History + Local Area

State the Local Area grows _ - _ ha of Sweet Corn in the _/_ Areas

450-500, Windsor/Camden

Approx how many years ago did maize/corn cultivated?

9000

Where did corn/maize originate? - modern day

Mexico/America

What is the name of the grass that modern day corn/maize was bred from?

teosinte

What are the main differences between the ancestor of maize and modern maize? List some features.

hardness of seed coats, number of row of seeds, characteristic of kernel (shatter), number of branches

What is the process of breeding called that led to the various types of corn we have today?

Selective breeding

Which more recent events shaped the trajectory of the modern corn varieties?*

Post WWII technologies allowed for a boom in productivity and trade policies

The arrival of European settlers in the Americas and their adoption of maize

The domestication of teosinte by early Mesoamerican civilizations

The introduction of maize to Europe during the Columbian Exchange

(a)

 

Other than human consumption, what is corn used for?*

Biofuel production

Livestock feed

Corn starch

High-fructose corn syrup

All of the above

E

What's the number 1 use for corn globally? 

Livestock feed

What is the main end use for sweet corn?

human fresh consumption

Heirloom Varieties happen when farmers _ heritage seeds.

save

Identified Variations: Indigenous people in Southern Mexico noticed _ mutations that made _ easier:

rare, harvesting

What happens when you mix two varieties - called _ hybrid

F1

Commercial Hybrid maize: Rely on _ _, buy new _. _ genetic diversity due to controlled qualities for mass production.

seed companies, annually, reduce

Standardization: Diverse varieties were standardized, with Yellow Dent corn gaining prominence by the _ _ century.

late 19th

European Adoption: Initially rejected, corn became popular in Europe for its _.

adaptability

Policy Changes: _ _. policy changes led to a surge in corn cultivation.

1972, US