. At the same time, the use of mechanization has decreased labour requirements. The developing world generally produces lower yields, having less of the latest science, capital, and technology base. Modern agriculture depends heavily on engineering and technology and on the biological and physical sciences. Irrigation, drainage, conservation and sanitary engineering, each of which is important in successful farming, are some of the fields requiring the specialized knowledge of agricultural engineers. Agricultural chemistry deals with other vital farming concerns, such as the application of fertilizer, insecticides (see Pest control), and fungicides, soil makeup, analysis of agricultural products, and nutritional needs of farm animals.Plant breeding and genetics contribute additionally to farm productivity. Advanced seed engineering has allowed strains of seed to become perfect in every farming situation. Seeds can now germinate faster and adapt to shorter growing seasons in different climates. Present-day seed can resist the spraying of pesticides that kill all green-leaf plants. Hydroponics, a method of soilless gardening in which plants are grown in chemical nutrient solutions, may help meet the need for greater food production as the world's population increases. The packing, processing, and marketing of agricultural products are closely related activities also influenced by science. Methods of quick-freezing and dehydration have increased the markets for farm products (see Food preservation; Meat packing industry). Mechanization, the outstanding characteristic of late 19th and 20th century agricultural evolution, has eased much of the backbreaking toil of the farmer. More significantly, mechanization has enormously increased farm efficiency and productivity (see Agricultural machinery). Animals, including horses, mules, oxen, camels, llamas, alpacas, and dogs; however, are still used to cultivate fields, harvest crops and transport farm products to markets in many parts of the world. Airplanes, helicopters, trucks and tractors are used in agriculture for seeding, spraying operations for insect and disease control, Aerial topdressing, transporting perishable products, and fighting forest fires. Radio and television disseminate vital weather reports and other information such as market reports that concern farmers. Computers have become an essential tool for farm management. Aerial topdressing] According to the National Academy of Engineering in the US, agricultural mechanization is one of the 20 greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century. Early in the century, it took one American farmer to produce food for 2.5 people, where today, due to engineering technology (also, plant breeding and agrichemicals), a single farmer can feed over 130 people [http://www.greatachievements.org/greatachievements/ga_7_2.html]. This comes at a cost, however, of large amounts of energy input, from unsustainable, mostly fossil fuel, sources. Animal husbandry means breeding and raising animals for meat or to harvest animal products (like milk, eggs, or wool) on a continual basis. In recent years some aspects of industrial intensive agriculture have been the subject of increasing discussion. The widening sphere of influence held by large seed and chemical companies, meat packers and food processors has been a source of concern both within the farming community and for the general public. There has been increased activity of some people against some farming practices, raising chickens for food being one example. Another issue is the type of feedgiven to some animals that can cause Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in cattle. There has also been concern because of the disastrous effect that intensive agriculture has on the environment. In the US, for example, fertilizer has been running off into the Mississippi for years and has caused a dead spot in the Gulf of Mexico, where the Mississippi empties. Intensive agriculture also depletes the fertility of the land over time and the end effect is that which happened in the Middle East, were some of the most fertile farmland in the world was turned into a desert by intensive agriculture. The patent protection given to companies that develop new types of seed using genetic engineering has allowed seed to be licensed to farmers in much the same way that computer software is licensed to users. This has changed the balance of power in favor of the seed companies, allowing them to dictate terms and conditions previously unheard of. Some argue these companies are guilty of biopiracy. Soil conservation and nutrient management have been important concerns since the 1950s, with the best farmers taking a stewardship role with the land they operate. However, increasing contamination of waterways and wetlands by nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are of concern in many countries. Increasing consumer awareness of agricultural issues has led to the rise of community-supported agriculture, local food movement, slow food, and commercial organic farming, though these yet remain fledgling industries.

History

organic farming Archaeobotanists have traced the selection and cultivation of specific food plant characteristics, such as a semi-tough rachis and larger seeds, to just after the Younger Dryas (about 9,500 BC) in the early Holocene in the Levant region of the Fertile Crescent. Limited anthropological and archaeological evidence both indicate a grain-grinding culture farming along the Nile in the 10th millennium BC using the world's earliest known type of sickle blades. There is even earlier evidence for conscious cultivation and seasonal harvest: grains of rye with domestic traits have been recovered from Epi-Palaeolithic (10,000+ BC) contexts at Abu Hureyra in Syria, but this appears to be a localised phenomenon resulting from cultivation of stands of wild rye, rather than a definitive step towards domestication. It is not until ca. 8,500 BC, in middle-Eastern cultures referred to as Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB), where there is the first definite evidence for the emergence of a widespread subsistence economy that was dependent on domesticated plants and animals. In these contexts lie the origins of the eight so-called founder crops of agriculture: firstly emmer wheat, einkorn wheat, then hulled barley, pea, lentil, bitter vetch, chick pea and flax. These eight crops occur more or less simultaneously on PPNB sites in this region, although the consensus is that wheat was the first to be sown and harvested on a significant scale. There are many sites that date to between ca. 8,500 BC and 7,500 BC where the systematic farming of these crops contributed the major part of the inhabitants' diet. From the Fertile Crescent agriculture spread eastwards to Central Asia and westwards into Cyprus, Anatolia and, by 7,000 BC, Greece. Farming, principally of emmer and einkorn, reached northwestern Europe via southeastern and central Europe by ca. 4,800 BC (see, among others, Price, D. [ed.] 2000. Europe's First Farmers. Cambridge University Press; Harris, D. [ed.] 1996 The Origins and Spread of Agriculture in Eurasia. UCL Press). Europeing an alfalfa field]] The reasons for the earliest introduction of farming may have included climate change, but possibly there were also social reasons (e.g. accumulation of food surplus for competitive gift-giving). Most certainly there was a gradual transition from hunter-gatherer to agricultural economies after a lengthy period when some crops were deliberately planted and other foods were gathered from the wild. Although localised climate change is the favoured explanation for the origins of agriculture in the Levant, the fact that farming was 'invented' at least three times, possibly more, suggests that social reasons may have been instrumental. In addition to emergence of farming in the Fertile Crescent, agriculture appeared by at least 6,800 BC in East Asia (rice) and, later, in Central and South America (maize, squash). Small scale agriculture also likely arose independently in early Neolithic contexts in India (rice) and Southeast Asia (taro). Southeast Asia. Baked clay. Field Museum]] Full dependency on domestic crops and animals (i.e. when wild resources contributed a nutritionally insignificant component to the diet) was not until the Bronze Age. If the operative definition of agriculture includes large scale intensive cultivation of land, mono-cropping, organised irrigation, and use of a specialized labour force, the title "inventors of agriculture" would fall to the Sumerians, starting ca. 5,500 BC. Intensive farming allows a much greater density of population than can be supported by hunting and gathering and allows for the accumulation of excess product to keep for winter use or to sell for profit. The ability of farmers to feed large numbers of people whose activities have nothing to do with material production was the crucial factor in the rise of standing armies. The agriculturalism of the Sumerians allowed them to embark on an unprecedented territorial expansion, making them the first empire builders. Not long after, the Egyptians, powered by effective farming of the Nile valley, achieved a population density from which enough warriors could be drawn for a territorial expansion more than tripling the Sumerian empire in area. The invention of a three field system of crop rotation during the Middle Ages vastly improved agricultural efficiency. After 1492 the world's agricultural patterns were shuffled in the widespread exchange of plants and animals known as the Columbian Exchange. Crops and animals that were previously only known in the Old World were now transplanted to the New and vice versa. Perhaps most notably, the tomato became a favorite in European cuisine, while certain wheat strains quickly took to western hemisphere soils and became a dietary staple even for native North, Central and South Americans. By the early 1800s agricultural practices, particularly careful selection of hardy strains and cultivars, had so improved that yield per land unit was many times that seen in the Middle Ages and before, especially in the largely virgin lands of North and South America. With the rapid rise of mechanization in the 20th century, especially in the form of the tractor, the demanding tasks of sowing, harvesting and threshing could be performed with a speed and on a scale barely imaginable before. These advances have led to efficiencies enabling certain modern farms in the United States, Argentina, Israel, Germany and a few other nations to output volumes of high quality produce per land unit at what may be the practical limit.

Crops

Seed Testing

Seeds are tested for various qualities to ensure a high quality harvest, and to limit or prevent the spread of undesirable and invasive species. Seed test types Descriptions of various tests done on seed Seed related databases ISTA, the International Seed Testing Association, maintains a list of links to Seed Organizations worldwide:
- http://www.seedtest.org/en/content---1--1014--329.html

World production of major crops in 2004

In millions of metric tons, based on FAO estimates[http://faostat.fao.org/faostat/form?collection=Production.Crops.Primary&Domain=Production&servlet=1&hasbulk=0&version=ext&language=EN]: By crop types :Cereals 2,264 :Vegetables and melons 866 :Roots and Tubers 715 :Milk 619 :Fruit 503 :Meat 259 :Oilcrops 133 :Fish 130 (2001 estimate) :Eggs 63 :Pulses 60 :Vegetable Fiber 30 By individual crops :Sugar Cane 1,324 :Maize 721 :Wheat 627 :Rice 605 :Potatoes 328 :Sugar Beet 249 :Soybean 204 :Oil Palm Fruit 162 :Barley 154 :Tomato 120

Crop improvement

Tomato Tomato
- See main article on Plant breeding Domestication of plants is done in order to increase yield, improve disease resistance and drought tolerance, ease harvest and to improve the taste and nutritional value and many other characteristics. Centuries of careful selection and breeding have had enormous effects on the characteristics of crop plants. Plant breeders use greenhouses and other techniques to get as many as three generations of plants per year so that they can make improvements all the more quickly. Plant selection and breeding in the 1920s and '30s improved pasture (grasses and clover) in New Zealand. Extensive radiation mutagenesis efforts (i.e. primitive genetic engineering) during the 1950s produced the modern commercial varieties of grains such as wheat, corn and barley. For example, average yields of corn (maize) in the USA have increased from around 2.5 tons per hectare (40 bushels per acre) in 1900 to about 9.4 t/ha (150 bushels per acre) in 2001, primarily due to improvements in genetics. Similarly, worldwide average wheat yields have increased from less than 1 t/ha in 1900 to more than 2.5 t/ha in 1990. South American average wheat yields are around 2 t/ha, African under 1 t/ha, Egypt and Arabia up to 3.5 to 4 t/ha with irrigation. In contrast, the average wheat yield in countries such as France is over 8 t/ha. Higher yields are due to improvements in genetics, as well as use of intensive farming techniques (use of fertilizers, chemical pest control, growth control to avoid lodging). [Conversion note: 1 bushel of wheat = 60 pounds (lb) ≈ 27.215 kg. 1 bushel of corn = 56 pounds ≈ 25.401 kg] In industrialized agriculture, crop "improvement" has often reduced nutritional and other qualities of food plants to serve the interests of producers. After mechanical tomato-harvesters were developed in the early 1960s, agricultural scientists bred tomatoes that were harder and less nutritious (Friedland and Barton 1975). In fact, a major longitudinal study of nutrient levels in numerous vegetables showed significant declines in the last 50 years; garden vegetables in the U.S. today contain on average 38 percent less vitamin B2 and 15 percent less vitamin C (Davis and Riordan 2004). Very recently, genetic engineering has begun to be employed in some parts of the world to speed up the selection and breeding process. The most widely used modification is a herbicide resistance gene that allows plants to tolerate exposure to glyphosate, which is used to control weeds in the crop. A less frequently used but more controversial modification causes the plant to produce a toxin to reduce damage from insects (c.f. Starlink). There are specialty producers who raise less common types of livestock or plants. Aquaculture, the farming of fish, shrimp, and algae, is closely associated with agriculture. Apiculture, the culture of bees, traditionally for honey—increasingly for crop pollination. See also : botany, List of domesticated plants, List of vegetables, List of herbs, List of fruit

Environmental problems

Agriculture may often cause environmental problems because it changes natural environments and produces harmful by-products. Some of the negative effects are:
- Nitrogen and phosphorus surplus in rivers and lakes.
- Detrimental effects of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and other biocides.
- Conversion of natural ecosystems of all types into arable land.
- Consolidation of diverse biomass into a few species.
- Erosion
- Depletion of minerals in the soil
- Particulate matter, including ammonia and ammonium off-gasing from animal waste contributing to air pollution
- Weeds - feral plants and animals
- Odor from agricultural waste
- Soil salination in dry areas.

Policy

Agricultural policy focuses on the goals and methods of agricultural production. At the policy level, common goals of agriculture include:
- Food safety: Ensuring that the food supply is free of contamination.
- Food security: Ensuring that the food supply meets the population's needs.
- Food quality: Ensuring that the food supply is of a consistent and known quality.
- Conservation
- Environmental impact
- Economic stability

Methods

There are various methods of agricultural production:
- aeroponics
- aerial topdressing
- agricultural machinery
- animal husbandry
- aquaculture
- beekeeping
- crop rotation
- Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO, factory farming)
- composting
- dairy farming
- detasseling
- domestication
- fencing
- fertilizers
- greenhouse
- harvest
- heliciculture
- hybrid seed
- hydroponics
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
- irrigation
- livestock
- market gardening
- monoculture
- no-till farming
- organic farming
- plant breeding
- pollination management
- precision farming
- ranching
- season extension
- seed saving
- shepherding
- subsistence farming
- succession planting
- sustainable agriculture
- terracing
- vegetable farming
- tillage
- weed control

References

- Wells, Spencer: The Journey of Man : A Genetic Odyssey. Princeton University Press, 2003. ISBN: 069111532X
- Crosby, Alfred W.: The Columbian Exchange : Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492. Praeger Publishers, 2003 (30th Anniversary Edition). ISBN: 0275980731
- Collinson, M. (editor): A History of Farming Systems Research. CABI Publishing, 2000. ISBN: 0851994059
- Davis, Donald R., and Hugh D. Riordan (2004) Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 23, No. 6, 669-682.
- Friedland, William H. and Amy Barton (1975) Destalking the Wily Tomato: A Case Study of Social Consequences in California Agricultural Research. Univ. California at Sta. Cruz, Research Monograph 15.·

External links

- [http://www.fao.org www.fao.org] — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations World Agricultural Information Centre
- [http://www.fao.org/waicent/portal/statistics_en.asp www.fao.org] — The UN Statistical Databases
- [http://www.fao.org/ag/ FAO Agriculture Department] and its [http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/y5160e/y5160e00.HTM State of Food and Agriculture 2003-2004] with a focus on the impact of biotechnology
- [http://www.greenfacts.org/gmo/index.htm GM Crops in Agriculture] – A summary for non-specialists of the above FAO report by GreenFacts.
-
- [http://imperium.lenin.ru/~kaledin/tmp/agricltr.txt Agriculture: Demon Engine of Civilization] by John Zerzan
- [http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/index.html History of farming in Nebraska, USA]

Specific countries

- [http://www.agr.gc.ca/ www.agr.gc.ca] — Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada
- [http://www.nationalpak.com www.nationalpak.com] — Agriculture of Pakistan
- [http://www.nationalacademies.org/agriculture/ www.nationalacademies.org] — Agriculture at the United States National Academies
- [http://www.usda.gov/ www.usda.gov] — United States Department of Agriculture
- [http://www.fas.usda.gov/currwmt.html Current World Production, Market and Trade Reports] from the Foreign Agricultural Service
- [http://www.ers.usda.gov/ USDA's main source of economic information and research] from the Economic Research Service
- [http://www.ars.usda.gov/ In-house Research Arm] from the Agricultural Research Service
- [http://www.nal.usda.gov/ National Agricultural Library]
- [http://www.trader-china.com/Agriculture/index.html Agriculture Directory] ko:농업 ja:農業 nb:Landbruk simple:Agriculture

Poaceae

There are 7 subfamilies:
Subfamily Arundinoideae
Subfamily Bambusoideae
Subfamily Centothecoideae
Subfamily Chloridoideae
Subfamily Panicoideae
Subfamily Pooideae
Subfamily Stipoideae
The true grasses are monocotyledonous plants (Class Liliopsida) in the Family Poaceae, also known as Gramineae. There are about 600 genera and perhaps 10,000 species of grasses. It is estimated grasslands comprise 20% of the vegetation cover of the earth. This family is the most important of all plant families to human economies, including lawn and forage grasses, the staple food grains grown around the world, and bamboo, widely used for construction throughout Asia. Grasses generally have the following characteristics:
- Typically hollow stems (called culms), plugged at intervals (the nodes).
- Leaves, arising at nodes, alternate, distichous (in one plane) or rarely spiral, and parallel-veined.
- Leaves differentiated into a lower sheath hugging the stem for a distance and a blade with margin usually entire; a ligule (a membranous appendage or ring of hairs) lies at the junction between sheath and blade.
- Small, wind-pollinated flowers (called florets) sheathed inside two glumes (bracts), lacking petals, and grouped into spikelets, these arranged in a panicle, raceme, spike, or head.
- Fruit that is a caryopsis. Until recently grasses were thought to have evolved around 55 million years ago, based on fossil records. However, recent findings of 65-million-year-old grass phytoliths including ancestors of rice and bamboo in Cretaceous dinosaur coprolites ([http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N17334781.htm], [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/310/5751/1126]), places the diversification of grasses to an earlier date. The growth of grasses from the base of the blade rather than from growing tips gave the grasses an edge under the pressures of grazing herbivores.

Cultivation and uses

coprolite Agricultural grasses grown for human food production are called cereals. Cereals constitute the major source of food energy for humans and perhaps the major source of protein, and include rice in South and Southeast Asia, maize in Central and South America, and wheat and barley in the Americas and North Eurasia. Many other grasses are also grown for forage and fodder for animal food, particularly for sheep and cattle. Some commonly known grass plants are:
- maize
- wheat
- rice
- rye
- ryegrass
- sugarcane
- barley
- bamboo

External links and references

- [http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/data/grasses-db/sppindex.htm Kew Index of World Grass Species]
- [http://forages.oregonstate.edu/projects/regrowth/main.cfm?PageID=11 Definitions of Grass structures]
- [http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/graminea.htm Poaceae] in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz] (1992 onwards). [http://delta-intkey.com/angio/ The families of flowering plants:] descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval.
- L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). [http://delta-intkey.com/grass/ The grass genera of the world:] descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval; including synonyms, morphology, anatomy, physiology, phytochemistry, cytology, classification, pathogens, world and local distribution, and references. Category:Grasses Category: gardening Category:Plant families Category:Poales ja:イネ科 th:หญ้า

Seed

A seed is the ripened ovule of gymnosperm or angiosperm plants. The importance of the seed relative to more primitive forms of reproduction and dispersal is attested to by the success of these two groups of plants in dominating the landscape.

Seed structure

A fertilized seed contains the embryo from which a new plant will grow under proper conditions. It also contains a supply of stored food and is wrapped in the seed coat or testa. The stored food begins as a tissue called endosperm derived from the parent plant. Endosperm becomes rich in oil or starch, and protein. In some species, the embryo is imbedded in the endosperm, which the seedling will use upon germination. In others, the endosperm is absorbed by the embryo as the latter grows within the developing seed, and the cotyledons of the embryo become filled with this stored food. At maturity, seeds of these species have no endosperm. Some common plant seeds that lack an endosperm are bean, pea, oak, walnut, squash, sunflower, and radish. Plant seeds with an endosperm include all conifers and most monocotyledons (e.g. grasses and palms), and also e.g. brazil nut, castor bean. castor bean See also: Hypocotyl The seed coat develops from tissues (called integument) originally surrounding the ovule. The seed coat in the mature seed can be a paper thin layer (as for example, in the peanut) or something more substantial (as for example, thick and hard in honey locust and coconut). The seed coat helps protect the embryo from mechanical injury and from drying out. In order for the seed coat to split, the embryo must imbibe (soak up water) which causes it to swell, splitting the seed coat. However, the nature of the seed coat determines how rapidly water can penetrate and subsequently initiate germination. For seeds with a very thick coat, scarification of the seed coat may be necessary before water can reach the embryo. Examples of scarification include: gnawing by animals, freezing and thawing, battering on rocks in a stream bed, or passing through an animal's digestive tract. In the latter case, the seed coat protects the seed from digestion, while perhaps weakening the seed coat such that the embryo is ready to sprout when it gets deposited (along with a bit of fertilizer) far from the parent plant. In species with thin seed coats, light may be able to penetrate into the dormant embryo. The presence of light or the absence of light may trigger the germination process, inhibiting germination in some seeds buried too deeply or in others not buried in the soil. Abscisic acid is usually the growth inhibitor in seeds. The seeds of angiosperms are contained in a hard or fleshy (or with layers of both) structure called a fruit. Gymnosperm seeds begin their development "naked" on the bracts of cones, although the seeds do become covered by the cone scales as they develop. An example of a hard fruit layer surrounding the actual seed is that of the so-called stone fruits (such as the peach).

Seed functions

Unlike animals, plants are limited in their ability to seek out favorable conditions for life and growth. Consequently, plants have evolved many ways to disperse and spread the population through their seeds (see also vegetative reproduction). A seed must somehow "arrive" at a location and be there at a time favorable for germination and growth. Those properties or attributes that promote the movement of the next generation away from the parent plant may involve the fruit more so than the seeds themselves. The function of a seed typically is one of serving as a delaying mechanism: a way for the new generation to suspend its growth and allow time for dispersal to occur or to survive harsh, unfavorable conditions of cold or dryness or both. In many if not most cases each plant species achieves success in finding ideal locations for placement of its seeds through the basic approach of producing numerous seeds. This is certainly the approach used by plants, such as ferns, that disperse by spores. However, seeds involve a considerably greater investment in energy and resources than do spores, and the payoff must come in achieving similar or greater success with fewer dispersal units.

External links

- [http://www.seedlab.co.nz/NAMESEED.HTM List of Common Botanical Seed Names]
- [http://theseedsite.co.uk/ The Seed Site]: collecting, storing, sowing, germinating, and exchanging seeds, with pictures of seeds, seedpods and seedlings. Category:Plants Category: plant morphology Category:Vegetables Category:Flowers ko:씨 ja:種子 simple:Seed

Caryopsis

In botany, a caryopsis is a type of simple dry fruit — one that is monocarpelate (formed from a single carpel) and indehiscent (not opening at maturity) and resembles an achene, except that in a caryopsis the pericarp is fused with the thin seed coat. The caryopsis is popularly called a grain and is the fruit typical of the family Poaceae (or Gramineae), such as wheat, rice, and corn. The term grain is also used in a more general sense as synonymous with cereal (as in cereal grains, which include some non-Gramineae)). Considering that the fruit wall and the seed are intimately fused into a single unit, and the caryopsis or grain is a dry fruit, it is not surprising that in general usage little concern is given to technically separating the terms "fruit" and "seed" in these plant structures. In many grains, the "hulls" to be separated before processing are actually flower bracts. Category: plant morphology

Food energy

Food energy is the amount of energy in food that is available through digestion. Food energy is typically measured in units of calories, although the International System of Units unit kilojoule (1000 joules) is becoming more common. In some countries (Australia, for example) the use of kilojoules is de rigueur. Some types of food contain more food energy than others: fats and sugars have particularly high food energy levels. Note that the "calorie" unit used by dieticians for food is equivalent to 1000 times the "calorie" unit used in chemistry (hence it is sometimes called a kilocalorie). One of these "nutritional calories" is approximately equal to 4.1868 kilojoules.

Measuring food energy

In the early twentieth century, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed a procedure for measuring food energy that remains in use today. The food being measured is completely burned in a calorimeter so that the heat released through combustion can be accurately measured. This amount is used to determine the gross energy value of the particular food. This number is then multiplied by a coefficient which is based on how the human body actually digests the food. For example, pure sugar releases about 3.95 kilocalories per gram (16.5 kJ/g) of gross energy but the digestibility coefficient of sugar is about 98% in humans, so the food energy of sugar is 0.98 × 3.95 = 3.87 kilocalories per gram (16.2 kJ/g) of sugar.

Energy content

- Protein contains about 4 nutritional calories per gram (17 kJ/g)
- Carbohydrates contains about 4 nutritional calories per gram (17 kJ/g)
- Fat contains about 9 nutritional calories per gram (38 kJ/g)
- Alcohol contains about 7 nutritional calories per gram (29 kJ/g)

Developing nation

A developing country is a country with a low income average, a relatively undeveloped infrastructure and a polopment index]] when compared to the global norm. The term has tended to edge out earlier ones, including the Cold War-defined "Third World". Development entails developing a modern infrastructure (both physical and institutional), and a move away from low value added sectors such as agriculture and natural resource extraction. Developed countries usually have economic systems based on continuous, self-sustaining economic growth. The application of the term 'developing country' to all of the world's least developed countries could be considered innappropriate in the cases of a number of poor countries, due to the fact that they are not improving their economic situation as the term implies, but have experienced prolonged periods of economic decline.

Measure of development

The term "developing country" often refers mainly to countries with low levels of economic development, but this is usually closely associated with social development, in terms of education, healthcare, life expectancy, etc. The development of a country is measured with statistical indexes such as income per capita (GDP), the rate of illiteracy, and access to water. The UN puts forth a compound indicator using these lists of statistics, to create, a "human development index" which gives a sense of how developed countries are. Developing countries are in general countries which have not achieved a significant degree of industrialization relative to their populations, and which have a low standard of living. There is a strong correlation between low income and high population growth, both within and between countries.

Nature of development

Even though a good part of the world seems to aspire to development, the term itself is criticized by those who think it is too centered on Western countries. The term implies a direction and a movement that the countries must follow; it implies an inferiority of the developing countries.Developing coutries are those which need to be sustained by foreign aid The terms utilized when discussing developing countries refer to the intent and to the constructs of those who utilize these terms. Other terms sometimes used are lesser developed countries (LDCs), less economically developed countries (LEDCs), "underdeveloped nations" or "undeveloped nations", Third World nations, the South and "non-industrialized nations". Conversely, the opposite end of the spectrum is termed developed countries, more economically developed countries (MEDCs), First World nations and "industrialized nations". The United Nations allows each nation to decide for itself whether it will be designated as "undeveloped" or "developing" (though many economists and other observers ignore the UN rule about self-designation). To moderate the euphemistic aspect of the word developing, international organisations have started to use the term least developed countries (LLDCs) for the poorest nations which can in no sense be regarded as developing. That is, LLDCs are the poorest subset of LDCs. This also moderates the naïve tendency to believe that the standard of living in Somalia or Ethiopia is comparable to that in Brazil or Mexico. The concept of the developing nation is found, under one term or another, in numerous theoretical systems having diverse orientations — for example, theories of decolonization, liberation theology, marxism, anti-imperialism, and political economy.

Sources of (under)development

According to different theories, sources of underdevelopment include:
- Low saving which may lead to low investment according to Harrod-Domar model but large amount of saving and investment still does not imply strong development
- Intrinsic attitudes and aptitudes, real or used as justification
- attitudes and culture of the people;
- aptitudes and behavior of the elites and leaders;
- High rates of fertility
- Legal structures and institutions
- a breakdown in the rule of law
- high corruption
- Extrinsic factors, real or used as justification
- geopolitical or commercial interest that it creates compared to other countries;
- place of the country in a historical and cultural system;
- inadequate reforms imposed in counterpart with financing of last resort, by multilateral organizations (like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank) to get out of situations of deficit and indebtedness in which the country is placed (see Developing countries' debt).
- lack of interest in and comprehension for the specific dynamics of a nation, by multinational companies.

Typology and names of countries

Countries are often loosely placed into four categories of development: # Developed countries, and their dependencies (For a list of countries, see developed country.) # Countries with an economy consistently and fairly strongly developing over a longer period (China, Mexico, India, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, the Philippines, Egypt, much of South America, Malaysia, Thailand, Possibly the former Warsaw Pact, etc.) # Countries with a patchy record of development (most countries in Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean excepting Jamaica (category 2); much of the Arab world falls in this category); also most of Southeast Asia, falls under this category excepting Singapore, Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand (category 2). 76% of the world's nations fall under this category. # Countries with long-term civil war or large-scale breakdown of rule of law or non-development-oriented dictatorship ("failed states") (e.g. Haiti, Somalia, Sudan, Burma, perhaps North Korea) The term "developing nation" is not a label to assign a specific, similar type of problem. Designation of these nations depends on the angle at which one approaches them, and according to the solutions envisoned to solve their problems. Each one of these terms has meanings beyond its first appearance:
- Third World :The term was used for the first time by demographer Alfred Sauvy and refers to the Third Estate. The Third world does not include the nations of the liberal West ("First World") nor of the Soviet bloc ("Second World"), and to some extent were ignored because they could not throw strong support behind either. A Cold War era term which is increasingly deprecated.
- Countries of The South and The North :These terms originate from the fact that most developing countries (including many of the poorest) are in the southern hemisphere (south of the Equator), and most developed countries are in the northern hemisphere. However, the geographic distinction is not perfect — for example, Australia and New Zealand, both developed, are in the southern hemisphere, but not included in "the South". "North" and "South" are essentially euphemisms for "developed country" and "developing country", but are alternatives which are often preferred by people from the South because they avoid the loaded reference to "development".This is shown in the Brandt report.
- Rich and poor countries :These terms suggest a greater focus on income per capita. It should be noted that this statistic only reflects the statistical average wealth of a country's citizens; when income is distributed very unequally (as measured for example by the Gini coefficient) this figure may be misleading (see also kleptocracy).
- Industrialized and non-industrialized countries :Most countries that are currently being industrialized or are in advanced phases of industrialization, also have characteristics of a post-industrial economy.

External links

- [http://www.worldbank.org/data/countryclass/classgroups.htm List of developing countries according to the World Bank] Category:Country classifications Category:Development ko:개발도상국 ja:開発途上国

Developed nation

A developed country is a nation that enjoys a relatively high standard of living through a strong high-technology diversified economy. Most countries with a high per capita gross domestic product (GDP) are considered developed countries. Some countries, however, have achieved a (usually temporarily) high GDP through natural resource exploitation (e.g., Nauru through phosphate extraction) without developing the diverse industrial and service-based economy necessary for "developed" status. Synonyms include industrialised countries, more economically developed countries (MEDC) and the First World. Other terms sometimes used to describe the developed/developing country dichotomy are first world/third world (the term second world referred to communist states during the Cold War); North/South; and industrialized countries/non-industrialized countries. The term Western countries has a similar meaning, but its connotations restrict its usage, especially in Asia. Different observers and theorists often see different reasons for why certain countries (and not others) enjoy a high level of economic development. Many argue that economic development requires some combination of representative government (or democracy), a free market economic model, and a general lack of corruption. Some hold that rich countries grew wealthy by exploitation of poorer countries in the past, through imperialism and colonialism, or in the present, through the process of globalization. According to the United Nations Statistics Division: :In the United Nations system there is no established convention for the designation of "developed" and "developing" countries or areas. In common practice, Japan in Asia, Canada and the United States in North America, Australia and New Zealand in Oceania, and Europe are considered "developed" regions or areas. In international trade statistics, the Southern African Customs Union is also treated as a developed region and Israel as a developed country; and countries of eastern Europe and the former U.S.S.R. countries in Europe are not included under either developed or developing regions. The UN HDI is a statistical measure that gauges a country's level of human development. Countries with an HDI of 0.8 or more — largely corresponding to what the conventional definition of being a 'developed' country is — exhibit high development, and those with an HDI between 0.6 and 0.8 (including many of the former Soviet and Eastern Bloc states) exhibit moderate development.

Developed countries

Organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Central Intelligence Agency, generally agree that the group of developed countries include: The following European Union member states: The following non-EU European countries: The following non-European countries:

Other cases

- Some organizations consider the remaining countries of the European Union — those added in 2004, especially Cyprus, Malta, and Slovenia — among the developed countries, but these mostly former-Communist countries are rather newly industrialized nations and some of them (such as Latvia, Lithuania and Poland) remain significantly less affluent than EU-15 countries. All European Union members, however, have a GDP per capita greater than the global average.
- South Korea, another relatively newly industrialized country, does not consider itself as developed. This has led to accusations that it prefers to avoid the obligations placed upon developed nations, and some organizations do not consider it developed.
- Singapore similarly meets most benchmarks of a developed country, but its authorities have consistently resisted being classified as such, citing its lack of development outside the economic and physical infrastructural fields. Like South Korea, this has also led to speculation that the young country is reluctant in playing a bigger role in international humanitarian efforts expected of developed countries.
- Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are considered developed by some organizations; however, the People's Republic of China, a developing country, claims the land of the first, and exercises sovereignty over the latter two.
- South Africa and Turkey are considered developed by some sources; however their GDP per capita clearly places them among the developing countries.
- Despite their high per capita GDP, Brunei and the Middle Eastern countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are generally not considered developed countries because their economies depend overwhelmingly on oil production and export. Some of these countries, especially Bahrain, have begun to diversify their economies and democratize. Similarly, the Bahamas, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, and Saint Kitts and Nevis enjoy a high per capita GDP, but these economies depend overwhelmingly on the tourist industry.

References

- [http://www.worldbank.org/data/countryclass/classgroups.htm#High_income World Bank]
- [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/appendix/appendix-b.html The World Factbook]
- [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/cdb/cdb_dict_xrxx.asp?def_code=491 United Nations Statistics Division] (definition)
- [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mi/developed_new.htm United Nations Statistics Division] (developed regions)
- [http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2005/01/data/groups.htm#1 IMF]

Ceres (goddess)

:For other uses, see Ceres (disambiguation). Ceres, in Roman mythology, equivalent to the Greek Demeter, daughter of Saturn and Rhea, wife-sister of Jupiter, mother of Proserpina by Jupiter, sister of Juno, Vesta, Neptune and Pluto, and patron of Sicily. Ceres was the goddess of growing plants (particularly cereals) and of motherly love. She is said to have been adopted by the Romans in 496 BC during a devastating famine, when the Sibylline books advised the adoption of the Greek goddesses Demeter, Kore (Persephone) and Iacchus (possibly Dionysus). Dionysus She was personified and celebrated by women in secret rituals at the festival of Ambarvalia, held during May. There was a temple to Ceres on the Aventine Hill in Rome. Her primary festival was the Cerealia or Ludi Ceriales ("games of Ceres"), instituted in the 3rd century BC and held annually on April 12 to April 19. The worship of Ceres became particularly associated with the plebeian classes, who dominated the corn trade. Little is known about the rituals of Cerelean worship; one of the few customs which has been recorded was the peculiar practice of tying lighted brands to the tails of foxes which were then let loose in the Circus Maximus. She had twelve minor gods who assisted her, and were in charge of specific aspects of farming: "Vervactor who turns fallow land, Reparator who prepares fallow land, Imporcitor who plows with wide furrows" (whose name comes from the Latin imporcare, to put into furrows), "Insitor who sowed, Obarator who plowed the surface, Occator who harrowed, Sarritor who weeded, Subruncinator who thinned out, Messor who harvested, Conuector who carted, Conditor who stored, and Promitor who distributed"[http://students.roanoke.edu/groups/relg211/ashby/Ceres.html] She was depicted in art with a scepter, a basket of flowers and fruit, and a garland made of wheat ears. The word cereals derives from Ceres, commemorating her association with edible grains. The name Ceres comes from the Indo-European root "ker", meaning "to grow", which is also the root for the words "create" and "increase". The asteroid 1 Ceres is named after this goddess, and subsequently a chemical element was named Cerium in turn. Ceres had begged Jupiter that Sicily be placed in the heavens; the result, because the island is triangular in shape, was the constellation Triangulum, an early name of which was Sicilia.

Staple food

A staple food is a basic but nutritious food that forms the basis of a traditional diet, particularly that of the poor. Although nutritious, staple foods generally do not by themselves provide a full range of nutrients, so other foods need to be added to the diet to prevent malnutrition. Staple foods vary from place to place, but are usually of vegetable origin, from cereals, pulses, corn, rice, millets and plants growing starchy roots. Bread, noodles (or pasta), rice congee, polenta and porridge are prepared from them. Types of bread that are considered staples in some parts of the world:
- tortillas
- chapatis
- naan
- mantou Staple crops harvested as root vegetables for their starchy underground storage organ:
- cassava
- potato
- sweet potato
- yam
- taro It has been hypothesised that some staple foods may act as a Giffen good in conditions of extreme poverty. Category:Foods Category:Peasant foods

Britain

:This article deals with the history of the word Britain. For clarification of terminology and an overview of articles about Britain and Ireland see British Isles (terminology). The word Britain is an informal term used to refer to
- the island of Great Britain which consists of the nations of England, Scotland and Wales.
- the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or UK,
- sometimes the Roman province called "Britain" or "Britannia" The word British generally means belonging to or associated with Britain in one of the first two senses above (i.e. the United Kingdom or the island of Great Britain). However, the term has a range of related usages, as described in this article. Etymologically, these words are closely related to Brittany, the name of the western French peninsula, and its adjective Breton.

Earliest attested references

- Pretaniké; Pretanikai nesoi (Pretanic isles) - 325 BC
- Britannia - 55 BC (Julius Caesar, Roman invasion of Britain)
- Breten - 855 (Old English Chronicle, introduction)
- Brittisc - 855 (OED)
- Grate Briteigne - 1548 (OED)
- British isles - 1550 (in Latin; map of Sebastian Munster cited in British Isles article)

Etymology

The etymology of the name Britain is thought to derive from a Celtic word, Pritani, "painted people/men", a reference to the inhabitants of the islands' use of body-paint and tattoos. If this is true, there is an interesting parallel with the name Pict, connected with a Latin word of the same meaning. The modern Welsh name for Britain is Prydain. The Q-Celtic form was Cruithin, showing that the Common Celtic singular form was qr[ui]tanos. The root is presumably that of the modern Gaelic/Irish word cruth 'shape, form'. It has also been postulated that Britain may derive from the Celtic goddess Brigid; the form of the word, however, is against this postulation. In 325 BC the Greek explorer Pytheas of Massalia visited a group of islands which he called Pretaniké, the principal ones being Albionon (Albion) and Ierne (Erin). The records of this visit date from much more recent times, so there is room for these details to be disputed, but it does seem to attest pre-Roman use of the name by Celtic-speaking inhabitants of the islands - or the names used by the Phoenecians Pytheas went with. The Roman geographer Ptolemy called the larger island Megale Brettania (Great Britain), and the smaller island Micra Bretannia (Little Britain).

Britain and Brittany

The original reference seems to have been to the territory in which the Brythonic languages were spoken, which more or less coincided with the Roman province of Britannia, an area equivalent to modern England, Wales and southern Scotland. In the Early Middle Ages speakers of a Brythonic language which later evolved into Breton migrated from Cornwall to Armorica, Western France, possibly because of pressure from Saxon invasions. This is why different forms of the same name apply to insular Britain and continental Brittany. In French the similarity is even more obvious: Bretagne and Grande Bretagne. Geoffrey of Monmouth used the names Britannia minor to refer to the Armorican region and Britannia major for the island. The element great in the term Great Britain thus simply means large, to make the distinction from Brittany.

Historical evolution of the term Britain

The kingdoms established on the island of Great Britain were perceived to be dominant over the whole archipelago, which thus came to be known as the British Isles. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the queen's astrologer and alchemist, John Dee, wrote mystical volumes predicting a British Empire and using the terms Great Britain and Britannia. After Elizabeth's death in 1603 the kingdoms shared one King, James VI of Scotland and I of England. On 20 October 1604 he proclaimed himself "King of Great Brittaine" (thus including Wales and also avoiding the cumbersome title "King of England and Scotland"). This title was eventually adopted formally in 1707 when the Kingdom of Great Britain was formed. Politically, then, British has been used to described someone or something from the United Kingdom, in its various forms, since 1707. Briton or Brit are also used colloquially in this form, though the use of Briton here is incorrect. Since its formation, the kingdom was enlarged in 1801 by the addition of the island of Ireland - already ruled by the British monarchy - to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and was then reduced in 1922 by the independence of the Irish Free State, now the Republic of Ireland. The name of the kingdom changed accordingly, in 1927 becoming The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. British was also used to describe members of nations that formed part of the British Empire. This use now, however, could be seen as justifying the colonial era, even if only applied historically.

Modern use of the term 'British'

The modern use of the term 'British' is as an adjective to describe someone or something from the United Kingdom. It is officially used as the term to describe the nationality of a citizen of the United Kingdom. Irish Nationalists may reject this term as offensive, as it is used to describe Irish people in Northern Ireland. Many people from England, Scotland and Wales also dislike the term, preferring to define themselves as natives of their own particular country. It is also frequently used to describe residents of the United Kingdom's current colonies. This may still offend some people, though since the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 all residents of the United Kingdom's remaining colonies have been eligible for British citizenship, making the term more apt. British occurs in the legal term British Islands . This was coined to describe all of the islands of the British Isles, exlcuding those that form part of the Republic of Ireland, when they act together as a political whole. Geographically, the term can be used in various ways:
- To describe someone from the island of Great Britain
- In the term British Isles, the traditional term for the entire archipelago of islands that lie off the north west coast of France, of which Great Britain and Ireland are the two biggest. Note that this is not intended to imply that all of these islands are part of the United Kingdom, for many of them are part of the Republic of Ireland. However, confusion caused by this term can lead to offense.
- The term has historically been used to describe someone or something from the British Isles. Due to the above mentioned potential for offense, this rarely happens today. For example the British Lions a rugby team which draws players from the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland has been renamed to the British and Irish Lions.
- Sometimes British applies to an area or territory currently or formerly governed by or a dependent territory of the United Kingdom, for example the British Virgin Islands, the British Indian Ocean Territory, or British Columbia which is now a province of Canada.

Brutus of Troy

In keeping with the mediaeval penchant for etymologising country names in terms of eponomous heroes, English historians of the late mediaeval and early modern periods charted the history of the nation from Brutus of Troy, supposedly a hero of the Trojan war who founded Britain just as Aeneaus' descendant Romulus founded Rome, Frankus France, and so forth. The life of Brutus, anglicised as Brute, was recorded in the literary tradition of the Prose Brute. This was long accepted as the etymology of Britain.

Sources and further reading

- A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World, 3000 BC - 1603 AD by Simon Schama, BBC/Miramax, 2000 ISBN 0786866756
- A History of Britain, Volume 2: The Wars of the British 1603-1776 by Simon Schama, BBC/Miramax, 2001 ISBN 0786866756
- A History of Britain - The Complete Collection on DVD by Simon Schama, BBC 2002
- The Isles, A History by Norman Davies, Oxford University Press, 1999, ISBN 0195134427
- Shortened History of England by G. M. Trevelyan Penguin Books ISBN 0140233237
- Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English by Eric Partridge, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1966

External links

- [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/ British History Online] Category:British Isles Category:History of Britain Category:Europe simple:Britain

Wheat

T. aestivum
T. aethiopicum
T. araraticum
T. boeoticum
T. carthlicum
T. compactum
T. dicoccon
T. durum
T. ispahanicum
T. karamyschevii
T. militinae
T. monococcum
T. polonicum
T. spelta
T. timopheevii