Zea Mays (Sweet Corn)

Sweet corn has been grown for at least 7,000 years and was already a very popular food among the Native American tribes. Around 1780 it was given to European settlers and it did not take long before it became a popular vegetable in southern and central regions of the United States.

Nowadays, its popularity has spread worldwide and it is used in many dishes or as a vegetable by itself. We don't have to wait till harvest time; it is available in the stores all year around.

Read More

Pesticide Potpourri

• Scientists are reporting for the first time that the use of weed killers in farmers’ fields boosts the nutritional value of an important crop. Application of two common herbicides to several varieties of sweet corn significantly increased the amount of key nutrients termed carotenoids in the corn kernels, according to a study scheduled for publication in the July 22 issue of ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Farmers grow about 240,000 acres of sweet corn in the United States each year, making it an important food crop. Corn is among only a few vegetable crops that are good sources of zeaxanthin carotenoids. The scientists exposed several varieties of sweet corn plants to the herbicide mesotrione or a combination of mesotrione and atrazine, another commonly used weed killer, and harvested mature corn 45 days later. Herbicide applications made the corn an even-better source of carotenoids, boosting levels in the mature kernels of some varieties by up to 15 percent. It specifically increased levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, the major carotenoids in sweet corn kernels. (American Chemical Society, 7/8/09).

Read More