How many types of maize

Corn is also used to make hot or cold beverages, and even desserts see Figure 2. In Mexico alone, there are approximately corn-based dishes! You may be wondering how so many different dishes can be prepared from a single type of corn. Well, it turns out that there are thousands of different varieties, or types of corn, grouped into hundreds of so-called landraces varieties of corn that are kept by small-scale farmers, which share similar features and genes.

Many of these landraces have existed since pre-Columbian times before A. In the Americas alone, approximately landraces have been recorded over the last years [ 5 ]. These landraces have been adapted by humans to grow in environments with different soil types, altitudes, water availability, and temperatures. In addition, the various landraces of corn have different kernel colors, cob size, and flavor! In the third figure of this article, you will see a map of the American continent with some examples of different landraces, as well as the regions where they were generated [ 3 , 6 ].

Therefore, the huge variety of corn landraces will not always stay the same, because these three factors also change over time. This means that we cannot just go and collect lots of seeds from each variety of corn and store them in a fridge, expecting that the varieties we save will still be able to grow even when the conditions of the world change.

We recently investigated what might happen to corn diversity in Mexico in the future, under different scenarios of climate change. We found that some landraces will thrive well if temperatures increase, but others may disappear [ 7 ]. Very importantly, we found that the more we preserve different types of corn landraces, we will be able to better adapt to climate change, reducing the negative impact on agricultural production less yield per acre , as landraces will be more resistant to variable weather conditions than the commercial corn varieties that are currently being sown in many parts of the world.

Finally, it is also important to make sure that the traditional technologies with which corn has been cultivated for thousands of years are maintained. For example, in the Americas, since before A. Different versions of the Milpa system are still used to grow these and other crops in Mexico and other countries in Central America.

The Milpa system makes a better use of critical resources for agriculture: soil, physical space, sun, and water. This system is nowadays considered to be a very good method that has fewer negative impacts on the environment than other types of food production methods. By contrast, large-scale industrial farming relies heavily on the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, irrigation, and heavy machinery, which all have huge impacts on the environment.

Also, industrial corn agriculture is based on using maize varieties that are very similar genetically and as such, tend to perform poorly under difficult conditions drought, extreme weather, and insect pests. These varieties tend to displace landraces, sometimes leading to local or complete extinction of local landraces. In addition, some industrial farms use corn varieties that have been genetically modified GM in a lab.

Genetic modification involves adding genes from other organisms into the corn plant, to help it grow better under certain conditions. These GM varieties can cross with local landraces, potentially damaging them and the farmers who have them. Thus, corn plants that are very similar genetically can be useful in some contexts, but not in others, especially when it comes to diversifying what we eat.

Corn is part of an important plant family called Poaceae. It is the product of human selection over centuries, which made it have unique features such as a big, massive cob with hundreds of kernels.

The differences between corn and its weedy relative, teosinte, are the product of humans selecting teosinte variants mutants. Once corn came to exist, humans further adapted different varieties to different environments.

These different varieties, which fed most of the human population before the arrival of the Europeans to the Americas in A. Corn, together with wheat and rice, remains one of the central components of the human diet.

Also, maize is highly versatile, as it has been used for fodder, food, and industrial purposes. When thinking about food, there are countries whose people rely heavily on corn-based dishes, which in turn are prepared using the many corn landraces that small-scale farmers have kept and bred for millennia. The genetic diversity present in such corn landraces will be very useful to contend with the negative effects of climate change, thus, it is important that we preserve them, and the agricultural systems, such as the Milpa, where they are grown.

So, how many types of corn have you eaten lately? Try more! Integrity framework. Economic recovery—support for Queensland producers announced. Multicultural action plan. Open data. Statement of business ethics. Stakeholder engagement charter. Waste reduction and recycling plan. Natural disaster plan. Topics: Animal biosecurity and welfare Plant biosecurity and product integrity Invasive plants and animals Enhancing biosecurity capability and capacity in Queensland Biosecurity policy, legislation and regulation Topics: State native forestry business State-owned quarry material Responsibilities of government Forest and timber industry profile Private native forestry Customer service centre.

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Maize varieties There are a multitude of maize varieties available. Cob height Cob height tends to be correlated with maturity. Husk cover Husks function to prevent damage from Heliothis Helicoverpa spp. Standability Standability resistance to lodging is important because it reduces harvest losses and grain damage. End use Hybrids generally have specific grain characteristics which govern their suitability for particular end uses such as milling for grits, stockfeed, silage or other special purpose uses.

Isolation All white, waxy and popcorn varieties of maize must be grown in isolation both in distance and time from other maize varieties, as pollen from other crops will affect the quality of grain produced by these types. Planting maize Planting times In southern Queensland, mid-September to mid-October is the premium time. Soil temperature Soil temperature at planting depth Planting moisture requirement Dryland maize should be planted on a full soil moisture profile.

Maize is not tolerant of waterlogging especially during seedling and flowering stages. Seed details Seed has both size and shape gradings. Planting time There is some variation in planting times throughout Queensland. Plant populations Recommended plant populations vary between regions.

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Maize has a wide variety of uses. The main use of corn is the animal feed and nearly 75 to 90 per cent corn is used for feeding animals. In USA 40 per cent corn is used to feed hogs or pigs, 25 per cent to feed cattle, 15 per cent for poultry and 10 per cent for horses and sheep. Another use of corn is as human food. In many parts of the world especially in Latin America, Africa, Southern Europe and some Asian countries, maize is consumed as food grain.

The third use of maize is in making industrial products. Maize is also used for making vegetable oil and starch is also obtained from it. On the other hand maize stalks are used in making rayon, plastics, paper and wall-boards. You must be logged in to post a comment. Short Paragraph on Sheep Rearing. Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits.

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