On the other hand, the maintenance and upkeep of such machines easily runs into the thousands of dollars per year, an amount likely to double or triple in the Third World. Botanical taxonomists have loosely grouped these varieties into some 300 races for the Western Hemisphere alone. 252 – 264). Like the skepticism that greeted the initial introduction of maize in Europe, it may take time before corn smut becomes popular with consumers. The use of metate grinding slabs and the pestle (metlapilli or tejolote ) provided a range of nutritive and socioeconomic benefits: (1) reduction, fractionation, and mineral supplementation of maize kernels, (2) lime treatment, (3) the shearing stroke used to process maize kernels, (4) craft specialization and the appearance of markets oriented to the production and exchange of maize-tortilla technologies, (5) nutritional and subsistence economics of maize preparation, (6) the social and economic reorganization of maize preparation, including cooperative production among households and the appearance of specialists such as tortilla vendors, and (7) the emergence of maize-tortilla technology and equipment—including comalli or comal ceramic griddles—that were indicators of social or economic status. Corn smut accounts for some 3 to 5 percent of maize crop losses or damage in the United States alone. Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. https://www.encyclopedia.com/food/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/natural-history-maize, "The Natural History of Maize Not surprisingly, maize is the most studied plant species on the planet. a tall annual grass, Zea mays, cultivated for its yellow edible grains, which develop on a spike. Of the many ancient and traditional food by-products of maize, "corn smut" (Ustilago maydis ), a fungus called huitlacoche or cuitlacoche by the Mexican Aztecs, continues to hold its own as one of the more popular delicacies of Mexican cuisine on the U.S market. But evidence has been elusive, because the standard macrofossils—say, squash rinds or, Ancestral Puebloans created the city around 800 CE, complete with an irrigation system that collected and distributed rainwater to the surrounding land to grow, Hoke was valued as a cultural fit who understood the, The junior safety from Jacksonville, Fla., had just sunk a dagger into No. In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures: The Civilizations of Mexico and Central America, edited by David Carrasco, vol. In the tropical forests of Mexico and Central America, maize agriculture is predominantly associated with swidden (slash-and-burn or shifting) agricultural systems and the development of milpas (maize fields). While widespread, these traditional practices are primitive compared to the magnitude and intensity of agribusiness development and investment in commercially viable maize agricultural field systems. 'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'? This early civilization included Mexico and Central America and it was based on sedentary agriculture … ." "Variation in Modern Andean Maize and Its Implications for Prehistoric Patterns." This came to be known as "polenta" to the peoples of northern Italy, which has since been incorporated into European and American cuisines. "Genetic and Morphological Analysis of a Maize-Teosinte F2 Population: Implications for the Origin of Maize." Chinampas plantations were framed within long, narrow rectangular enclosures formed from willow branches staked into the depths of the shallow lake bed—part of a system of lakes identified with Lake Texcoco—that once dominated the Basin of Mexico. ... maize: Meaning and Definition of. The migration of the Bantu people from their origins in southern West Africa saw a gradual population movement sweep through the central, eastern, and southern parts of the continent starting in the mid-2nd millennium BCE and finally ending before 1500 CE. Mendoza, Ruben G. "Plant and Animal Domestication: Direct versus Indirect Evidence." A. This reality, coupled with the "genetic erosion" of the crop, has prompted some to ask Eighty percent of the world's farmers who cultivate maize are in developing nations of the Third World. In addition, the production of maize fodder and feed for livestock has fueled the adoption of maize agriculture throughout the developing countries of Asia and Africa. The recurring introduction of nutrients for maize grown atop chinampa parcels entailed the use of lake bottom mud, silt, vegetation, and excrement in an otherwise effective and ecologically sound practice. Teosinte (Zea mexicana ) has been linked with the earliest maize in Mesoamerica and was first harvested as early as 10,000 years ago. The origins of maize begin on the Pacific slope of the modern Mexican states of Oaxaca, Tehuacán, and the Valley of Mexico. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. What made you want to look up maize? It remains one of the major cereal crops…, Rice ." Nineteenth-century American maize farmers Define maize. Accordingly, maize—from the Arawak mahiz —is grown in diverse regions and climates, from 58 degrees north latitude in Canada and Russia to 40 degrees south latitude in South America. Maize made possible the efficient and economical transport and exchange of horrific numbers of sub-Saharan Africans destined for the markets of Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. New York: Springer-Verlag, The Story of Corn. The overall appearance of such fields resembles massive waffle-like garden grids. History of maize. "Diffusion of the Mesoamerican Food Complex to Southeastern Europe." Maiti, Ratikanta, and Pedro Wesche-Ebeling. In The Story of Corn (1992), Fussell summarizes the many agricultural technologies, cropping and harvesting methods, hybrids, commercial products, and cultural and religious values identified with maize agriculture in the Americas and other parts of the world. Maize was domesticated in MesoAmerica, in the region that is now Mexico. Encyclopedia.com. Galinat, Walton C. "Maize: Gift from America's First Peoples." Pollen studies from these large earthen constructions have determined that, while maize was the major product of these systems, a variety of other Mesoamerican foodstuffs were also cultivated. Soon thereafter the towering grain silos and high-rise grain elevators of the Midwest replaced the humble corncribs adopted from the North American Indians. Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina, with Andean Peru, form a likely corridor for the transmission of maize from Guatemalan sources into coastal valleys. Term: Artifact Definition: A human-made object, such as a tool or jewelry, that may provide clues about the past. . 1–36. Similar patterns affecting the displacement of men and or the relegation of women to maize-processing industries have been identified with the adoption of maize agriculture in Africa, Europe, and other regions of the Old World. BARLEY. Experiments distinguishing genes of teosinte from maize have been replicated in recent years through the use of molecular analysis. Africa's Emerging Maize Revolution. Terrace definition is - a relatively level paved or planted area adjoining a building. “Maize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maize. Even the timing of maize origins has been questioned. Archaeological evidence is examined to try and unearth the truth. In fact, the global proliferation of genetically engineered foods is poised to completely displace or replace existing strains of the primary grain crops with biologically engineered substitutes. Apparently, the resulting mix of moist flour (masa ) was then processed into tortillas. Maize is cultivated throughout the world. Ethnobotanists, archaeologists, anthropologists, taxonomists, food and horticultural scientists, nutritionists, geneticists, biotechnicians, art historians, and many others are all trying to find answers to the numerous questions posed by the evolution and proliferation of maize. These primary maize groups are (1) antique indigenous, (2) exotic pre-Columbian, (3) prehistorical mestiza, and the (4) not well-defined or modern races. As of 1996, tropical environments accounted for 90.6 million acres, or 45 percent of the total area under maize cultivation in developing countries; temperate environments accounted for 55.1 million acres, or 27 percent of the total; subtropical environments accounted for 42 million acres, or 21 percent of the total; and highland environments constituted 15.3 million acres, or 8 percent of the total area under maize cultivation in the developing world (Dowswell, Paliwal, and Cantrell, pp. New York: Atheneum, 1997. Whereas in Europe maize was seen as a substandard cereal grain, fit only for feeding the poor and hungry and livestock, in many areas of Africa and Asia maize came to dominate the agricultural economies of many nation-states. The best-known species is corn, or maize (Zea mays mays), which was derived from one of the Mexican teosintes (likely Z. mays parviglumis) in pre-Columbian times more than 6,000 years ago. As a main source of nourishment for over half the world's population, rice is by far one of the most important commercial food crops.…, agricultural revolution. Maize spread across the length and breadth of the Americas, and subsequently to Europe, Africa, and Asia. More specifically, it is becoming increasingly evident that those agricultural practices identified with maize, such as swidden cultivation, extensive or shifting settlement patterns that are, in turn, identified with swidden systems, the processing of maize with basalt grinding slabs, the female domination of these labor-intensive food processing and storage traditions, and the emerging role of women in the maize-dominated marketplace have all played significant roles in the transformation of the African political economy. In addition to the more than 1,000 maize-based products that one is likely to find in the local supermarket, the genetically modified by-products of maize are creating their own culinary diversity and potentials, pitfalls, controversies, and complications for the world of food production and biotech industries. Six of these evidenced interactions between Mesoamerican and Peruvian societies from the most remote periods of pre-Columbian cultural development. Gainesville, Fla.: University Press of Florida, 1999. in the Rio Grande valley. Early Mesoamerican peoples planted these food crops together, often planting beans and squash adjacent to maize so as to provide the former plants stalks on which to extend New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1990. Journal of Heredity 30 (1939): 245–247. "Genetics and the Morphological Evolution of Maize." Accessed 12 Dec. 2020. 147–150. Geographical Review 83 (1993): 194–204. Even an older combine or harvester can harvest some 10,000 bushels of maize per day, yielding 150 to 200 bushels per acre. Learn more about the world with our collection of regional and country maps. The history of agriculture (the production of food by plant cultivation and animal husbandry and control of productivity) can…, GREEN REVOLUTION. MacNeish, Richard S. The Science of Archaeology? whether maize can be bred so as to assure the sustainable evolution of the crop (Sevilla, p. 221). These methods made possible the generation of crop surpluses in Asia beyond those originally identified with the exclusive or traditional reliance on rice as a primary cultigen. Amylopectin or waxy starch is now used mainly in food products, but also in the textile, adhesive, corrugating and paper industry. Science News 137 (1990): 207. Once the forest parcel has been cleared, dibble sticks are used to pierce the soil A new combine harvester can cost from $100,000 to $200,000 or more in the United States. Which of the following words shares a root with. While land plants have existed on earth for nearly 500 million years, maize in the form that we are accustomed to today has only existed for approximately 6000 years. Retrieved October 16, 2020 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/food/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/natural-history-maize. Until World War II, the main source of starch in the USA was tapioca but when Japan severed the supply lines of the States, they forced processors to turn to waxy maize. the area extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua in which diverse pre-Columbian civilizations flourished. In fact, a drive through Nebraska during the growing season might leave some outsiders with the impression that it consists of a seamless, seemingly endless, and very dense field of maize. Maize is more commonly used in Britain than in the United States to talk about corn, but most Americans recognize the word. Benz, Bruce F. "Reconstructing the Racial Phylogeny of Mexican Maize: Where Do We Stand?" Maize or Indian corn (called corn in some countries) is Zea mays, a member of the grass family Poaceae.It is a cereal grain which was first grown by people in ancient Central America.It is now the third most important cereal crop in the world. Despite these distinctions, Doebley acknowledges that maize and the Mexican teosintes are essentially variants of the same biological species. In fact, the initial appearance of maize in Peru has been dated to 6070 b.c.e. Boulder, Colo.: Westview, 1994. The Spanish Bishop Diego de Landa burned as many of the books of the Yucatan Maya as he could … parviglumis ) in central America at least as early 9,000 years ago. "Maize as a Culinary Mystery." Learn more. Moreover, maize has the additional advantage of rapid returns and twice the productive yield per unit of land of wheat. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. In China and Southeast Asia, maize is cultivated in rotation with other, more traditional crops like rice or millet, and sequential cropping (relay cropping) strategies permit a form of multiple-cropping that overlaps the life cycles of two or more crops. maize definition: 1. a tall plant grown in many parts of the world for its yellow seeds, which are eaten as food…. . The history of maize and its domestication may be traced back some 8,000 years. The U.S. Patent Office Report of 1860 lists hundreds of patents for corn planters, cultivators, harvesters, cornhuskers, corn shellers, cornstalk cutters, corn-shock binders, cornstalk shocking machines, corn cleaners, seed drills, rotary harrows, smut machines, corn and cob crushers and mills, and seed drills (Fussell, p. 144). The reason for this is that all grains were called corn under early British and American trade and the name was retained for maize because it was the most common grain in commerce. Given its many uses, maize is likely to be found in over 1,000 products in a well-stocked U.S. supermarket. A small farmer might grow several different types of maize. Their respective taxonomic classifications are based on the vegetative characteristics of the plant, characteristics of the spike or spikelet, characteristics of the cob, and the physiological, genetic, and cytological characteristics of the plants studied. Nglish: Translation of maize for Spanish Speakers, Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about maize. Maize-based agriculture. After 1492, maize rapidly diffused into Europe, Africa, and Asia and was successful in large part because it did not directly compete with existing grain crops such as rice, wheat, oats, millet, and barley. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Maize is another word for corn, the tall-growing grain that produces yellow kernels on long ears. This was traditionally regarded as a movement which took place simultaneously with the industrial revolution, and involved t…, TILLAGE Andrews, Jean. Since maize is so easily hybridized, the number of varieties far exceeds any other crop species on record. 1996. Created within swamps, flooded bajos, or water-filled shallow limestone sinks or coastal estuaries, raised fields (or ridged islands or embankments) were formed into elongated, roughly rectangular agricultural parcels by piling soils or upcast scooped from drained areas immediately adjacent to the embankment or island. New World dispersals. For the past two hundred years, farmers and agricultural scientists in such areas have developed a variety of means, technologies, and hybrids suitable for the continuing propagation of maize. The Natural History of Maize Maize, also referred to as corn or Indian corn in the United States and Great Britain, respectively, is a cereal plant of the Gramineae family of grasses that today constitutes the most widely distributed food plant in the world. for the sowing of maize kernels in the charred timbers of the milpa. It dyes silk and wool reddish-yellow in an acid bath. 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