Cereal crops are interchangeably called grain crops.
In many publications and correspondence, they are simply called grains or cereals.
As of 2012, the top 5 cereals in the world ranked on the basis of production tonnage are maize (corn), rice (paddy), wheat, barley, and sorghum.
These crops are also among the top 50 agricultural commodities in the world with maize ranking second next to sugarcane.
Rice (paddy) ranks third, wheat – 4th, barley – 12th, and sorghum – 30th. Another cereal, millet, ranks no. 42 (FAOStat 2014, updated Aug. 18, 2014).
According to Chapman and Carter (1976), “a cereal is generally defined as a grass grown for its small, edible seed.”