Introduction

I. Topic

This introductory lecture follows a rather detailed introduction to the class and the class mechanics. Therefore, the material here introduces the green plant concept, the uses of green plants by mankind, the most important crop plants and their uses.
 

II. Learning Objectives

To learn the impact of the green plant concept on human civilization

To become familiar with crop plants and their uses

To understand the disparity between diet variety in developed/developing nations

To become familiar with crop classes

III. Overview

The green plant concept changed this. When mankind learned to plant and cultivate green plants, not only did he have to stay in one place, but began to produce enough for his family and even produced a surplus. (If you plant one seed of wheat, you get 200 back!)

The development of agriculture first occurred in the flood plains of rivers. (The Tigress and Euphrates, the Nile and the Yangse). The fertile soft ground lent itself to production with simple tools. Now for the first time, permanent villages could be constructed. The productivity of photosynthesis, converting water, carbon dioxide and sunlight to a carbohydrate and O₂ made this all possible. (6 H₂O + 6 CO₂ + Heat + chlorophyll > C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 H₂O). From these early farms developed the world's first great civilizations, Babylon, Egypt and China.

Crop plants are used for many more things than just food. There are also very few crop plants that are cultivated. Of the 800 cultivated, 19 crops occupy 97% of all the earth's farmlands. The crops we will be covering in this class will be the cereals, legumes, sugar and root crops, and the fiber crops. These are the crops that are grown on 98% of the world's agricultural acres.
 

IV. Lecture

Crop concept  Green  Cultivated  Portion utilized by man	CONCEPT   As allowed, man developed permanent settlements - the beginnings of towns and cities. These were bases on agricultural productivity
Usage categories  Human food  Animal feed  Fiber  Drug-medicinal  Building material  Industrial feedstock	CONCEPT   Plants are used for many more purposes than food.

 These represent a small fraction of the total crop species.

• There are: 140,000 cultivated plant species, 80,000 produce food, 800 have been cultivated.
• 38 major food crops in the U.S.' 95% comes from only 20.
• 87 food-deficient countries average only 6 important food crops.
• The world average per country is 11.

                                                                  CONCEPT

 Other important world food crops and uses:
 

Fiber	Drug	Industrial	Feed	Food
Ramie	Tobacco	Hops	Mustard	Safflower
Hemp	Peppermint	Guayule	Rape	Sesame
Cotton		Crambe	Alfalfa	Sunflower
Flax		Castor bean	Forages	Teff
Kenaf				Tapioca

 

 Horticulturals: fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, spices, ornamentals, drugs, medicinal.

 Crop Classes:

• Corn, sorghum, millets, wheat, rye, triticale, barley, oats, buckwheat, rice
• Soybeans, peanuts, peas, beans (legumes)
• Sugar beets, sugarcane, potato, sweet potato, cassava (sugar and root)
• Flax, cotton, jute (fiber)

V. Summary

	Be able to define the green plant concept.	!!!!!!SIDE NOTE!!!!!!!
	Understand the diversity of plant uses.	For more information on what you just read.....
	Be able to relate crop species to world agricultural acreage.	Click HERE!!!!!!
	Understand the disparity between developed and developing nations in food crops in their diet.	(Note: You WILL be leaving this web site!)
	Be able to list the major crop classes and comment on why they are in those groups.