What is an ear of corn? Sweet corn (Maize)

Corn, Maize (Zea mays)- an annual plant of the Poa family, grain and fodder crop.
Homeland - Central and South America.

One of the oldest cultivated plants on Earth, incapable of self-seeding and going wild. It was first introduced into culture in Mexico by the ancient Mayans and Aztecs (about 5200 BC). The probable ancestor of cultivated corn is considered to be the common weed plant Mexican teosinte (Euchlaena mexicana), which is similar in appearance to corn. It was brought to Europe at the end of the 15th century, and has been cultivated in Russia since the 17th century. The range of corn is from 58°N. up to 40°S..

Corn is a light- and heat-loving crop, quite drought-resistant, and does not tolerate shade, especially in the first half of the growing season. The growing season is usually 90-150 days.

The plant is monoecious with dioecious flowers (the spadix in the leaf axils is the female inflorescence and the panicle at the top of the stem is male), cross-pollinating. Male flowers bloom two to five days earlier than female flowers.

Color of corn grains: yellow and white, sometimes orange, pink, red, black. From 500 to 1000 grains are formed on the cob.

The corn plant has a powerful root system. Adventitious roots are formed at the bottom of the lekgo stem. The stems, depending on the variety, reach 0.8-2 meters in height. Leaves are lanceolate, vaginal.

Depending on the properties of the grain, corn is divided into 7 subspecies: sugar, flint and tooth-like (most common in Russia), starchy, popping (popcorn), waxy (less common) and filmy (not used in industrial crops).

Corn cobs have excellent taste and nutritional properties.

Corn grain contains minerals important for the human body: potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and phosphorus salts. Its protein contains the essential amino acids lysine and tiptophan. Sweet corn is rich in vitamins E, B, PP and ascorbic acid. The germ of the corn grain, which occupies almost a third of the grain, contains 35% fat.

Corn is a plant with many uses. It is used in the food industry (flour, cereal, corn flakes and sticks, corn oil rich in vitamin E, etc.), starch, brewing and alcohol industries. Corn stalks, cobs, and their wrappers are used to produce paper, linoleum, viscose, insulating materials, film, and much more. Corn silage and crushed canned cobs (along with grain) in milky-waxy ripeness are valuable comas.

Pistil stigmas are used in medicine. Extracts from corn silk have the property of stimulating the liver and gallbladder, increasing urination, and are recommended for cystitis and as an aid in the treatment of kidney stones and hepatitis.

Corn belongs to the large cereal family. This annual plant, reaching a height of two meters or more, consists of a straight, strong stem with a large number of wide ribbon-like leaves, male flowers on the tops in the form of panicles and female flowers in the axils of the leaves in the form of cobs. The root part is powerful, the roots are located in diameter about 1 m, and in depth - almost 2 m.

Boiled corn cobs are a real delicacy and a very nutritious dish for many. After all, a vegetable plant, or rather its grains, contains a large amount of useful substances - proteins, oil, vitamins, amino acids, carotene and carbohydrates.

Corn cultivation

Corn is a heat-loving and moisture-loving vegetable crop. Favorable temperature for seed germination is from 8 to 13 degrees Celsius. The landing site should be protected from cold northern winds. With proper care and weather conditions that meet the plant's requirements, the crop can be harvested approximately 2.5-3 months after germination. The rate of ripening of corn cobs directly depends on the total number of warm days (with a temperature of at least 15 degrees Celsius).

The soil in corn beds should be fertile and nutritious. To enrich its composition, it is recommended to use mineral and organic fertilizers. The plant responds well to the addition of humus to the soil. In areas with acidic soil, lime must be applied. For 1 square meter of garden area it will require from 300 to 500 g.

A cereal crop can produce good yields for several years in the same area. Before planting seeds, it is recommended to carefully dig up the soil. The depth of tillage is 1.5-2 shovels. After the young plants appear, the soil around them needs to be loosened and hilled.

Seeds are planted at the end of spring (approximately from the second week of May), when the soil on the land plot warms up to 8-9 degrees Celsius. The planting depth of seed material is 5-6 cm, the distance between plantings is 30 cm, and the row spacing is at least 50 cm. On heavy soils, the planting depth is minimal, and on sandy and sandy loam soils it is deeper. Experienced vegetable growers recommend sowing 3 seeds in one hole at once, one of which will be dry, the second will be swollen, and the third will be sprouted. This method makes it possible for seedlings to appear under any vagaries of weather. If the sprouted seeds fall under late night spring frosts and die, the remaining planting material will correct the situation. When shoots appear, the strongest specimens will need to be left from all seeds and the rest removed. Flowering begins 6-7 weeks after germination.

Soil care

The soil in corn beds needs timely loosening and regular weed removal. After precipitation (about 2-3 days), as well as after watering, the soil must be loosened throughout the entire growing season. Depending on the density of the soil, such procedures will require from 4 to 6.

Watering

A heat-loving and drought-resistant vegetable plant responds well to watering in hot and dry weather. Each young plant requires about 1 liter of irrigation water, for an adult - 2 liters. The average soil moisture level is 80-85%. Exceeding this level can lead to the death of the root system and growth cessation. If there is an excess of moisture in the soil, the color of the green leaves of corn will change to a purple hue.

The time for planting seeds for seedlings is mid-May. The optimal growing location is nutrient cubes or small film pots.

The composition of the soil mixture is 1 part sawdust, 5 parts slightly decomposed peat, 20 g of mineral fertilizers.

The hardening procedure begins 5 days before planting the seedlings in the beds. In the first 2 days, young plants are placed outdoors in the shade, gradually accustoming the seedlings to sunlight.

Planting seedlings in open beds at the age of 2-3 weeks is carried out in the first week of June.

With the seedling method of cultivation, the cobs ripen by the beginning of August, and with the seed method - by the end of the month. Each plant has 2-3 ears. It is recommended to leave the earliest specimens for seeds. The cobs along with the leaves are stored in a cool room in a suspended state.

Corn: basic planting rules, care, watering, fertilizing (video)

Ornamental corn is an annual cereal crop that differs from traditional corn in the variety of colors of the grains on the cobs, both individual grains and whole cobs, as well as much more pleasant-looking leaf blades.

Is ornamental corn edible?

Basically, decorative corn grains contain an excess amount of starch, they are quite hard, and even when cooked, the cobs are considered unsuitable for food. The grains of such corn can be used to make popcorn, as well as to make corn flour.

It is permissible, however, to eat decorative corn grains, but only when they are at a very young age, that is, in a state of milky ripeness.

Use in garden design

Decorative corn can be used in design in any way you like, as long as we are talking about living plants with beautiful leaf blades and original multi-colored ears. They can be planted either solitary on the site, or made into hedges or framing paths, positioned in such a way that they do not shade neighboring plants, because the height of even decorative corn can reach more than 2 meters. In the fall, you can collect the cobs and decorate the kitchen with them, creating original design solutions, of course, if the style of the kitchen allows the use of vegetables in the design.

Growing decorative corn

The agricultural technology for growing a number of ornamental varieties sometimes differs from the general agricultural technology for corn. The common thing is that ornamental corn is a plant that loves warmth, loving open places, well heated by the sun, but at the same time reliably protected from the north wind and drafts. As for the soil, decorative corn loves soil with sufficient fertility, air- and moisture-permeable, and necessarily with sufficient moisture.

Decorative corn, like regular corn, is propagated by sowing seeds in the ground; this, of course, needs to be done in soil that has been dug up in advance with a shovel full, removing all weeds and simultaneously adding a couple of kilograms of well-rotted manure, a tablespoon of wood ash and teaspoon of nitroammophoska per square meter.

The optimal time for sowing seeds is May or April, if spring is early and the soil has already warmed up quite well (+5 ... +11 o C). The seeds are buried 5-7 centimeters, carefully sprinkled with soil and watered from a watering can, using a bucket of water per square meter of soil.

It is better to sow fresh seeds, but if you are not sure of their quality, then you can play it safe and, before sowing, warm the seeds on a southern windowsill for a couple of days, and then 2 hours before sowing, soak them in a cloth soaked in any growth stimulant, for example, Epin , Zircon, Heteroauxin and similar drugs, strictly following the instructions on the package. It is better to soak in water warmed to room temperature.

When sowing, try to leave a distance between the seeds according to the further purpose of the plants. So, if you want to create a picturesque hedge or a curtain wall, then it is advisable to leave a distance of 20 cm between the seeds. If you want to get fully developed cobs to decorate your living space with them or to taste them, then the distance between the plants needs to be doubled.

When the soil is warm enough, seedlings usually appear after a week, and sometimes a little more. Usually not all seeds germinate - about 75-80%.

Further care includes regular watering, especially during dry periods of the year, improving the soil with complex mineral fertilizers, loosening the soil and controlling weeds.

Watering should be done as the soil dries, always taking into account the weather outside the window. If it rains and the soil is saturated with moisture, then watering is not necessary. If there is no rain for a long time, then watering can be done every evening by pouring a bucket of water at room temperature per square meter.

Approximately starting from the second half of summer, when the corn has formed a sufficiently powerful root system, you can water it every other day, again focusing on the weather.

As for fertilizing, it is most appropriate to carry it out during the period when the corn is blooming, as well as at the beginning of the formation of cobs. The best option here is to use nitroammophoska dissolved in water. During the flowering period, you need to dissolve a teaspoon of nitroammophoska in a bucket and use the entire resulting solution, pouring it under each plant. And during the period of ripening of the cobs, double the dose of fertilizer, at the same rate of consumption.

Loosening the soil and controlling weeds should be carried out as necessary.

Corn, depending on the variety, can be decorative both throughout the season, if we are talking about variegated leaves, and during the ripening period - when the grains on the cobs acquire an attractive color. The cobs ripen, becoming as decorative as possible, usually towards the end of September.

Varieties of decorative corn

Over the years of breeding work, many varieties of ornamental corn have been developed, but given that in our area the demand for ordinary corn is not very high, the demand for varieties of ornamental corn is even lower. Therefore, we will present varieties that are easy to purchase at any garden store.

Magic Kaleidoscope- its cobs, alas, are not suitable for food. The variety is distinguished by the fact that it produces cobs in which the grains are painted in almost all the colors of the rainbow. The grains are very dense and have a high starch content. The variety is resistant to diseases and pests. Seeds can be sown at standard times. The plants are used as an attractive hedge, and the cobs are often used to decorate the interior; they hang without damage until the next harvest.

Amero- a very tall plant, it can reach a height of 2 m. The plant has stems literally covered with ribbon-like and variegated leaves - stripes on the leaf blades can be colored green, yellow, pink and red. Plants of this variety are ideal for group plantings, for an attractive hedge or for hiding some unsightly part of the site.

Grains in milky ripeness can be eaten, they are very tasty, even though they are also multi-colored, with a pearly tint, but they contain less starch than in the previous variety.

The peculiarity of the variety is that the seeds germinate slowly. Before sowing the seeds, you need to warm them up on a south-facing windowsill for a week, then soak them for a day, placing them in a cloth moistened with water at room temperature with any growth stimulant dissolved in it.

Sowing seeds of this variety should be done no earlier than mid-May, the soil should warm up to 7 degrees Celsius to a seeding depth of 7 cm. Further care is standard.

Gem– the ears of this variety are small, the grains in them are small, and all of different colors. The grains are arranged in a checkerboard pattern with a predominance of colors such as yellow, snow-white, black and brown.

The variety loves the most fertile soils, always with plenty of moisture, and areas open to the sun.

The variety is good as a backdrop and hedge, for framing unsightly buildings, as a background crop, as group plantings or edging paths.

Strawberry- reaches a height of 2 m. The variety is very demanding of sufficient heat, loves nutritious soil and plenty of moisture. You need to sow seeds only in the most open and well-lit place, but always protected from the cold wind.

In milky ripeness, the cobs can be used for food; their small grains in ripeness have a ruby-scarlet hue, and the cobs themselves from a distance resemble strawberries.

The seeds are slow to germinate, so before sowing, they need to be warmed up on a south-facing windowsill for a week and then soaked according to the scheme described above. Sowing should be done no earlier than mid-May, when the soil warms up as well as possible. Ears form in August.

Rainbow– the highlight of this variety is very bright and striped leaf blades. The plant itself can exceed a height of 2 m. The leaf blades have green, yellow and pink stripes. Ears appear already in August. This variety is used to create group plantings, to hide unsightly places in the garden and simply to decorate the area.

Variegated Ribbon– a very heat-loving variegated variety, which has very attractive leaves and produces small-sized cobs. The plant is not very tall, rarely exceeding 1 m. Snow-white, pinkish, purple and green stripes can be seen on the leaves.

Seeds of this variety can be sown at the end of April or beginning of May, preferably in moist soil and always in soil warmed to +10 degrees and above. Seeds are planted no more than 5 cm deep. Seeds germinate most actively at a temperature of 14-16 degrees above zero.

You can also grow it through seedlings, making sure to place the seeds in peat-humus pots so as not to injure the delicate roots when transplanting. In this case, transplantation to a permanent place should be carried out in early June, so as not to risk it. The optimal distance between plants for this variety is 35 cm.

Mother of Pearl Miracle– reaches a height of 1.5 m and has beautifully beautiful leaf blades. The plant looks great as a single plant, but it can also be placed in group plantings. The striped leaf blades droop slightly and have green, yellow, pink, orange and even scarlet stripes.

In milky ripeness, you can eat corn grains, and also use the cobs for decoration.

The seeds of this variety are demanding of heat - the soil where they should be sown must warm up to +11 o C or more. The depth of planting of seeds should not exceed 4 cm. The germination rate of seeds, as a rule, is not very high, so sometimes three seeds are placed in one place at once, and the distance between the “piles” is left at least 45 cm, with a width between rows of 75 cm.

If you are interested in them, feel free to purchase seeds and sow them in flower beds and ornamental gardens, remember - corn consumes a large amount of nutrients and moisture, so you should not forget about fertilizing and watering.

Photo: Rita Brilliantova, Maxim Minin

Corn is a herbaceous, heat-loving plant, which is grown by many summer residents. Of course, in order to get a good harvest of this wonderful crop, certain agricultural techniques must be followed. First of all, you need to choose the right one. You should also decide where exactly it will grow on the site. And, of course, during the growing process, this crop, like any other, needs to be properly fed and watered.

general description

Corn is an annual plant. In nature, there are only 6 varieties of it. However, only this variety, depending on the variety, can reach a height of 1.5-3 m as a garden and agricultural crop. Unlike most other representatives of cereals, the stalk of corn is not empty, but filled with tissue. Its thickness is usually 3-7 cm.

In the lower part, this plant forms supporting aerial roots. The leaf length of corn can reach up to 1 m, and the width - up to 10 cm. The flowers of this plant are unisexual. The male ones are collected in panicles and grow at the very top of the stem. Female flowers form cobs located in the axils. The color of corn seeds is usually bright yellow. But there are also varieties with white, red or black grains. The shape and size of the seeds of this crop may vary.

Popular varieties

Corn is a southern plant whose cobs take a long time to ripen. Therefore, for the Urals and Siberia it is worth choosing mainly its early varieties. The most productive hybrids, producing harvests by mid-August, include the following:

Sundance F1.

• Sugar F1.

Also, under certain conditions, at a dacha in the middle zone you can get a good harvest of mid-season corn. Such, for example, as:

Lingonberry.

Late varieties of this crop are mainly suitable only for Ukraine and the southern regions of the Russian Federation. The most popular corn hybrids of this group are Russian popping and Polaris.

Variety Sundance F1

This powerful early-ripening hybrid produces mature ears within 60-65 days after planting. Sundance F1 grain is usually used for food at the stage of milk maturity, fresh or canned. This variety received good reviews from summer residents, first of all, precisely for the excellent taste of the cobs. The Sundance F1 hybrid is also praised for its drought and frost resistance. However, this variety does not like shading and poor soils. Corn is sown (photos of it can be seen below) Sundance F1 in early May.

Hybrid Trophy F1

The growing season of this variety is 75 days. The Trophy F1 hybrid should be planted in a well-lit place, without thickening. The ears of this variety are very long (up to 23 cm) and sweet. The grain has a honey color. You can eat cobs either fresh or boiled. Some housewives also preserve grain of this variety for the winter.

Sugar F1

This is a very popular good variety of corn, the fruits of which begin to ripen already 70-80 days after planting. The grains of the hybrid Sugar F1 are very tender, juicy and sweet. The cob of this corn has an average length (up to 20 cm). The variety has earned its popularity not only for its good taste, but also for its resistance to diseases such as bladder smut.

Hybrid Lingonberry

This mid-season corn begins to ripen 85-89 days after planting. The cob of Lingonberry is quite short - 18 cm. But the grain of this variety is very large and has a pleasant bright yellow color. Like many other varieties of corn, Lingonberry does not tolerate shade at all. A site for it should be chosen with light, fertile soil. Lingonberry cobs are best consumed boiled or canned.

Hybrid Pearl

The ripening period for this corn is 80-85 days. Its cobs are of medium length (up to 20 cm) and have a bright yellow color. You can use Pearl corn grains for cooking or canning. The advantages of this hybrid for summer residents, among other things, include high productivity and resistance to various types of fungal and bacterial diseases.

Corn Mermaid

This variety is perhaps the most popular among summer residents of middle-income Russia. Its main advantage is considered to be simply phenomenal resistance to disease. There is almost never any need to treat Rusalka corn. The ears of this variety begin to ripen 80-90 days after the first shoots appear. Their length is average - up to 20 cm. The color of the seeds of corn of the Rusalka variety is lemon.

Late varieties

The Russian bursting hybrid ripens 90-95 days after planting. Its cob is very thin and has a conical shape. A characteristic feature of the variety is the cracking popcorn grain. Russian popping prefers soils that are light, fertile, and well-moistened. This variety is usually grown for flakes and puffed corn.

Long (up to 23 cm) ears of the Polaris hybrid are excellent for canning and fresh consumption. This variety is valued by summer residents, among other things, for its resistance to diseases and aging. Polaris grains are long and have excellent taste. This corn should be planted on light, fertile soils.

How to choose the right place

Corn is a crop that primarily prefers very well-lit areas. Therefore, it is usually planted on the south side of the garden or vegetable garden. At the same time, the largest harvests can be harvested by placing corn on a hill. The best predecessors for this culture are:

• How to prepare a garden bed

  The area chosen for corn should be dug up in the fall. At the same time, manure and phosphorus fertilizers should be added to the soil. It is advisable to improve acidic soil with lime, chalk or dolomite flour. In the spring, before planting, the bed for corn only needs to be loosened a little.

  When to sow

  It is usually done in open ground immediately after the air temperature outside warms up to +12 C. In Ukraine and the southern regions of Russia, this is approximately the end of April. In the middle zone, sowing is usually done in mid-May. In the Urals and Siberia, the best planting time is considered to be early June. A sign that it is time to sow this plant is the presence of cherries.

  

  Corn is a relatively unpretentious crop that can be grown either using conventional technology (planting directly into the ground) or using seedlings. In the latter case, the seeds are placed in cups with pre-prepared soil mixture in mid-April (for the middle zone). You can take regular garden soil and add well-rotted manure to it. It is not recommended to keep cups with seeds in a very warm room. Good corn seedlings can only be obtained at an air temperature of no more than 20 degrees. It is best to install cups on a south window. If the seedlings do not get enough sunlight, they will begin to stretch and grow very weak.

  How to properly prepare seeds

  Before planting, corn grains should be placed in the sun for about 5 days. Then they need to be placed in warm water for an hour. Next, the seeds are dried. Before planting, it is advisable to dust the grains with hexachlorane or granosan according to the instructions. This will prevent infection of young seedlings by pathogenic microorganisms, fungi or harmful insects.

  How to plant correctly

  It is highly not recommended to be late with sowing corn. This can lead to a significant reduction in yield. The depth of seed placement during planting on light soils should be 6 cm, on heavy soils - 4 cm. The optimal distance between individual plants for most varieties is 35 cm. The only exception is very tall corn. Seeds of such varieties are planted at a distance of 45 cm from each other. The space between the rows of corn should be approximately 70 cm. Place 3-4 grains per hole. Thinning is carried out after 7-8 leaves appear on the plants. At the same time, the strongest bush is left in the hole.

  How to water corn

  The soil under this crop should not be moistened too often, but abundantly. After watering, the soil under each plant should get wet by at least 10 cm. Under no circumstances should the soil in the beds be allowed to dry out too much. Half-empty ears and low yields are the main consequences of insufficient watering of a crop such as corn. The photo below clearly demonstrates the result of overdrying plants.

  

  How to feed

  The first time corn is fertilized approximately 20 days after planting. In this case, a solution of mullein prepared in a ratio of 1:11 is usually used. You can also water the plants with diluted bird droppings (1:20-25). Additionally, it is worth adding phosphate-potassium fertilizers to the soil. This will be especially useful if the corn leaves become wavy around the edges. This form indicates a lack of potassium.

  Weeding and pinching

  Corn is a plant whose weeds usually have to be removed only in the first couple of weeks after planting. This culture is very strong and takes a lot of nutrients from the ground. Therefore, no weeds usually grow under it. In the phase of active development of green mass in corn, it is necessary to remove the side shoots. The fact is that they take a lot of vitality from the plant. And this, in turn, greatly affects productivity.

  After the corn grows to about 20-30 cm, it is advisable to mulch the soil in the garden bed. It is best to use well-rotted horse or cow manure for this purpose. You can also cover the soil under the plants with regular dried grass.

  Harvesting in the country and harvesting corn for silage in the fields

  When is the best time to pick the cobs is, of course, a matter of taste for the owner of the plot. Some people like their sweet corn unripe. Others prefer ripe, cooked cobs. In any case, it is not recommended to store fresh corn for too long. The cobs should be eaten or preserved no later than 20 days after they are picked.

  

  At the dachas, the harvest grown is, of course, simply collected by hand. Farmers who cultivate this crop over large areas use special machines for harvesting corn. This technique is something like a small combine harvester with a special header. The cutting device is usually located in front of the machine. Since corn is usually grown on agricultural land for livestock feed, it is cut off completely - the green mass along with the cobs.

  Common corn.

  Name: Common corn.

  Other names: Maize, sweet corn.

  Latin name: Zea mais L.

  Family: Poaaceae

  Lifespan: Annual.

  Plant type: A tall plant with large linear leaves and unisexual inflorescences - male panicles and female ears.

  Trunk (stem): The stem is straight, with clearly defined nodes and lines.

  Height: From 50 cm to 4 meters.

  Leaves: Leaves are alternate, broadly lanceolate, with wavy edges.

  Flowers, inflorescences: Flowers are unisexual, collected in separate inflorescences, significantly different from each other in appearance: male flowers - in a spreading panicle at the top of the stem, female flowers - in axillary thick heads (cobs), wrapped in leaf-like sheaths, from which numerous long thread-like columns protrude.

  Flowering time: Blooms in July – September.

  Fruit: The fruit is a grain.

  Ripening time: Ripens in September – October.

  Collection time: Harvesting is carried out in the stage of milky ripeness of the cobs.

  Features of collection, drying and storage: Dry in open areas or in well-ventilated areas, spreading a thin (1-2 cm) layer on fabric or paper. Artificial drying is carried out at a temperature of 40°C. The yield of dry raw materials is 22-25%. Shelf life – 3 years. Store in a dry place (the raw materials are very hygroscopic!).

  History of the plant: Sweet corn is the oldest food plant on our planet. Wild corn is not found in nature. Even archaeologists could not find wild corn at the sites of primitive people. Genetics have put forward a hypothesis according to which corn arose as a result of intergeneric hybridization of species related to corn and mutations - sudden hereditary changes.
  The most likely place for the domestication of corn is considered to be Central and Southern Mexico, its plateaus north of Tehuantepec, near the ancient Mayan settlements. From there, corn spread throughout America, from Canada to Patagonia. In 1948, in the caves of New Mexico, in the settlements of the ancient inhabitants of these places, the remains of corn were found. The finds date back to the period from 2500 BC to 500 AD. In the Valley of Mexico, corn pollen was discovered, which was a cultivated plant already in 6950 BC! The cultivation of corn in America reached a very high level in ancient times. The Aztecs in Mexico, the Incas in Peru, the Mayans in Central America and Yucatan and other lesser-known tribes grew this crop as a staple crop, and it was the main food for most Indians. Each of their tribal communities had their own special varieties of corn. The ancient peoples of America held corn in special esteem. In her honor, lavish religious, often bloody, rituals were held. People were sacrificed to the corn gods. This was adopted by the Incas, Aztecs, and Mayans.
  In Europe, they first learned about corn from Christopher Columbus. Its first samples and seeds were delivered to Spain in 1496. The participants in this voyage began to grow corn on their estates, and soon it found its way into the botanical gardens of Europe. After the discovery of America, within 50 years, corn from Spain migrated to Italy, France, Portugal, England, the countries of South-Eastern Europe, Turkey and the northern regions of Africa. In Europe, corn was first bred as a kind of exotic garden plant. But in a matter of decades, corn became a standard dish throughout the Mediterranean and Southern Europe.
  In the former Soviet Union, corn began to be grown in the 17th century in Bessarabia, now Moldova. She got there from the Balkans. After 100 years, corn was already a common field crop in the south of Ukraine, Crimea, Kuban and Stavropol. Corn came to the Caucasus from Turkey. At the end of the 18th – beginning of the 19th centuries, corn from China came to Central Asia and from there to the Lower Volga. The circle is closed. Since the 50s of the 19th century, corn has been conquering the vast expanses of Russia, moving further and further to the north. By the 70-80s of the 19th century, some Russian field growers began to create domestic varieties of corn. Of great interest were the varieties bred near St. Petersburg by the gardener E.A. Grachev. They were distinguished by great early maturity and cold resistance. More organized experimental and breeding work with corn in our country began in the 20th century.

  Habitats: Grown as a fodder and food crop.

  
  Culinary use: Corn is a valuable food, industrial and feed crop.
  Mature grain is processed into various cereals, flour, corn flakes, starch, alcohols, molasses, acetone, and vinegar. They are eaten boiled and canned. Corn oil is produced from the grain, which is used for food purposes and is a valuable medicinal product. In terms of digestibility, it is equal to butter.
  Starch and corn (grape) sugar are prepared from grain, which are indispensable in dietary nutrition. Corn is healthier at the stage of milk and milk-wax ripeness.

  Use in cosmetics: Corn flour is used to remove comedones (Comedones faciei). To do this, 2 tablespoons of flour are mixed with pre-beaten egg white (one chicken egg is enough) and the resulting mixture is applied to the face. After drying, remove from the face with a dry cotton towel, wash the face with cold water and dry.

  Garden care: Corn can be grown in the summer in a warm, sunny place from sprouted grains and the raw materials can be prepared in August.

  Medicinal parts: Medicinal raw materials are grain, oil, corn columns and corn silk.

  Useful content: The grain contains up to 70% starch, 15% proteins, 7% fats, fiber, carotene, vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, C, D, E, H, K3, P, PP, pantothenic acid, flavonoids, mineral salts potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper, nickel, gold. Stigmas and styles contain large amounts of vitamin K3, vitamins B, E, C, P-vitamin compounds, saponins, and essential oils. The oil is especially rich in vitamin E.

  Actions: Corn has a cleansing effect on the body: it is able to remove toxins, radionuclides, cleanse the body of harmful substances accumulated in cells slag, corn on the cob can protect us from cancer, heart disease and aging. Corn helps children's growing bodies gain weight and supplies them with vitamins and microelements.

  Preparations made from corn silk have choleretic, diuretic, hemostatic and hypoglycemic properties. They increase secretion and improve the outflow of bile, changing its biochemical properties (viscosity, specific gravity, and the amount of bilirubin decrease). The hemostatic effect of corn is based on its ability to accelerate the process of blood clotting by influencing the synthesis of prothrombin in the liver and increasing the number of platelets.

  Corn silk are included in choleretic and diuretic preparations.

  Corn oil used for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis and hypertension. If nausea and vomiting occur, the use of corn oil is temporarily stopped, and after 7-10 days the treatment is repeated, reducing the dose by half.

  Type