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Cereals

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Anurudh K. Singh at National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources
Anurudh K. Singh
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Abstract

Cereals occupy maximum hectares of land and hold world’s largest grain production. Rice, wheat, and maize account for 80% of the grain produced in the world. The major distribution areas of wild species of cereals in India are the Western Himalayas, the northeastern region, and eastern peninsular tracts. Archeological and historical evidence reveal the region extending from Northeast Hills in India to mountain ranges of Southeast Asia and South-West China to be the primary center of origin of Oryza sativa L. India has abundant wild species genetic resources of rice spread all over the subcontinent except for the western arid and semi-arid plains (Fig. 4.1). It is particularly rich for Oryza nivara Sharma & Shastry, O. rufipogon Griff., O. officinalis Wall. ex Watt, O. malamphuzhensis and O. granulata Nees & Arn. ex Watt. (Fig. 4.1). Most species are found in ditches, ponds, and paddy fields; O. nivara is largely found in the Deccan Plateau (Fig. 4.2a). The natural hybrid population (O. sativa ssp. spontanea) of O. sativa with wild relatives, O. nivara, and O. rufipogon in rice field is found all over South and Southeast Asia. Maximum diversity in Oryza species occurs in the peninsular tract of eastern part of the country with O. nivara (annual), O. rufipogon (perennial), and weedy O. spontanea types in indica cultivars. In addition, Porteresia coarctata (Roxb.) Tateoka (= O. coarctata), a tetraploid species, also exists in India and is found in the tidal swamps of Sunderbans and the Godavari delta. The other members of Oryzeae of potential use are Hygroryza aristata (Retz.) Nees, Leersia hexandra Swartz, and L. hackelii Keng, a cold-tolerant species.
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© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 13
A.K. Singh, Wild Relatives of Cultivated Plants in India,
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-5116-6_4
Book: Wild Relatives of Cultivated Plants in India: A Reservoir of Alternative Genetic Resources
and More
Chapter 4. Cereals
Abstract
The wild species of cereals are mainly distributed in Western Himalayas, the north-eastern region,
and eastern peninsular tracts of India. Wild species of rice, a crop native to Indian Subcontinent
are spread all over, except for the western arid and semi-arid plains. Whereas, the wild species
related to bread wheat for which northwest part of Indian Subcontinent, adjoining to the Hindukush
Mountains is considered secondary center of diversity and those of genera allied to barley and
wheat, such as Aegilops, Elymus are distributed in the Himalayan region. Among millets, Kodo
millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum) and little millet (Panicum sumatrense) are indigenous to India.
Kodo millet has several weedy types, while wild types related to little millet, are found in tarai
range and of the allied, ssp. psilopodium in hills of Tamil Nadu. Among other cereals, wild types
are the forms of Digitaria cruciata and Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi), domesticated in Indo-
Myanmar region. In addition, several wild taxa of exotic taxa, such as Amaranthus, Pennisetum,
Sorghum naturalize to Indian Subcontinent are found in different biogeographical regions.
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