Grains are the plants of the monocotyledonous category, which are included in the Meatlikov family. This includes rye, oats, barley, buckwheat, etc. The purpose of growing such plant crops is grain. This is the main product used to make pasta, bread and various pastries. Also, grain is used as food for animals and birds. Used for such purposes, it is in pure form or in the form of mixtures.
Grain is used in the production of starch, alcohols, medicines, etc. Even by-products are used for their purpose, because they can also use chaff and straw as food or bedding for livestock. In this article we will tell you in detail about the most widely known cereals, providing a list of these plants with names and photos.
Wheat
Wheat can confidently be called the most important and significant grain crop. This plant is one of the first places in the field of food production. It is valuable in that its protein composition can form gluten, which is very important for the preparation of bakery products, pasta, semolina, etc. High-quality bread is baked from wheat flour, which has good taste properties and is also well absorbed by the body.
Bread, which was made from wheat, differs from other types of sticky crumb and low porosity. Aftertaste it leaves grassy and slightly malt.
Did you know? Wheat was cultivated from ten to seven thousand years ago. But in this regard, this culture has lost its ability to reproduce independently and now it is possible only through the efforts of man.
Wheat belongs to a number of annual plants. It is represented by many species. But the most common are hard and soft varieties. Solids are usually grown in areas where the climate is relatively dry. Thus, in Australia and in the countries of Western Europe they cultivate mainly soft wheat varieties, but in Argentina, the USA, in Western Asia, and also in our country, solid varieties prevail. This culture is used in the field of food. Flour, which is obtained from the grain, is sent to the manufacture of bread and other pastries. Waste after grinding the flour is sent to feed poultry and animals. 
Learn more about how to sow, harvest and fertilize winter wheat.
Both varieties of wheat culture have many similar characteristics, but also differ in many respects. According to historians, the ancient Romans and Greeks were able to distinguish these varieties of wheat. In flour, which is extracted from soft varieties, starch grains are larger and softer, and the consistency is noticeably thinner and crumbly. There is some gluten in such flour and it is able to absorb a little liquid. It is best used for the preparation of pastry pastry, and not bread. 
In flour from durum starch grains are smaller and harder. The consistency of fine-grained nature, and the amount of gluten is much higher. This flour can absorb a lot of liquid and is usually used for baking bread.
Barley
Barley is called one of the most ancient plant crops. There is information that more than 4 thousand years ago they were engaged in the cultivation of this grain crop in China. As for Egypt, the remains of this grain plant were found in the burials of the pharaohs. It was from there that this plant fell into the territory of the Roman Empire, as well as of ancient Greece. According to merit, beer made from barley is called the oldest drink of humanity. Grain was also used to make porridge and bake bread. A little later, it began to be used as feed for their pets and birds. 
This is an annual herb. The height of the stem can reach about 135 cm. Barley can be grown on virtually any soil, since it is not capricious and demanding to the growing conditions. In connection with its properties, the plant has found its distribution both in the north and in the south. To date, several hundreds of different barley varieties were bred, each of which was adapted to different terrain conditions.
It is recommended to sow barley early, when the soil is still saturated with sufficient moisture. This is due to the fact that the root system of barley is superficial. The plant is spring and winter. Spring barley crops are more resistant to frost and early ripening. As for winter crops, it is a subspecies that endures drought and high temperatures more tenaciously. 
Barley is used to make pearl barley, barley groats, as well as barley drink, which resembles coffee in its taste. Also, this plant is used in the field of alternative medicine, as it is believed that it has cleansing, soothing and firming properties.
Did you know? Pearl barley got its name from the word "pearl", which means "pearl". So it was called in connection with the production technology. In order to make barley from barley grains, you need to remove the outer shell, and then polish the core. After that, it goes on sale either in a holistic form or crushed (pearl-barley flakes).
Barley porridge is perfect for people who are overweight, because such a product, passing through the intestines, takes and removes from the body excess cholesterol and harmful elements. A decoction of barley can help in the treatment of dry cough, they can also treat intestinal diseases and cystitis.
Products such as honey, parsnip, sunberry, fig and kumquat also have a beneficial effect on the digestive system.
Oats
Cultivated grain plant called oats began to grow in about 2500 BC. er Today it is very difficult to determine where exactly the sources of its cultivation come from, but the opinions of archaeologists agree that it was somewhere in Eastern Europe.
To date, approximately 95% of oats are grown as animal feed, and only the remaining 5% is used for consumption by the population. There is quite a bit of gluten in the oats, so it’s not practical to make ordinary bread out of it. But on the other hand, it can be safely added to various confectionery products, in particular, used for baking the famous oatmeal cookies.
Oats are an excellent fodder crop. It contains a lot of protein and starch, as well as vegetable fat and ash. It is indispensable for feeding horses and young cattle. Grain is composed of a large amount of vitamins of group B, as well as manganese, cobalt and zinc.
This plant is not demanding to the ground. It will grow well on clay and loamy soils, as well as on sandy and peaty soils. It will be bad to grow only on excessively saline soil. This plant culture is self-pollinated. The growing season lasts from 95 to 120 days. 
This cultural unit has a high rate of productivity. For example, in Ukraine on high-quality plots you can collect about 65-80 centners of grain per hectare. The most valuable is grain, which has a white color. Black, gray and red grains have a slightly lower value. The largest countries producing oats for the current time are Germany, Ukraine, Poland, Russia, Northern Kazakhstan, as well as the United States.
Rye
Rye is the most plastic cereal crop in the areas of its distribution. It is able to perfectly adapt to the regions of complex natural climate. Only this cereal plant can withstand a decrease in temperature to -23 ° C. The advantage of rye can also be considered its resistance to acidic soils. It has a highly developed root system, which absorbs water well, as well as nutrient elements from the soil deep layers. Its resistance to stress helps to produce a stable and rich harvest, even in those years when weather conditions are characterized by unfavorable manifestations.
Important! Currently, Poland is the largest country producing rye.
This grass has a fibrous and very powerful root system that goes down to the ground to a depth of 2 m. On average, the stem of rye grows up to 80-100 cm in height, it depends on both the plant variety and the conditions in which it grows. Sometimes rye can grow up to 2 m in height. The stalk itself is almost bare, only under the ear has a low hairiness. The foliage of this plant is flat, about 2.5 cm wide and about 30 cm long. The surface of the leaves is often pubescent, which indicates a high level of drought resistance of the plant. 
Rye grains come in different sizes, colors and shapes. They can be either oval or slightly elongated. The length of one grain usually varies from 5 to 10 mm. Color options may be yellow, white, brownish, gray or slightly greenish.
This cereal crop rises quickly enough, after which it rapidly begins to build up a green mass. Dense and powerful stems are formed already for 18-20 days after the emergence of rye, and already for 45-50 days the plant begins to spike. Pollen from this culture is easily carried by the wind. Full maturity of the plant occurs approximately two months after it has been planted.
Rye - This is one of the most useful cereal crops. It is an excellent dietary product, incorporates a large amount of minerals and vitamins, which are indispensable for humans. Here there are vitamins of groups B and A, folic acid, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, lysine and many other useful elements.
Rye products, preparations and decoctions help in the fight against a number of diseases. These include cancer, arthritis and arthrosis, heart disease, liver, kidney and urinary system, allergies, asthma, diabetes.
The most valuable is flour, which is called wallpaper. It is unpurified and has particles of grain shells. Due to such processing, this product preserves a lot of wholesome whole grains. Rye flour is used to prepare diet baking, various cereals are made from grains. 
Straw can be fed to livestock or used as bedding for the same animals. Also such straw will be an excellent material for mulching strawberries.
Important! Rye has a positive effect on the soil on which it grows. It loosens the loamy soil, making it lighter and more permeable. Another rye can slightly displace pests.
Millet
Cultivation of millet is practiced in America, Africa, Asia and, of course, Europe. The homeland of this culture is not exactly known, but many studies indicate that it was first started to grow it in China. Millet husks can be used to feed livestock and poultry.
The advantage of millet is its resistance to drought. This feature allows you to sow such a crop in areas where other grains will not grow. In addition, such a plant perfectly tolerates heat, which means that it will be possible to harvest high yields even at high temperatures. 
Millet is very useful. The composition has a large amount of protein. Surprisingly, there is even more protein in it than it has in rice. Millet is also rich in vitamins and minerals. It has a lot of fiber, which works in the human body according to the “brush” principle, that is, it cleans the intestines from decomposition products and toxins.
Important!Often, doctors recommend eating millet porridge after antibiotic treatment has been carried out, because it helps to normalize the general state of the microflora, as well as cleanse the body.
This culture can significantly strengthen the immune system, so that the body will be more resistant to the effects of various infections. The use of millet will help to normalize the amount of cholesterol, as well as enhance the processes of accretion of bones that have undergone damage. Improve the composition of the blood will help iron, which is present in the millet in large volumes. Speaking about the caloric content, it is worth noting that there are 298 kcal per 100 g of raw product, but this figure drops significantly after heat treatment. There is practically no gluten in the millet, so that people who have problems with protein processing can safely use such a product. Millet is rich in folic acid, which stabilizes the nervous system.
Also, the work of the nervous system is stabilized by such plants as: green beans, dogwood, stonecrop visible, beet leaves, oregano and watercress.
Corn
Corn is perhaps one of the oldest cereal crops listed in this article. According to researchers, it was brought about 8,700 years ago in Mexico. Historians hold the view that corn is essential in the development of various developed cultures of America. They explain their point of view by the fact that it was corn that laid the foundation for productive farming of that time. After Columbus discovered the American continent, this culture spread throughout Europe. This is a very tall annual plant that can reach a height of 3 m (in very rare cases - 6 m and above). It has a well-developed root system, and supporting air roots can also form at the bottom of the stem. The stalk of corn is straight, about 7 cm in diameter, there is no cavity inside (which distinguishes it from many other cereals).
When growing corn, you can use such herbicides as: "Callisto", "Gezagard", "Dialen Super", "Prima" and "Titus".
The shape of the grains is very interesting and unique, they are rounded and tightly pressed against one another. The grains are most often yellow in color, but can also be reddish, blue, purple and even black.
Approximately 70% of the areas of corn produce grain, the rest in the predominant amount goes to silage. Also small corn crops can be used as pastures for livestock. Grain serves as feed for poultry and pigs. It can be fed in a holistic form, and can be pre-ground into flour. Also, corn is used for the manufacture of food products. Grains, both fresh and canned, are a very popular dish among the population of many countries. Dry grains are also used, for example, for making flakes, porridge, hominy. Pancakes, tortillas and others are baked from corn flour. 
Did you know? It has been proven that by consuming corn it is possible to slow down the aging process in the body. So beautiful women who want to preserve their youth are encouraged to include such a product in their diet. But it should be remembered about the calorie content of this delicacy. Per 100 g of product there are 365 kcal.
Spelled
Spelled popularly called "black caviar of cereals." She is considered to be a certain ancestor of modern wheat. So called because of the unique taste and healthy properties that brought her worldwide fame.
Spelled spelled is thrashed not in pure form, but with scales of spikelets and flowers. So grind it into flour is quite difficult. This is a semi-wild wheat variety that can take root on virtually any soil, is very fond of light and tolerates drought well. 
At the present time, the interest in the spelled has been very lively due to the aspirations of mankind towards healthy eating. There are restaurants that serve highly original dishes that are prepared from spelled: soups, cereals, tender sauces, etc. In Italy, spelled risottos became popular, and in India they cook delicious side dishes for fish and poultry.
The composition of spelled is rich in protein. It also contains a lot of magnesium, iron and vitamins. As for gluten, it is not enough in this cereal, therefore it is recommended for use by people who are allergic to gluten. It is noteworthy that the spelled contains almost all the nutritional elements that are necessary for the human body for normal functioning. 
Buckwheat
Buckwheat - This is a valuable culture for the food area. The grains of this plant (jarice) are processed into flour and groats. This product is very different from the rest of the taste, as well as nutritional value. The protein of such cereals is more complete than the protein of cereal plants. Grain processing waste is sent to be fed to livestock. 
Cultivation is practiced in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, and it is also used in the territories of other countries. The plant has a stem of a reddish color, its flowers are collected in brushes and have a pinkish shade. The composition of buckwheat contains a large number of trace elements and vitamins of group B. There is also a large amount of vegetable protein and amino acids. 
From buckwheat prepare a lot of dishes. Это не только каши, но и разнообразные запеканки, котлеты, супы, фрикадельки и даже десертные блюда. Мало того, из цветков растения готовят настои и чаи.
Important! Употребление гречки входит в перечень рекомендаций многих диет. Это не удивительно, ведь концентрация полезных минеральных веществ и витаминов в гречке выше в 2-3 раза, чем в каких-либо иных крупах. It helps speed up the metabolism, and even remove excess water from the body. It should be remembered that such a product can not be mixed with sugar. The latter is able to neutralize most of the useful elements of buckwheat.
Quinoa
Quinoa is an annual plant and is included in the Marevyh family. This is a cereal crop that usually grows high in the mountains. It is most common at an altitude of 3000 m and higher above sea level. South America is considered the birthplace of this plant. The first mentions of it in print form were seen in 1553. The plant can grow up to 1.8 m in height. The stalk of quinoa is light green, the leaves and fruits are round and are clustered in large sizes. The grain in appearance is very similar to buckwheat, but have a different color. Groats are found in different colors. It can be red, beige or black, depending on the variety. 
To date, quinoa is very fond of vegetarians. Croup is boiled and used as a side dish. Also often add it to soups. To taste, it to some extent resembles rice. Also, grits are ground into flour and bread is baked from it. Still cooked pasta products.
Did you know? As part of quinoa there are many vitamins of groups A and B, there is also folic acid, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, etc. The caloric content of 100 g of the product is 368 kcal. Nutritionists are very fond of quinoa and believe that it has no equal among the other cereals in terms of the volume of valuable elements. Often they compare such a product with mother's milk, noting that it is almost completely absorbed by the human body.
Summing up, it is worth emphasizing the diversity of cereal crops, the cultivation of which humanity has been engaged in for more than one millennium. Each of the cereals is rich in nutrients and vitamins. Plants are used in different directions and almost waste-free. Cereals are cooked with many dishes, and also include them in the diet of livestock. 
