Friday, February 15. 2019What is special about the Baobab tree?
The Baobab tree can hold up to 120,000 litres of water in its trunk: There are nine species of Baobab; six in Madagascar, two in mainland Africa and one in Australia. The trees reach heights of 98 feet and trunk diameters of 36 feet. The Baobab is known as the ‘tree of life’ as every part is valuable – the bark is used to make rope and clothing, the seeds used to make cosmetic oils, the leaves are edible, the trunk provides shelter and stores water, and the fruit, known as ‘monkey bread’, is a rich source of vitamin C. the Baobab is the national tree of Madagascar.
Picture Credit : Google Thursday, December 6. 2018What are the major grasses cultivated for food grains?
The first cereal to be cultivated by Man was wheat. It was probably grown first in Mesopotamia about 6,000 years ago. It later spread to China, Egypt and Europe. In the past 100 years, we have developed many kinds of wheat for different climates. Today, Man grows wheat more than other grain. Various kinds of food items are made out of wheat. The grain can be stored for years if it is kept dry. Wheat straws used as cattle feed and bedding for livestock. It is also used as fertilizer. Rice, the second most important grain in the world, grows best in warm, humid regions. Most kinds of rice plants grow in about 10 centimetres of water for much of the growing season. Therefore, the field has to be flooded until the harvest time. Rice is also used for the production of glue, sugar, starch and wine in many parts of Asia. In Japan and China, rice straw is used for making paper. Corn or maize is another important grain. It is used for the manufacture of corn oil, corn syrup, and kind of sugar called dextrose. Oats, rye, and barley are also important grains. Oats is made into oatmeal, a popular cereal food. The stalk and the grain of oats are used as food for livestock as well. Rye is a common grain in Northern Europe and Russia. Rye is primarily used as livestock feed. However, people used it for making bread too. Barely, another important grain, is grown for food and for cattle feed. It is also used for brewing beer. Several cereal grasses are together called by the name millet. Millets too are an important food for millions of people across the globe.
Picture Credit : Google Thursday, December 6. 2018How are grasses classified?
Grasses make Earth green and beautiful. There are about 9,000 kinds of grass in the world. Among them, four large groups have a close connection with Man. They are pasture grasses, the sweet grasses, the cereals and the bamboos. Grass is the favourite food of cattle. Domesticating cows and sheeps was a great option for Man because he did not have to find food for them as they ate grass. The plains, the prairies, and other areas of grass are natural grazing places for cattle. Bluegrass, Buffalo grass, Bermuda grass, and Bent grasses are some of the most sought-after pasture grasses. The cattle can also feed on hay, which is made by drying grass. Hay can be stored as winter feed for grazing animals. Cereal grass is probably the most important grass in Man’s life. They are the grain grasses with seeds that can be eaten. Cereal grass is named after Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain and of the harvest. They are wheat, rice, corn, oats, barley, rye, and millet. Bamboo is the tallest among all the grasses. Some of them can grow as tall as tall trees. They can grow very fast too. Some kinds reach a height of about 21 metres in 6 to 8 weeks. One kind of bamboo is said to have grown 90 centimetres in 24 hours! While most bamboos are tall, some varieties grow only a few inches. A grass sweetens the tea and coffee we drink every day. Of the many sweet grasses, the most important grass is sugarcane. These grasses grow abundantly in sunny, moist, semitropical places. The sweet juice of sugarcane grass is extracted by cutting the talks of the grass into pieces and crushing them. The juice is then strained and the water boiled out of it Molasses and sugar are made out of this juice. Sorghum is another such sweet grass. Sorghum is found across Africa and in parts of Asia.
Picture Credit : Google |
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