The cultivation of corn (maize)
(Zea mays ssp. mays) began over
8,000 years ago in Mesoamerica,
a geographical area which
includes central and southern
Mexico, and Central America.
Corn was first domesticated from
teosinte (Zea mexicana), an
annual grass native to this
region. Wild teosinte mostly has
value as a fodder plant, as it
provides very little edible
seeds.
The first archaeological
evidence of domesticated corn
comes from the San Marcos cave
in Tehuacan and the Guilá
Naquitz cave in the state of
Oaxaca, Mexico. The corn in San
Marcos cave is dated to over
5,000 years ago. The cobs from
the Guilá Naquitz cave were
dated to over 6200 years old.
Home gardeners who want to grow
corn may choose from several
different varieties including
popcorn, dent corn, flint corn,
pod corn, and sweet corn. Here
we’ll focus on growing sweet
corn as it is the most popular
for the home gardener.
Sweet corn is one of the
most popular summer vegetable
crops grown in India. Like
peppers, pumpkins, squash and
beans, sweet corn is native to
the New World where it has been
cultivated for more than 4,000
years. Sweet corn is a monecious
plant, which means it has a
separate male and female flower
on each stalk. The tassel is the
male flower, which produces the
pollen, and the ear is the
female flower (Figure 1). For
kernels to form on each ear,
pollen from the tassel must be
deposited on the silk of the
ear. Sweet corn is wind
pollinated, although bees are
often seen collecting nectar and
pollen from the tassels. For
small plantings of sweet corn, a
series of short rows rather than
a single, long row will improve
the chances for efficient
pollination. Sweet corn
typically produces one or two
ears per plants.
Sweet
Corn Varieties
There are three main types of
sweet corn available:
Sh2, (super sweet),
SUSU
(normal sugary),
and
SESE (sugary enhancer).
Sweet corn can also be
classified by its color: white,
yellow, or bi-colored.
Where
and When to Plant
Plant your corn in full sun and
well after any risk of frost.
Your corn should receive at
least eight hours of sunlight a
day. Soil temperatures should be
about 60 degrees F for proper
germination, and slightly higher
for the super sweet varieties.
Generally, May and June are good
months to plant. You can check
your soil temperature with an
electronic soil tester if you
have any doubts. If you want an
early start on your corn, you
can consider covering your soil
with a plastic mulch, such as
clear or black polyethylene, to
help warm the soil and promote
germination.
Sweet
Corn Prices
Grate "A" per kg
0.20 US$
50 kg bags rate price 10.11 US$
50 kg Printed Plastic bag supply only
50kg bags minim order 1
continer(20ft
Grate "B" Per kg
0.19 US$
50 kg bags 9.45 US$ Printed Plastic bag
supply only 50kg bags minim
order 1 continer(20ft)
Harvesting
& storage Tips
The best time to harvest
corn is known as the
“milk stage” when the
ears are fully formed
but not yet ripe. This
stage usually lasts
about a week. You can
determine when your corn
is ready to harvest by
looking at the silks,
husks, and kernels. The
silks should be brown
and starting to dry,
which occurs about 3
weeks after the silks
first appear. They husks
should hold tightly to
the ear and the kernels
should produce a little
milky fluid when
pierced. Super sweets
will produce a clearer
liquid. Each stalk of
corn should yield at
least one ear, and
sometimes more
©
2008, www.tajagroproducts.com All rights reserved.