Structural and Physical adaptations of cereals

Authors Avatar

"Cereals form an important part of the human diet. Different species of cereal show structural and physiological adaptations which enable them to grow in different parts of the world."

Cereals crops are members of the grass family that are cultivated and harvested for their grain. These crops provide more energy than any other crop, forming the basis of traditional diets around the world. Cereal crops are high in carbohydrates and in some third-world countries, their grains make up the poor people’s diets.


Rice is the main staple food of people in the far eastern Asia. The cultivations of this crop are usually situated in areas where there is a low-labour cost, humid temperatures and high rainfall. There are two types of growing rice. One type is known as lowland rice where rice is grown in paddies (flooded plains). This is so that the roots could make use of the nutrient content from the water where it is growing. The other type of rice cultivation is called upland rice. This type is used in areas where there is insufficient amount of moisture to cultivate the rice crops. Upland rice produces less varieties of rice because of the inadequate nutrients available.

Join now!

Rice has many physiological adaptations that allow them to grow in areas mentioned. One adaptation includes the large air spaces that run along the length of the stem. This allows oxygen to diffuse through to the roots that are immersed in water. In addition, the roots of the rice crop are shallow which makes the absorption of the oxygen that diffuses into the surface layer of the soil easier. Furthermore, the root cells are able to respire anaerobically when oxygen levels fall too low. As a result, the cells release ethanol – a chemical that rice root cells have a ...

This is a preview of the whole essay