How is corn a cereal crop agriculturally and a fruit botanically?

Question

How is corn a cereal crop agriculturally and a fruit botanically?

Answer 1

1 ) From agricultural point of view = It is a grain crop rich in carbohydrates and good in proteins .

2 ) From Botanical point of view  EACH corn grain is a FRUIT !

Botanically it is a DRY AND INDEHISCENT FRUIT  ( Does not open at all ) .

It has only one seed inside and the seed coat ( TESTA ) and the fruit wall ( PERICARP ) both are permanently fused to form a common covering for both called HULL .

This type of fruit is called in botany as CARYOPSIS .

All cereals are , botanically , Caryopsis type of fruits . All are grasses and all belong to family Poaceae .

Click the links for info. / images .====

1 ) Caryopsis fruit with testa and pericarp fused together .

E. means endosperm or starch ; Aleurone layer = protein layer .=

http://www.icrisat.org/text/research/gre...

http://www.esu.edu/~milewski/intro_biol_...

http://bio-ditrl.sunsite.ualberta.ca/det...

From = A Botanist