Corn originated in Latin America, and now it is generally believed that corn was introduced to China in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. When corn first entered our country, it didn't make any waves, and its popularization speed in our country was also very slow. It was not until the mid-Qianlong period that the planting area of corn in China gradually expanded, appearing in Beijing, Hebei, Henan, Shandong and other places.

There are two views on land. One is the land in the northwest, which is believed to have spread from Spain to Mecca, and then from Mecca to China and Xinjiang via the Silk Road in Central Asia and West Asia, and then gradually to China. The other is the land introduction from southwest China, which is believed to have spread from Europe to India, Myanmar, Tibet and Sichuan, and then gradually to China.

The idea of supporting the sea route is to spread corn to the coastal provinces of China first, and then to the mainland gradually. Because Portuguese businessmen were active in the coastal areas of China at that time, it was more likely that corn would be introduced into China from the sea.

Maize varieties

1, waxy corn

This variety, also known as sticky corn, is similar to glutinous rice in nature, rich in amylose, strong in viscosity and high in edible digestibility. The nutritional value of this variety is usually higher than that of ordinary corn (but the yield is lower than the latter), and it has high utilization rate and good palatability after being processed into feed.

2. Sweet corn

This variety is rich in sugar, also known as vegetable corn (according to its sugar content, it can be divided into ordinary sweet corn, fortified sweet corn and super sweet corn). It can be cooked, eaten raw or processed into non-staple food, such as canned food. This variety has strict requirements on production technology and harvesting time, and its shelf life is short. However, at present, China has mastered a complete set of breeding techniques and accumulated certain germplasm resources, and all kinds of sweet corn bred in China can basically meet the market demand.

3. Colored corn

This variety belongs to hybrid corn, which is generally derived from yellow corn, black corn, white corn, purple corn and other colors, among which black corn has higher nutritional value.