Modern Varieties of Maize (IMAGE)
Caption
Varieties of maize found near Cuscu and Machu Pichu at Salineras de Maras on the Inca Sacred Valley in Peru, June 2007. The history of maize begins with its wild ancestor, teosinte. Teosinte bears little resemblance to the corn eaten today: Its cobs are tiny and its few kernels are protected by a nearly impenetrable outer casing. In fact, Kistler said, it is not clear why people bothered with it all. Over time, however, as early farmers selected for desirable traits, the descendants of the wild plant developed larger cobs and more tender, plentiful kernels, eventually becoming the staple crop that maize is today. The newly published study in the journal Science shows that the final stages of maize's domestication happened more than once in more than one place, revising the history of one of the world's most important crops.
Credit
Fabio de Oliveira Freitas
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