Maize (Zea mays)
April 15, 2007 — Vasant M. SalianMaize (Zea mays), also known as corn, is a cereal grain that was domesticated in Mesoamerica and then spread throughout the American continents. It spread to the rest of the world after European contact with the Americas in the late 15th century and early 16th century. The term maíze derives from the Spanish form of the Arawak Native American term for the plant. However, it is commonly called corn in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. Corn is a shortened form of “Indian corn”, i.e. the Indian grain. The English word “corn” originally referred to a granular particle, most commonly cereal grains. It is called mielies or mealies in southern Africa. Hybrid maize is preferred by farmers over conventional varieties for its high grain yield, due to heterosis (”hybrid vigor”). Maize is one of the first crops for which genetically modified varieties make up a significant proportion of the total harvest.
The stems superficially resemble bamboo canes and the joints (nodes) can reach 20–30 cm (8–12 in) apart. Maize has a very distinct growth form, the lower leaves being like broad flags, 50–100 cm long and 5–10 cm wide (2–4 ft by 2–4 in); the stems are erect, conventionally 2–3 m (7–10 ft) in height, with many nodes, casting off flag-leaves at every node. Under these leaves and close to the stem grow the ears. They grow about 3 cm a day.
The ears are female inflorescences, tightly covered over by several layers of leaves, and so closed-in by them to the stem that they do not show themselves easily until the emergence of the pale yellow silks from the leaf whorl at the end of the ear. The silks are elongated stigmas that look like tufts of hair, at first green, and later red or yellow. Plantings for silage are even denser, and achieve an even lower percentage of ears and more plant matter. Certain varieties of maize have been bred to produce many additional developed ears, and these are the source of the “baby corn” that is used as a vegetable in Asian cuisine.
Maize is a facultative long-night plant and flowers in a certain number of growing degree days > 50° F (10°C) in the environment to which it is adapted. Photoperiodicity (and lateness) can be eccentric in tropical cultivars, where in the long days at higher latitudes the plants will grow so tall that they will not have enough time to produce seed before they are killed by frost. The magnitude of the influence that long-nights have on the number of days that must pass before maize flowers is genetically prescribed and regulated by the phytochrome system.
The apex of the stem ends in the tassel, an inflorescence of male flowers. Each silk may become pollinated to produce one kernel of corn. Young ears can be consumed raw, with the cob and silk, but as the plant matures (usually during the summer months) the cob becomes tougher and the silk dries to inedibility. By late August the kernels have dried out and become difficult to chew without cooking them tender first in boiling water.
The kernel of corn has a pericarp of the fruit fused with the seed coat, typical of the grasses. It is close to a multiple fruit in structure, except that the individual fruits (the kernels) never fuse into a single mass. The grains are about the size of peas, and adhere in regular rows round a white pithy substance, which forms the ear. An ear contains from 200 to 400 grains, and is from 10–25 cm (4–10 inches) in length. They are of various colours: blackish, bluish-gray, red, white and yellow. When ground into flour, maize yields more flour, with much less bran, than wheat does. However, it lacks the protein gluten of wheat and therefore makes baked goods with poor rising capability.
A genetic variation that accumulates more sugar and less starch in the ear is consumed as a vegetable and is called sweetcorn.
Taxonomy:
Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Liliopsida
Order : Poales
Family : Poaceae
Genus : Zea
Species : Zea mays
Pronunciation/Meaning:
- Poaceae (poh-AY-see-ay) - The Poa (grass; from the Greek for an ancient name of grass used for fodder) family; formerly Graminae.
- Zea (ZEE-uh) - Cause of life.
- mays (maze) - Our mother.
Common Names:
- Makkai (Hindi)
- Makka cholam (Tamil)
- Cholam (Malayalam)
- Musikinu jola (Kannada)
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