One of the most widespread varieties in Brazil is white corn. Its main purposes are the production of hominy, grains and silage. The plant is about 2.20 meters high and the ear is born 1.10 meters from the ground. The ear is large, cylindrical and presents high compensation. The cob is thin, the grains are white, deep, heavy and of medium texture. The thatch has high physical resistance and good health. The root has good fixation.

The plant is especially resistant to the main foliar diseases of corn, at different altitudes and planting seasons. Up to two harvests of white corn per year can be harvested. In some seasons and regions of Brazil, the price of white corn can be up to fifty percent higher than traditional corn. The peak of demand occurs in the period immediately prior to Lent, as canjica is a typical dish of these festivities.

In Brazil, white corn is quite widespread in the states of Paraná and São Paulo, but there are also isolated plantations in the states of Santa Catarina, Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso. Among the main producing municipalities are Londrina, Irati and Pato Branco in Paraná and Quadra – which is considered the “Capital of White Corn” -, Tatuí and Itapetininga in São Paulo. In the United States, white corn production in 2004 corresponded to three percent of the total. Although still a minority, white corn has gained space in the market in recent years, and the area planted has reflected the increase in demand. One of the reasons is that the market recognizes that there are still no transgenic varieties of white corn, which automatically increases its market value in specific niches. According to seed producers, transgenic corn brings an average increase of eight percent in productivity. In the United States, more than seventy percent of the corn sown is transgenic. The production of transgenic varieties in Argentina and Brazil is increasing, although the practice of growing these varieties is not always legal. There are also reports of transgenic corn in Honduras (land of corn origin), where transgenic varieties have “contaminated” local varieties. In Mexico, GM maize also faces serious government opposition: in 1998, experimentation, cultivation and importation of GM maize were prohibited.

Maize is an example of human manipulation of species, and is used by both GMO advocates and opponents. Maize cultivated by the Indians barely resembles today’s corn: the ears were small, full of missing grains, and much of the production was lost to diseases and plagues. Through genetic improvement, corn reached its present form. The defenders of transgenics use this example to say that the manipulation of the genetic characteristics of plants is not new and has been done before, with much less control than today. Opponents of transgenics use the same example to argue that there are alternatives to the direct manipulation of plant species genes, a technique to which they are opposed. Shipments of corn imported from the United States do not always reach Latin American countries with labeling indicating this to consumers. Nevertheless, Mexican research indicates that contamination of native corn may have been caused by accidental pollination, which may have also occurred in other Central American countries. The transgenic corn, owned by a few companies, spreads when it comes into contact with the natural environment. There are cases in the United States where a small farmer plants corn and then has to pay royalties because those ears were transgenic and were patented by financial groups. Since transgenic corn is taking the place of “real”, natural corn, such events have been increasingly common [31].

Cultivation Corn has high productive potential and is very responsive to technology. The technological level of the crop is between medium and high. The crop is ideally mechanized and benefits greatly from the no-tillage technique. The use of planting discs is suitable for your sieve. Plant characteristics

Maize belongs to the angiosperms group, i.e. it produces the seeds in the fruit. The corn plant reaches a height of 2.5 meters, although there are much lower varieties. The stem looks like bamboo and the joints are usually fifty centimetres apart. The root attachment is relatively weak. The ear is cylindrical, and is usually born half the height of the plant.

The grains are the size of peas, and are arranged in regular rows attached to the cob, which form the ear. They have variable dimensions, weight and texture. Each ear contains two to four hundred grains. Depending on the species, the grains have varying colors, they can be yellow, white, red, black, blue or brown. The seed core has a pericarp which is used as a coating.