Corn, (Zea mays), also called Indian corn or maize, cereal plant of the grass family

(Poaceae) and its edible grain. The domesticated crop originated in the Americas and is
one of the most widely distributed of the world’s food crops. Corn is used as livestock feed,
as human food, as biofuel, and as raw material in industry.(Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Corn was first domesticated by native peoples in Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Native
Americans taught European colonists to grow the indigenous grains, and, since its
introduction into Europe by Christopher Columbus and other explorers, corn has spread to
all areas of the world suitable to its cultivation. It is grown from 58° N latitude in Canada
and Russia to 40° S latitude in South America, with a corn crop maturing somewhere in
the world nearly every month of the year. It is the most important crop in the United States
and is a staple food in many places. (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

The corn plant is a tall annual grass with a stout, erect, solid stem. The large narrow
leaves have wavy margins and are spaced alternately on opposite sides of the stem.
Staminate (male) flowers are borne on the tassel terminating the main axis of the stem. The
pistillate (female) inflorescences, which mature to become the edible ears, are spikes with
a thickened axis, bearing paired spikelets in longitudinal rows; each row of paired spikelets
normally produces two rows of grain. Varieties of yellow and white corn are the most
popular as food, though there are varieties with red, blue, pink, and black kernels, often
banded, spotted, or striped. Each ear is enclosed by modified leaves called shucks or husks.
Many industrial varieties of corn are genetically modified for resistance to the herbicide
glyphosate or to produce proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to kill specific insect
pests. In addition, some strains have been genetically engineered for greater drought
tolerance.
Corn is second to rice as the most important crop in the Philippines, with one-third
of Filipino farmers, or 1.8 million, depending on maize as their major source of livelihood.
White maize is the most important substitute staple in periods of rice shortage, especially
for people in rural areas. Yellow maize is the primary source of feed for the Philippines’
animal industry, and is being increasingly used by the manufacturing sector.
Maize production in the Philippines increased at an annual rate of 1.7% over a 20-
year period (1980-2000) (Table 8, Annex 1). After production peaked in 1990 at 4.9 million
metric tons, a sharp decline was posted in 1998 when the El Niño phenomenon affected
the region. Total area planted to maize was also highest in 1990, at 3.8 million hectares,
but was observed to be on the decline at 1.9% per year from 1985 to 2001 (Gonzales and
Lapiña, 2003). These long-term figures reflect a sharper decline in white maize area in
contrast to that planted to yellow maize. Further, while average yields for white maize are
consistently low, yellow maize yields increased by an annual rate of 4.9% over a 17-year
period beginning in 1985 (Gonzales and Lapiña, 2003). The adoption of improved
technology for yellow maize production has resulted in significant yield increases. Yellow
maize accounted for 23% of total maize production in 1985, and for 58% by 2001. It should
be noted, however, that the national average yield of 1.82 tons per hectare for white and
yellow maize (in 2001) is low when compared to maize yields in other Asian countries
(Gonzales and Lapiña, 2003).
 Most common in upland areas, maize production peaks from July to September;
the lean months are from January to June. The upland regions of Mindanao have the most
area planted to maize, and the highest production in the Philippines. Maize is also grown
in the rainfed lowlands, where it is planted during the dry season after the rice crop has
been harvested. The production of maize after rice increases the productivity of irrigation
systems during the dry season, while supplying needed grain during an otherwise lean
period. Integrating livestock into the system provides high value products and increases the
income of maize farmers with small landholdings (FSSRI, 2000; Eusebio and Labios,
2001)

Commercial classifications, based mainly on kernel texture, include dent corn, flint corn,
flour corn, sweet corn, and popcorn. Dent corn is characterized by a depression in the crown
of the kernel caused by unequal drying of the hard and soft starch making up the kernel.
Flint corn, containing little soft starch, has no depression. Flour corn, composed largely of
soft starch, has soft, mealy, easily ground kernels. Sweet corn has wrinkled translucent
seeds; the plant sugar is not converted to starch as in other types. Popcorn, an extreme type
of flint corn characterized by small hard kernels, is devoid of soft starch, and heating causes
the moisture in the cells to expand, making the kernels explode. Improvements in corn have
resulted from hybridization, based on crossbreeding of superior inbred strains.
Although it is a major food in many parts of the world, corn is inferior to other cereals in
nutritional value. Its protein is of poor quality, and it is deficient in niacin. Diets in which
it predominates often result in pellagra (niacin-deficiency disease). Its gluten (elastic
protein) is of comparatively poor quality, and it is not used to produce leavened bread. It
is widely used, however, in Latin American cuisine to make masa, a kind of dough used in
such staple foods as tortillas and tamales. Given that corn flour is gluten-free, it cannot be
used alone to make rising breads. In the United States corn is boiled or roasted on the cob,
creamed, converted into hominy (hulled kernels) or meal, and cooked in corn puddings,
mush, polenta, griddle cakes, cornbread, and scrapple. It is also used for popcorn,
confections, and various manufactured cereal preparations.
Corn is also used to produce ethanol (ethyl alcohol), a first-generation liquid
biofuel. In the United States corn ethanol is typically blended with gasoline to produce
“gasohol,” an automotive fuel that is 10 percent ethanol. Although corn-based biofuels
were initially touted as environmentally friendly alternatives to petroleum, their production
diverts arable land and feedstock from the human food chain, sparking a “food versus fuel”
debate. Cellulosic ethanol, which is made from nonedible plant parts such as agricultural
waste, has a smaller impact on the food chain than corn ethanol, though the conversion
technology is generally less efficient than that of first-generation biofuels.
.
Proper land preparation should be observed to ensure healthy and uniform plant
growth and provide advance effective and efficient weed control measures.(Good
Agricultural Practices)

Use quality seed materials. Use high-yielding varieties or hybrids that are adaptable
to the locality and approved by National Seed Industry Council (NSIC). Record the sources
of seed materials including product identity (i.e., company name, lot number, variety,
germination percentage, date tested).Follow the appropriate planting distance and seeding
rate as recommended. (Good Agricultural Practices)

Use only fully decomposed organic materials. Raw and/or slightly decomposed
animal manure should be confined in a designated area for treatment. Use only the
registered commercial fertilizers. Observe appropriate method and time of application of
the recommended combination and amount of fertilizers based on the result of soil analysis.
Seed inoculant may be used to supplement part of the corn plant nutrient requirement.
Fertilizers should be stored separately from pesticides in a clean and dry area (preferably
slightly elevated above ground on pallets). Storage area of fertilizers should be isolated
from corn drying and storage areas to prevent contamination due to leaching, runoff or
wind drift. A complete set of records of fertilizers and fertilizer preparation should be kept.
Information includes source of fertilizer materials, details of the composting procedures,
dates, amounts and methods of applying the fertilizer as well as the person responsible for
the application. (Good Agricultural Practices).

Practice appropriate weed control measures like using appropriate cultural practices
such as proper land preparation, off-barring and hilling-up and/or using herbicides.
Ensuring proper tillage operations provides head-start of corn plant against weeds. (Good
Agricultural Practices)

Maintain the water requirement to avoid moisture stress particularly during

flowering up to the maturation stage. At these stages, the crop is more susceptible to
aflatoxin contamination. (Good Agricultural Practices)

Harvest corn at full maturity as recommended. Harvesting should be completed in

the shortest time possible especially during the rainy season. Care should be exerted to
prevent damage and contamination of corn ears with soil. Use clean mats, screens and/or
other suitable underlays to prevent corn ears from soil or foreign matter contamination.
Before using machines for harvesting and postharvest operations, ensure that all the
equipment to be used are functional, clean, and well-maintained. Sort-out and discard corn
ears that show visible signs and symptoms of insect or microbial damage. (Good
Agricultural Practices)