World production and grain composition of major cultivated species
Context
Out of crops raised for their seed/grains (listed under 35 species, by FAO; FAOSTAT, 2014), only 22 species are produced in substantial amounts. Species of graminae and leguminosae families alone account for about 85 percent of the total grain production. As presented here in Table 1.
Production
| Crop | Crop species | World production1 (1000 t) |
|---|---|---|
| Poaceae | ||
| Maize | Zea mays L. | 950394 |
| Rice | Oryza sativa L. | 733424 |
| Wheat | Triticum spp. | 700828 |
| Barley | Hordeum vulgare L. | 138252 |
| Sorghum | Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench | 58647 |
| Millet2 | Panicum miliaceum L. | 26528 |
| Oat | Avena sativa L. | 22639 |
| Rye | Secale cereale L. | 14906 |
| Triticale | X Triticosecale Wittm ex A. Camus | 14653 |
| Fabaceae | ||
| Soybean | Glycine max (L.) Merrill | 272426 |
| Groundnut3 | Arachis hypogaea L. | 41366 |
| Bean4 | Phaseolus vulgaris L. | 23898 |
| Chickpea | Cicer arietinum L. | 12735 |
| Pea, dry5 | Pisum sativum L. | 11013 |
| Cowpea | Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. | 6661 |
| Lentil | Lens culinaris Medikus | 4831 |
| Broad bean | Vicia faba L. | 4332 |
| Pigeon pea | Cajanus cajan L. Millsp. | 4454 |
| Others6 | ||
| Rapeseed7 | Brassica napus L., B campestris L. | 67789 |
| Sunflower | Helianthus annuus L. | 40931 |
| Sesame | Sesamum indicum L. | 4738 |
| Safflower | Carthamus tinctoris L. | 776 |
Grain composition
| Crop | Crop species | Harvested unit | Seed carbohydrate (g_per_kg) | Seed oil (g_per_kg) | Seed protein (g_per_kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poaceae | |||||
| Maize | Zea mays L. | Caryopsis | 800 | 50 | 100 |
| Rice | Oryza sativa L. | Caryopsis | 880 | 20 | 80 |
| Wheat | Triticum spp. | Caryopsis | 750 | 20 | 120 |
| Barley | Hordeum vulgare L. | Caryopsis8 | 760 | 30 | 120 |
| Sorghum | Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench | Caryopsis | 820 | 40 | 120 |
| Millet9 | Panicum miliaceum L. | Caryopsis | 690 | 50 | 110 |
| Oat | Avena sativa L. | Caryopsis10 | 660 | 80 | 130 |
| Rye | Secale cereale L. | Caryopsis | 760 | 20 | 120 |
| Triticale | X Triticosecale Wittm ex A. Camus | Caryopsis | 594 | 18 | 131 |
| Fabaceae | |||||
| Soybean | Glycine max (L.) Merrill | Non-endospermic seed | 260 | 170 | 370 |
| Groundnut11 | Arachis hypogaea L. | Non-endospermic seed | 120 | 480 | 310 |
| Bean12 | Phaseolus vulgaris L. | Non-endospermic seed | 620 | 20 | 240 |
| Chickpea | Cicer arietinum L. | Non-endospermic seed | 680 | 50 | 230 |
| Pea, dry13 | Pisum sativum L. | Non-endospermic seed | 520 | 60 | 250 |
| Cowpea | Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. | Non-endospermic seed | 570 | 10 | 250 |
| Lentil | Lens culinaris Medikus | Non-endospermic seed | 670 | 10 | 280 |
| Broad bean | Vicia faba L. | Non-endospermic seed | 560 | 10 | 230 |
| Pigeon pea | Cajanus cajan L. Millsp. | Non-endospermic seed | 560 | 20 | 250 |
| Others14 | |||||
| Rapeseed15 | Brassica napus L., B campestris L. | Non-endospermic seed | 190 | 480 | 210 |
| Sunflower | Helianthus annuus L. | Cypsela | 480 | 290 | 200 |
| Sesame | Sesamum indicum L. | Non-endospermic seed | 190 | 540 | 200 |
| Safflower | Carthamus tinctoris L. | Cypsela | 500 | 330 | 140 |
References
Page 3 and 4, Seed Biology and Yield of Grain Crops, 2nd Edition
Seed composition data from Bewley et.al. (2013), Sinclair and de Wit (1975), Langer and Hill (1991), Hulse et.al. (1980), and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (2015)
Average of 2011 to 2014, FAOSTAT (2016)↩︎
May include members of other genera such as Pennisetum, Papspalm, Setoria and Echinochla↩︎
In the shell↩︎
Also includes other species of Phaseolus and, in some countries, Vigna species.↩︎
May include P. arvense (field pea).↩︎
Rapeseed is in the Brassicaceae, sunflower and safflower are in the Asteraceae, and sesame is in Pedaliaceae.↩︎
May include industrial and edible (canola) types, data from some countries includes mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern, et Coss)↩︎
Harvested grain usually includes the lemma and palea↩︎
May include members of other genera such as Pennisetum, Papspalm, Setoria and Echinochla↩︎
Harvested grain usually includes the lemma and palea↩︎
In the shell↩︎
Also includes other species of Phaseolus and, in some countries, Vigna species.↩︎
May include P. arvense (field pea).↩︎
Rapeseed is in the Brassicaceae, sunflower and safflower are in the Asteraceae, and sesame is in Pedaliaceae.↩︎
May include industrial and edible (canola) types, data from some countries includes mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern, et Coss)↩︎