my country is a major agricultural country with a long and rich agricultural civilization, dating back to the Neolithic Age more than 8,000 years ago. So what were the two earliest crops cultivated by the Chinese? The details are as follows:
What were the two earliest crops cultivated by the Chinese?
The two earliest crops cultivated by the Chinese were rice and chestnut. Rice is more familiar to everyone, while chestnut is an annual herbaceous plant, commonly known as "guzi" in the north. After being hulled, it becomes millet , which was a general term for grains in ancient times.
What are the differences between rice and chestnuts?
1. Differences between family and genus
Rice is an annual aquatic herb belonging to the Poaceae family and the Oryza genus; while chestnut is an annual plant belonging to the Poaceae family and the Setaria genus.
2. Morphological differences
The morphological characteristics of rice are: loose leaf sheaths, hairless, lanceolate ligules, 10-25 mm long, with the base on both sides extending to the edge of the leaf sheath; the morphological characteristics of chestnut are: cylindrical stems, 60-150 cm tall, with tillers growing from the basal nodes, one leaf per node, with linear-lanceolate leaf blades, 10-60 cm long.
3. Differences in Grains
Rice and chestnuts are both important food crops, but rice, after being hulled and peeled, is called rice , which has large grains and is milky white; while chestnuts, after being hulled and peeled, are called millet, which has small grains and is yellow.
4. Growing environment
Rice is an important grain widely cultivated in tropical Asia, mainly growing in areas with high temperatures and humidity; while millet is suitable for growing in arid areas lacking irrigation.
5. How to eat
Rice is the primary staple food for Chinese people. In addition to being cooked into rice and eaten directly, it can also be used to brew wine, make sugar, and serve as an industrial raw material. Chestnuts are mainly eaten by cooking rice or porridge, and they can also be processed into various dried foods. Furthermore, millet can be used to brew wine, vinegar, maltose, and so on.
