Growth Of Wheat

Wheat grows in a variety of climates and soil. Suitable weather and proper soil are needed to produce a healthy wheat crop. Wheat farmers must use high-quality seed that is free from disease to produce high yields. Farmers also must plant and harvest the wheat at the correct time. They must protect the growing crop from damage caused by disease and pests.

Wheat likes to be grown in fairly dry and mild climates. Weather conditions influence when wheat is planted. Winter wheat is planted from September to November. It is planted a few inches deep in narrow channels called furrows. Snow fills the furrows and protects the plants from the cold. Spring wheat is planted from early March to mid-April. It has a shorter growing period than winter wheat.

The steps for growing wheat are much the same throughout the world. However, wheat farms are different in size and levels of mechanization (work done by machinery). In many non-industrial countries, wheat farmers use animals to pull their plow across their fields. They also may plant and harvest their crop by hand. In industrialized countries, nearly all the wheat is grown on large farms and is harvested with the help of tractors and specialized machinery.

Wheat farmers prepare their fields by plowing the soil. This breaks up the surface of the soil and allows moisture to soak into the ground where it is stored for the next crop. Plowing the field also buries weeds that have grown in the damp soils.

A tractor-drawn machine called a drill is used to plant wheat seed. Long narrow channels (furrows) are dug by the drill. At the same time, it drops seeds into the furrows and covers them with soil. Fertilizer can also be dropped into the furrow along with the seed.

Source : library.thinkquest.org/5443/whowgrown.html

Paddy Into Rice

The rice cycle is generally about three months long, with rice seeds typically planted in early spring. Seeds are often put into seedbeds for germination (sprouting) and early growth. While seeds can be spread directly onto the land, saving labor cost and time, this results in far lower crop yields. As the seeds germinate, the land is flooded in preparation for transplanting.

Transplanting : When the seeds have germinated they are transplanted by hand to the wet rice paddies. Depending on the environment and type of rice, this transplantation may occur from 20 to 80 days after planting the seeds. During this process, the fields are drained of excess water to the level of the lowest leaves on the rice plant and carefully monitored.

Growing : The fields are then irrigated and fertilized until the plants are mature. During the growing phase the plant flowers and begins to develop four or five tillers along its main stem. Each tiller has a head, or panicle, that actually produces the grains of rice.

Harvesting : When the rice is ready to be harvested, the paddies must be completely drained and the field allowed to dry. Harvesting has several steps: cutting the plants, moving the crop to another location, threshing (separating the grain from the rest of the plant), cleaning, and storage. While harvesting can be accomplished using machinery, in many areas it is also carried out by hand in the traditional methods that have been used for generations.

The rice that we eat is actually a grain that is found inside the seed hull. During milling, the hull, or outside layer is removed, leaving brown rice. White rice is the result of more processing that removes the outer layers of bran until it is a translucent white grain.

Source : education.nationalgeographic.com/education/?ar_a=1