History

This page will cover the development and cultivation of modern day corn.

Development of Teosinte

The ancestor to modern day maize was teosinte, a wild flowering plant in the grass family. Maize specifically came from a single domestication event of the teosinte subspecies Zea mays spp. parviglumis, more commonly known as the Balsa teosinte, native to the tropical Central Balsas River Valley in South Central Mexico.

Teosinte vs Maize

Short, Bushy, Plant with multiple kernels leaves.

Ears are 2-3 inches long with 5-12 kernels.

Kernels have a hard outer shell.

Single stalk plant with 1 larger kernel.

Ears are12 inches long with 500+ kernels.

Kernels have paper-thin, translucent tissue.

Despite the differences in appearances, teosinte is very genetically similar, so much so that it can still cross breed with modern corn varieties. A study done at the University of California, Irvine found that of the 59,000 total genes in modern corn, only 1200 were actually selected for during the domestication process. Estimates suggest that modern corn descended from as few as 3,500 teosinte plants.

Spread of Corn

Approximately 6000-10000 years ago, Native Americans living in what is now Mexico domesticating teosinte. While there is no conclusion about how long the domestication process took, we know that modern day corn was being grown in the Americas at least 4500 years ago.

Corn began to spread world wide in 1493, when Christopher Columbus returned with several ears for people to grow. Throughout the 16th century Spanish and Portuguese traded corn all across the world, resulting in the growth of corn production in many places, including China, which sits behind the US today as the second largest producer of corn.

Industrialization

The industrialization of corn in the Midwest US ( commonly referred to as the Corn Belt) took off after World War II. New machinery was introduced, which cut down on the labor costs. Pesticide use rose 143% during the 20th century. Modern technologies further that increase - US corn production rose by 7% in 2020, the second highest on record.

Other talking points

Spread to China (Documents from 1511 suggest they arrived prior) and other parts of the world
Expansion to other uses (fuel, plastics, etc).

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