Description

Corn (also known as maize), is one of the sweetest tasting grains. In its immature form it is the familiar yellow corn on the cob. When it matures and dries out it is used like other grains to make grain foods like breakfast cereal and tortillas.

Corn production in Australia is small, producing 0.6% of total world production, compared with the USA which is responsible for about 43% of total world production. It is one of the world’s most important crops because it is used widely in food manufacture.

Corn is unique in that it cannot reproduce itself without the aid of humans – its seeds cannot be released because they are tightly wrapped around the ear. Wild corn has never been found and domesticated corn was probably developed through hybridisation.