legumes vs cereals


28 Dec 2024

Legumes vs cereals


Difference between legumes and cereals.

  • Legumes are plant-based foods while cereals are grain-based foods.

  • Legumes consist of peas, lentils, beans, lupins, mesquite, carob, alfalfa, tamarind, clover and chickpeas whileas cereals consist of maize, rice, barley, rye, oats, millet and wheat.

  • Legumes belong to the bean family of fabaceae while cereals belong to the grass family of poaceae.

  • Legumes contain high levels of carbohydrates compared to cereals with very low carbohydrates.

  • Legumes are higher in protein compared to cereals with low protein content.

  • Starch from legumes is less digestable compared to starch from cereals which is easily digested.

  • Legumes can take up to six months to mature compared to cereals which can take between three to four months to mature.

  • Cool-season legumes require less water to grow compared to cereals which require much water to grow.

  • Seeds of legumes should be planted between six inches and twelve inches apart compared to cereals where their seeds should be sowed in rows that is 15cm apart.

  • Legumes tend to grow well in low altitudes compared to cereals which can grow well in high altitudes.

  • Legumes are popularly grown in India compared to cereals which are popularly grown in China.

  • Legumes are more cheaper to buy compared to cereals which are expensive.

  • Legumes have a short harvest period compared to cereals which have a long harvest period.

  • Legumes are less prone to pest and diseases compared to cereals which are more prone to pests and diseases.

  • Legumes grown on soil consume less pesticides when they grow compared to cereals which tend to consume a lot of pesticides when grown on soil.

  • Legumes are less consumed food crops worldwide than cereals which have high consumption rate worldwide. That is to say, legumes are less cultivated food crops compared to cereals which are the most cultivated and traded crops for food, feed, and industrial uses worldwide.

  • Legumes can easily gain access to nitrogen through symbiotic association with rhizobia compared to cereals where growth and production rely heavily on the application of fertilizers.

  • Legumes can grow well at a temperature of 70°F to 80°F during the day and 60°F to 65°F during night whileas cereals can grow well at a temperature of 70°F to 95°F.

  • Legumes such as beans can take 6 to 10 days to germinate from the soil at a temperature of 16°C to 30°C whileas cereals such as maize can take 4 days to germinate from the soil at a temperature of 24°C.

  • Legumes are classified as cotyledons whileas cereals are classified as monocotyledons.

  • Legumes have two embryonic leaves whileas cereals have one embryonic leaf.

  • The production of legumes compared to cereals worldwide.
    LegumesProductionYear
    Beans27,715,023 tons2021
    Peas20,529,759 tons2021
    Lentils6,700,000 tonnes2022
    Lupins1,644,691 tonnes2022
    Alfalfa211,000,000 tons2017
    CerealsProductionYear
    Wheat785,000,000 metric tons2023/24
    Millet30,900,000 tonnes2022
    Rice776,461,457 metric tonnes2022
    Barley151,620,000 metric tons2021/2022
    Oats25,130,000 metric tons2022/2023

    The statistics represent the difference in production between Pizza Hut and KFC.

  • The above are the differences (legumes vs cereals) which can help you to know more details of the crops.