Types of Maize

In This article learn about types of maize (Maize grain types) it is most important topic for IFFCO, NSC, CCI, AFO, JRF, BHU, Pre-PG, Agriculture Supervisor, etc. All Agriculture competitive exams.

1. Flint Corn (Zea mays indurata)

• Entire outer portion of kernel is hard starch.
• Commonly cultivated in India.
• Because flint corn has a very low water content,
• it is more resistant to freezing than other vegetables.

2. Dent Corn (Zea maya indentata)

• Dent corn, also known as yellow dent corn, Reid’s yellow dent corn, white dent corn is a type of field corn with high soft starch content.
• It received its name because of the small indentation, or “dent”, at the crown of each kernel on a ripe ear of corn.
• About 95 % of Production in the USA is dent corn.

3. Sweet Corn (Zea mays saccharata)

• also called sweetcorn, sugar corn and pole corn.
• Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring recessive mutation in the genes which control conversion of sugar to starch inside the endosperm of the corn kernel. 
• Sweetest among all.

4. Flour Corn (Zea mays amylacea)

• Kernel is largely composed of soft starch with little or no hard starch.
• It is primarily used to make corn flour.

5. Popcorn (Zea mays everta)

• Its kernel is small and extreme form of flint corn.
• When heated to 170 °C,
• The grain swells and burst and turning inside out.

6. Waxy Corn (Zea mays ceretina)

• Due to waxy appearance of the kernel. it is called as waxy corn.
• Waxy corn or glutinous corn is a type of field corn characterized by its sticky texture when cooked as a result of larger amounts of amylopectin.

7. Pod Corn (Zea mays zunicata)

• Pod corn or wild maize is a variety of maize.
• Pod corn is not a wild ancestor of maize, but a mutant that forms leaves around each kernel.
• Pod corn forms glumes around each kernel which is caused by a mutation at the Tunicate locus. Because of its bizarre appearance, Pod Corn has had a religious significance to certain Native American Tribes.
• Husked primitive type.