The most delicious varieties of corn

Description and characteristics of culture

Corn belongs to annual herbaceous plants, often tall with a stem up to 3 m. The main agricultural purpose of growing this crop is cobs and edible grains. The plant has a developed multi-tiered root system. The leaves are large, up to 10 cm wide, and often grow up to 1 m in length. The culture loves warmth, tolerates drought well, and grows poorly in the shade. Vegetation takes 65 to 150 days. Maize blooms on about the 60th day (depending on the variety), the stage of milk ripeness reaches 70-80 days.

The nutritional value is difficult to underestimate: the ears contain vitamins of groups B, C, E, in addition to this potassium, fluorine, phosphorus, calcium, iodine, boron, iron, that is, all the elements necessary for a healthy human body. There is also a high content of fats and proteins, which are many times higher than the amount of these elements in other cereals. The calorie content of 100 g of corn grains is 85.7 kcal.

It is possible to grow a culture both using grain, from which seeds are obtained after processing, and by pre-growing seedlings.

Common corn subspecies

Types of corn shine with a variety: flint, tooth-like, bursting, starchy, waxy, sugar, membranous. Cultural hybrids are numerous, combining the key characteristics of different species.

Toothed corn has a large, slightly elongated and flat grain. The grain is covered with a hard shell on the sides, but at the same time the center and upper part are mealy, friable. Of all the varieties, it is the odontoid that is most often planted in personal plots. The seeds are used not only for planting next year, but also for the creation of cereals, alcohol, animal feed, flour. Also grown for silage.

Round, smooth grain in flint corn. The shell of the grains is horn-shaped; powdery is noted only in the center. It is the most common species in the world. Siliceous is grown for grain for the production of cereals, flour, flakes, everyone's favorite corn sticks.

Starchy is most common in South and North America. Plants of this variety are usually medium-sized, late-ripening. Their grain is round, smooth, loose. Mostly this species is grown to create alcohol and starch.

Waxy maize is a modification of the odontoid varieties and is characterized by a two-layer shell. It was the external resemblance to a drop of wax that served as the name of the species, but in terms of strength, this shell is close to the bursting variety. The inside is mealy, contains a large amount of amylopectin, which is sticky.

One of the most popular varieties is bursting. It is from it that crispy, aromatic popcorn is obtained. Grain is of rice and pearl barley form, has a high specific gravity, powdery is observed only near the embryo.

Sweet corn is high in saccharides and is highly regarded around the world for the tenderness of its grains.Their shell is thin, contains a minimum amount of starch, which is why the grain wrinkles when dried. By the way, the beloved Bonduelle mainly consists of various varieties of sweet corn.

And finally, the most rare variety due to its uselessness is hulled corn. It is characterized by abundant growth of spikelet scales, which cover the grain with a shell. It is not used on the farm.

Red corn (it is also in some regions "black corn") - a variety of maize came to us from the depths of Peru. Its grain, which is used both for food and for seeds, is colored maroon, almost black due to anthocyanins. Cultivated in Peru, black corn has many health benefits due to its high levels of antioxidants. Often, black corn is included in the dietary menu to improve metabolism in the human body.

Sweet corn varieties

Sugar maize varieties are very diverse, are distinguished by high yields and often a short growing season. It is from them, as noted earlier, that the products, which many mistakenly consider the “Bonduelle” variety, are composed.

Dobrynya corn has an incredibly sweet taste, as well as large ears. Early ripening periods help to be among the first to get juicy cobs and either eat them on the spot or send them for processing. The shrub grows up to 170 cm in height, is unpretentious to the type of soil, has increased resistance to mosaic, rust and wilting.

Another variety with a sweet grain structure is Lakomka 121. The variety has a high yield, increased immunity to most diseases, and a short growing season. Having reached the stage of milk ripeness, the ears of this variety are very tasty, both boiled and canned.

Early gold 401 refers to low-growing varieties with an average growing season. The ears grow up to 19 cm long and are used at the stage of milk ripeness. Moreover, the variety as a whole is resistant to most fungal and bacterial diseases.

When describing varieties of corn, Spirit F1 cannot be ignored. This variety is one of those that is convenient to grow through seedlings - so it gives a harvest already 2 months after planting in open ground. Grain Spirit has a high sugar content, which makes it one of the sweetest varieties. The cobs are 20 cm long.

But the numerous trade marks of canned corn "Bonduelle", "Vernet", "Eco" are actually used in the production not of a certain type of corn, but a mixture of different varieties.

Pop corn

A favorite treat for moviegoers - popcorn is made from popcorn. Low starch content, but high fat, protein and tough but thin shell make it possible for each grain to “burst” a little when heated. The fact is that the shell does not crack immediately, but allows moisture to be pumped inside, fluffing the pulp outside when a critical pressure is reached.

Vulcan is one of the best grains for making popcorn. The bush grows up to 2 m, and the cobs up to 22 cm. The grains are yellow, rice. The variety is highly resistant to disease and weather conditions.

Lopai-lopai medium-early variety with yellow grains and ears up to 21 cm long, grows up to 1.7 m, is distinguished by good disease resistance.

The Zeya variety is the very red corn that is so loved in Peru. The bush grows up to 1.8 m, cobs up to 20 cm. An early ripe variety in dry weather becomes similar to a species very close in its area of ​​origin called black corn.

Care features

It doesn't matter how you planted the crop - through seeds or seedlings, the care for it is the same. After rain or watering, you need to loosen the soil so that the roots receive a sufficient amount of oxygen.It is imperative to remove weeds from the garden. These two grooming points illustrate why wild maize does not grow large, sweet, and rarely good for food.

After the phase of 5-8 leaves, stepchildren will appear on the stem, which must be removed so as not to slow down the vegetation of the plant. It is imperative to thin out the seedlings in the first weeks of the life of the corn in the garden in order to grow only the strongest shoots that will give the greatest yield.

Also, corn hybrids respond well to organic and mineral fertilizers, so do not spare manure, potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen for the beds. And then you will grow corn, which tastes as good as the product of the Bonduelle brand.

Video "The best variety of corn for the middle strip"

In this video, the author sums up the results of the season: what came out of planting different varieties of corn in the Moscow region.