Agricultural Crop
Agricultural crops are plants that are grown or deliberately managed by man for certain purposes.
Foxtail millet
Foxtail millet is the second most widely planted species of the smaller cereals that are known as ‘millets‘. It is an old crop which was already used in China over 7000 years ago.
Rice
Rice is a tropical cereal, but it also grows in some temperate regions with a warmer climate.
It is the second most important cereal in the world after maize. In the tropics it’s the primary cereal for human consumption. Rice is the main staple food for half the world’s population.
Enokitake
Enokitake (or Enoki) is an edible mushroom. The cultivated variety is a bundle of long thin white mushrooms. They are white because they are not exposed to light. In the wild, the mushroom looks different with a brown color, shorter and thicker stems, and bigger caps.
Velvet apple
The Velvet apple (also called Mabolo) is not a real apple but rather a rare tropical fruit that is related to ebony trees. The name is well chosen as it looks like an apple but with a rather velvety skin, similar to a peach.
Cherimoya
Cherimoya originates from the Andes area in South America. It is a small tree which is grown for its sweet fruits. The fruits are sometimes known as “custard apple” but that name is also used for several different (but related) fruit species.
Leaf vegetables
The category “Leaf vegetables” includes plants of which the leaves are used as food. Well known leaf vegetables are lettuce and spinach. Some leaf vegetables (e.g. lettuce) are consumed raw, while others are cooked. Most common leaf vegetables come from short-lived herbaceous plants (e.g. lettuce), but also many trees and woody plants have edible leaves.
Vegetables
The “Vegetables” category in the World Crops Database includes edible plants that are grown as a food crop for their leaves, stems, roots, tubers, bulbs, corms, pods or flowers, but plants that are only grown for their sweet fruit or for seeds or grains are not included. Also plants that are consumed in smaller quantities,
Cereals
The “Cereals” category in the World Crops Database includes cereal grains in the family Poaceae (or Gramineae). These are grasses cultivated for their seeds.
African teak
Iroko or African teak is a tree which grows in the African rain forest. The tree yields a strong and durable dark brown hardwood timber.
Great morinda
Fruits of the Great morinda can be eaten raw or is used in cooking (for example in curry. Seeds can be eaten when roasted. Leaves can be used as a green vegetable.
Great morinda is a fruit related to coffee.
Cardamom
True cardamom or Green cardamom is a plant in the ginger family. The green seed pods of the plant are dried and the seeds are used as a spice, sometimes whole but often as a ground powder. Cardamom is commonly used in Indian and other Asian food.
Artichoke
Artichoke is a thistle which is grown for the edible parts of the immature flowers.
Cardoon is the same species as artichoke, but it is a wild variety. The stems are eaten as a vegetable.
Drumstick tree
The immature green pods are eaten as a vegetable. They are called “drumstick”. Also the leaves are edible and sold as vegetables.
Tossa jute
Tossa jute (Corchorus olitorius) is a tropical annual plant that is cultivated as a fiber crop or as a leaf vegetable.
The related White jute (Corchorus capsularis) is also a fiber crop.
Special effect crops
The world crops database includes hundreds of crops, but a few of them are quite special. Some of the most amazing crops include Durian, Sichuan pepper and Miracle fruit.
Special effect crops Read More »
Safflower
Safflower is a thistle-like plant with yellow, orange or red flowers. It is cultivated to extract vegetable oil from the seeds.
Flowers of Safflower are sometimes used as a cheaper substitute for saffron, which is why it is sometimes called “bastard saffron”.
Basil
Basil is a culinary herb which is used a lot in Italian food. It is also common in certain dishes of Northeast and Southeast Asia. There are different varieties of basil, each with a slightly different taste.
St John’s wort
St John's wort, is a medicinal herb that is used to treat depression. It is grown commercially in some parts of south east Europe, but in other places it is considered a weed. The plant is poisonous to grazing livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, horses).
Jicama
Jicama is a vine with edible tuberous root which can be eaten raw. After peeling the skin the tuberous roots look a bit like potato and have a watery but fresh taste.
The seeds of the plant are toxic as they contain rotenone, which is a pesticide used to kill insects and fish.
Indian screw tree
The Indian Screw Tree is a shrub which can be found in Asia (India, South china, Thailand, Malaysia, Java) and Australia. The fruits are pods that are twisted like a screw with a pointed tip.
This plant is sometimes classified in the Malvaceae family but sometimes in a different family: Sterculiaceae.
Snow fungus
Snow fungus (also White jelly mushroom) consists of white, gelatinous fruiting bodies, which measure about 7 centimeters. It is commercially cultivated and very popular in China, often used in soups or savory dishes. It has a crispy rubbery texture.
Matsutake
Matsutake is an expensive mushroom which is especially valued in Japan and China. The mushroom has a spicy-aromatic odor.
White goosefoot
White goosefoot is usually considered a weed but it is cultivated in some regions and used as a leaf vegetable. It is sometimes called pigweed, which is confusing as that name is also used for Common purslane and for Amaranthus spp.
Green amaranth
Green amaranth is a species of vegetable in the Amaranth family (Amaranthaceae). The leaves are edible.
Fruit Trees Paintings
Fruit trees appear in a lot of paintings. Especially Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh has produced several works with all kinds of flowering trees. The following is a small gallery of paintings with fruit trees.
Fruit Trees Paintings Read More »
Silver date palm
Fruits of the silver date palm are used to make wine or jelly. The sweet sap which is tapped from the tree can be drunk fresh, or is boiled to make palm sugar.
Fruits Paintings
Fruits come in many shapes, sizes, tastes and of course colors. Painters often select a colorful display of fruits for their still life paintings. But also people carrying fruit baskets are popular topics in art. The following is a small gallery of paintings dedicated to fruits.
Kapok
Kapok or Ceiba is a large tropical tree which produces a type of cotton. These fibers are the hairs that grow on the seeds and are used as a filling in mattresses, pillows, padding of seats, stuffed toys, and for insulation.
Kapok originates from Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean.
Iris
Irises are flowering plants in the genus Iris which includes many wild and cultivated species. The flowers are gold-yellow, yellow, white, blue, or purple, but cultivated varieties can have different colors (pink, orange, etc.).
Cultivated irises are used as ornamental plants in gardens or as cut flowers.
Cereals Paintings
Cereals appear regularly in paintings, especially wheat fields seem to inspire artists. The following gallery of paintings includes several wheat fields painted by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh.
Strawberry tree
Fruits of the strawberry tree are used to make wine, jam or liquors.
The strawberry tree is not related to the strawberry. it is a shrub with fruits that look like strawberries.
Jojoba
Jojoba is a shrub which is grown for the jojoba oil, a liquid wax in its seeds.
The jojoba oil has various uses for example as lubricating oil, in pharmaceutical products, as bio-diesel fuel, or cooking oil.
Jojoba originates from North America and is cultivated in desert and semi-desert regions.
Flowers Paintings
Flowers are colorful and have inspired many artists. The Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh painted a lot of colorful flowers and especially his sunflowers and irises are famous.
Harvesting Paintings
Agriculture has inspired many artists. Farmers collecting their crop from the field is a popular theme in agricultural art. Here is a small gallery of paintings that all relate to crop harvesting.
Harvesting Paintings Read More »
Crop production
The FAOstat website provides production statistics for a wide range of crops and is updated every year. This post explores which are the crops with the highest global production. Crops are grouped in cereals, fruits, vegetables, pulses, fibers, and other categories.
Wild rice
Four species in the genus Zizania are known as wild rice, but they should not be confused with Asian rice (Oryza sativa), which is a plant in a different genus.
Of all species the grains can be used as a cereal, but the Manchurian wild rice is nowadays mainly cultivated in China to use the thickened stems as a vegetable.
Job’s tears
Job’s tears is a tropical plant in the grasses family which is sometimes used as a cereal. It is also sometimes grown as an ornamental plant.
In China it is used together with other herbs in traditional Chinese medicine.
Fonio
Fonio or White fonio (Digitaria exilis) is a cereal crop grown in the savannas of West Africa. It has very small seeds and is therefore one of the cereals that are called “millets”. Sometimes it is called “hungry rice”.
A related species Digitaria iburua is called Black fonio.
Vegetables production
Many vegetables are produced and traded all over the world, but which one is the most common? If we look at the weight (kilos) produced, tomatoes are the most popular vegetable in the world, followed by dry onions, cabbages and other brassicas, and cucumbers.
Vegetables production Read More »
Fruits production
Many types of fruits are produced and traded all over the world. The most popular fruits in the world are bananas, apples, oranges and grapes.
Cereal production
Cereals include the most important food crops. The top three cereals in the world are Maize, Rice and Wheat. Together they represent about 90% of all cereals produced in the world.
Allspice
Allspice is the dried fruit of Pimenta dioica. It combines the smell and taste of several spices including cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper.
Winter purslane
Winter purslane is a small annual plant which originates from North America and which is used as a leaf vegetable. It is sometimes called Miner's lettuce because during the California Gold Rush miners used to eat it as a source of vitamin C.
Plowing Farmers Paintings
The plow (or plough) is a basic instrument in agriculture and has been in use for thousands of years. Initially land was prepared with simple digging sticks or hoes. The first plows that were used were human powered, but when animals became domesticated plowing became easier with the use of horses and cattle.
Plowing Farmers Paintings Read More »