摘要：Grain crops grown in South Africa contribute between 25% and 33% of South Africa’s total gross agriculturalproduction. 1,2 The most commonly cultivated grain crops include maize (Zea mays L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.),barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), oats (Avena sativa L.), millet (Pennisetumglaucum L.) and rye (Secale cereal L.). Of these, maize is considered the most important and wheat the secondmost important. 2,3 The grains are utilised for food and livestock feed and, to a lesser extent, for malting purposesand bioethanol production. 1,2 Grains constitute the major portion of the total calorie intake of South Africans, acrossall age groups. The average consumption of maize by people older than 10 years varies from 762 g to 848 g cookedweight per person per day. .
