Zea mays subsp. mays, from Spanish: maz after Taino: mahis[2]),
often known as corn in North American and Australian English,
is a cereal grain that was initially domesticated by indigenous
peoples in southern Mexico approximately 10, 000 years ago. Maize is
a member of the Zea mays subsp. mays species.[3][4] The plant's leafy
stalk gives rise to in"orescences, sometimes known as 5tassels, 5 which
produce pollen and separate ovuliferous in"orescences called ears.
These in"orescences, when fertilized, yield kernels or seeds, which are
considered botanical fruits.[6][I] Fn formal, scientiHc, and international
usage, the term maize is favored as the common name since
it refers solely to this one grain, whereas the term corn refers to any
primary cereal crop that is farmed in a country. This preference for
the term maize as the common name can be explained as follows.
Wor instance, the term 5corn5 is typically used to refer to 5maize5 in
both North America and Australia. Gowever, in England and Cales,
RENETFO 2 XESEAXOG YW MAFZE B TEYSFNTE GDVXF... AN... A...jANOE...(
5corn5 can also mean 5wheat5 or 5barley, 5 and in Scotland and Freland,
5corn5 refers to 5oats.5As a result of its widespread adoption as a
primary source of nutrition, maize now accounts for a greater proportion
of global grain production than either wheat or rice. Maize is
utilized not 7ust for human consumption 8often in the form of masa),
but also for the production of corn ethanol, animal feed, and other
maize-based goods such as corn starch and corn syrup.[q] ...ent corn,
"int corn, pod corn, popcorn, "our corn, and sweet corn are the six
primary varieties of maize. Sweet corn is also known as popcorn.[9]
The kernels of sugar-rich varieties of corn, known as sweet corn, are
typically grown for human consumption, whereas Held corn varieties
are typically used for animal feed, various corn-based human food
uses 8such as grinding it into cornmeal or masa, pressing it into corn
oil, fermenting and distilling it into alcoholic beverages like bourbon
whiskey), and as feedstocks for the chemical industry. Sweet corn
varieties are typically grown for human consumption as kernels. Fn
addition, ethanol and various other types of biofuels can be made
from maize.Maize is the most fre, uently farmed grain in the world,
and each year, more maize is produced than any other type of grain
combined.[U] The total amount of product produced all across the
world in 2021 was 1.2 billion tonnes 81.2 10U long tonsP 1.3 10U
short tons). Ft is estimated that in the year 2021, the Lnited States
of America alone will produce 394 million tonnes 83q9, 000, 000 long
tonsP 423, 000, 000 short tons) of maize. Maize is the grain crop that
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is grown more than any other in the Americas.[source: missing citation]
Fn 200U, genetically modiHed maize accounted for 96 percent
of all of the corn that was planted in the Lnited States.[10] There is
a high degree of maize cultivation in the Lnited States, which helps
to account for the country's position