Mapuches of south-central Chile cultivated maize along with quinoa and potatoes in pre-Hispanic times; however, potato was the staple food of most Mapuches, "specially in the southern and coastal [Mapuche] territories where maize did not reach maturity". [22] [23] Before the expansion of the Inca Empire maize was traded and transported as far south as 40°19' S in Melinquina, Lácar Department. [24] In that location maize remains were found inside pottery dated to 730±80BP and 920±60BP. Probably this maize was brought across the Andes from Chile. [24] The presence of maize in Guaitecas Archipelago (43°55' S), the southernmost outpost of pre-Hispanic agriculture, [25] is reported by early Spanish explorers. [26] However the Spanish may have misidentified the plant. [26] Emerson, Thomas E.; Hedman, Kristin M.; Simon, Mary L. (2005). "Marginal Horticulturalists or Maize Agriculturalists? Archaeobotanical, Paleopathological, and Isotopic Evidence Relating to Langford Tradition Maize Consumption". Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology. 30 (1): 67–118. doi: 10.1179/mca.2005.003. JSTOR 20708222. S2CID 129150225. When maize was first introduced into farming systems other than those used by traditional native-American peoples, it was generally welcomed with enthusiasm for its productivity. However, a widespread problem of malnutrition soon arose wherever maize was introduced as a staple food. This was a mystery, since these types of malnutrition were not normally seen among the indigenous Americans, for whom maize was the principal staple food. [169] fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)". entnemdept.ufl.edu . Retrieved November 14, 2017. Since the 1940s, the best strains of maize have been first-generation hybrids made from inbred strains that have been optimized for specific traits, such as yield, nutrition, drought, pest and disease tolerance. Both conventional cross-breeding and genetic engineering have succeeded in increasing output and reducing the need for cropland, pesticides, water and fertilizer. [94] There is conflicting evidence to support the hypothesis that maize yield potential has increased over the past few decades. This suggests that changes in yield potential are associated with leaf angle, lodging resistance, tolerance of high plant density, disease/pest tolerance, and other agronomic traits rather than increase of yield potential per individual plant. [95]

Maize ( / m eɪ z/ MAYZ; Zea mays subsp. mays, from Spanish: maíz after Taino: mahis [2]), also known as corn in North American and Australian English, is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. [3] [4] The leafy stalk of the plant gives rise to inflorescences (or "tassels") which produce pollen and separate ovuliferous inflorescences called ears that when fertilized yield kernels or seeds, which are botanical fruits. [5] [6] The term maize is preferred in formal, scientific, and international usage as the common name because it refers specifically to this one grain whereas corn refers to any principal cereal crop cultivated in a country. For example, in North America and Australia corn is often used for maize, but in England and Wales it can refer to wheat or barley, and in Scotland and Ireland to oats. Rebecca Earle, The Body of the Conquistador: Food, Race, and the Colonial Experience in Spanish America, 1492–1700. New York: Cambridge University Press 2012, pp. 17, 151. maíz". Diccionario de la lengua española - Edición del Tricentenario (in Spanish) . Retrieved January 14, 2023. Fall armyworm ( Spodoptera frugiperda) Some sweet corn varieties have developed partial resistance to fall army worms by producing a unique 33-kD proteinase that significantly retards fall army worm growth. [137] [138] a b "Gray Leaf Spot Severity Increasing Rapidly". CropWatch. September 17, 2015 . Retrieved July 24, 2021.An unusual use for maize is to create a " corn maze" (or "maize maze") as a tourist attraction. The idea of a maize maze was introduced by the American Maze Company who created a maze in Pennsylvania in 1993. [159] [ bettersourceneeded] Traditional mazes are most commonly grown using yew hedges, but these take several years to mature. The rapid growth of a field of maize allows a maze to be laid out using GPS at the start of a growing season and for the maize to grow tall enough to obstruct a visitor's line of sight by the start of the summer. In Canada and the US, these are popular in many farming communities. [ citation needed] Corncobs can be hollowed out and treated to make inexpensive smoking pipes, first manufactured in the United States in 1869. [ citation needed] Children playing in a maize kernel box mealie, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (Onlineed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.) Hyams, Edward (1990). The Last of the Incas: The Rise and Fall of an American Empire. Dorset Press. ISBN 978-0-88029-595-6. Maize is an annual grass in the family Gramineae, which includes such plants as wheat, rye, barley, rice, sorghum, and sugarcane. There are two major species of the genus Zea (out of six total): Z. mays (maize) and Z. diploperennis, which is a perennial type of teosinte. The annual teosinte variety called Z. m. mexicana is the closest botanical relative to maize. It still grows in the wild as an annual in Mexico and Guatemala. [80]

Varieties differ in their resistance to insects, including borers. [90] CIMMYT maintains a large collection of maize accessions tested and cataloged for insect resistance. [90]In Southern Africa, maize is commonly called mielie ( Afrikaans) or mealie (English), words possibly derived from the Portuguese word for maize, milho, but more probably from Dutch meel or English meal, meaning the edible part of a grain or pulse. [50] Structure and physiology It has undergone two or more domestications either of a wild maize or of a teosinte. (The term "teosinte" describes all species and subspecies in the genus Zea, excluding Zea mays ssp. mays) In the midwestern United States, low-till or no-till farming techniques are usually used. In low-till, fields are covered once, maybe twice, with a tillage implement either ahead of crop planting or after the previous harvest. The fields are planted and fertilized. Weeds are controlled through the use of herbicides, and no cultivation tillage is done during the growing season. This technique reduces moisture evaporation from the soil, and thus provides more moisture for the crop.

Maize is a staple of Mexican cuisine. Masa (cornmeal treated with limewater) is the main ingredient for tortillas, atole and many other dishes of Central American food. It is the main ingredient of corn tortilla, tamales, pozole, atole and all the dishes based on them, like tacos, quesadillas, chilaquiles, enchiladas, tostadas and many more. In Mexico the fungus of maize, known as huitlacoche, is considered a delicacy. [ citation needed] Mexican tamales made with corn meal Boiled Phosphorus. Found in decent amounts in both popcorn and sweet corn, phosphorus is a mineral that plays an important role in the growth and maintenance of body t An 2002 study by Matsuoka et al.. has demonstrated that, rather than the multiple independent domestications model, all maize arose from a single domestication in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago. The study also demonstrated that the oldest surviving maize types are those of the Mexican highlands. Later, maize spread from this region over the Americas along two major paths. This is consistent with a model based on the archaeological record suggesting that maize diversified in the highlands of Mexico before spreading to the lowlands. [15] [16] Brown, Robert C.; Brown, Tristan R. (December 6, 2013). Biorenewable Resources: Engineering New Products from Agriculture. Wiley. ISBN 978-1-118-52492-3.

Publisher's Note

Hill, Christina Gish (November 20, 2020). "Returning the 'three sisters' – corn, beans and squash – to Native American farms nourishes people, land and cultures". The Conversation . Retrieved January 9, 2021. In Z. mays and various other angiosperms the MADS-box motif is involved in floral development. Early study in several angiosperm models including Z. mays was the beginning of research into the molecular evolution of floral structure in general, as well as their role in nonflowering plants. [89] Head, John W. (November 25, 2016). International Law and Agroecological Husbandry: Building legal foundations for a new agriculture. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-315-44650-9. Manganese. An essential trace element, manganese occurs in high amounts in whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. It’s poorly absorbed from corn due to this vegetable’s phytic acid content ( 12). Maize is widely cultivated throughout the world, and a greater weight of maize is produced each year than any other grain. [9] In 2020, total world production was 1.16 billion tonnes, led by the United States with 31.0% of the total (table). China produced 22.4% of the global total. [130] Top Maize producers