# What is so different/special about growing corn? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 19, 2009, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972 "2009-01-19T10:20:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/1 "2009-01-19T10:20:03Z")
I’ve just got back from my summer holiday and while driving through the country I got curious about corn. Every field of corn we went past had a small sign on the roadside that seemed to be almost like a registration number. I didn’t just go past corn (NZers I went from Auckland to Papamoa) but many different crops (avocados, grapes, kiwifruit apples etc, oh and LOTS of cows!) but no other crop had anything that resembled the “corn sign”. Every single patch of corn (and they were quite small patches in the middle of LARGE farms full of cows) that we passed had these registration type numbers on the side of the road. When we got home I googled what I could remember from the signs (so not the number!) the main thing was “Pioneer” and “PGG Wrightson”. What I found made me even more curious, strange lists of corn seed companies like this [http://http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/propagation/catalogues/comcat\_agri\_2008/XXV.html](http://http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/propagation/catalogues/comcat_agri_2008/XXV.html). Why is corn special? Are there corn police who travel around the world making sure all the corn is registered? What are the odd “registration” numbers all about any way? Why corn not other crops? What are the long serious lists of corn seed dealers about? Is corn some kind of alien I should know about? Sorry for the very long URL, I seem to be not able to find the “make this URL a word” button (it’s a long time since I linked to anything…advice is welcome)! ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/2 "2009-01-19T10:58:36Z")
The small isolated patches is due to the fact that corn reproduces using wind-borne pollination and there are several past cases of GM traits showing up in neighboring fields. Until the GM crop is approved for human consumption, it would be bad for the trait to accidentally be released into the wild. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/3 "2009-01-19T10:59:39Z")
I’m betting the the corn is a GM product (Genetically Modified, not the car company). ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/4 "2009-01-19T11:07:08Z")
Making a URL a word is achieved by: typing (open square bracket) url= then the URL itself (close the bracket) then type the words you want to appear then (ENCLOSED in square brackets) /url Like [this](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6TOW_4TXJ2Q&feature=related). If you quote this post, you will be able to see the coding. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/5 "2009-01-19T11:15:58Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > I’m betting the the corn is a GM product (Genetically Modified, not the car company). But to the best of my knowledge (which is scrappy at best) NZ does not have widespread GM crops yet and this was small patches of corn fairly well spread during the whole trip (corn was spread over at least 160 kms of a 220 km trip) but patches were in pretty close proximity to each other. THANKS Glee! ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/6 "2009-01-19T13:17:16Z")
In the US, a lot of it is just advertising. “See how great my Pioneer 5247 is growing”. Also some done for research; side-by-side yields per acre, success in particular soil conditions; disease resistance, irrigation levels. You mark the rows/areas for identification later. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/7 "2009-01-19T14:00:22Z")
Some farms are demonstration farms for the seed supplier. All the varieties in the demonstration plot have signs for each variety. They don’t really name corn varieties for farm production by other than numbers so there is no confusion. The local farmers can see how a variety does in low lands or sandy fields, and ask for varieties that grow well for their farm with similar soil conditions. Buying what grows best in your conditions can increase yields significantly. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/8 "2009-01-19T14:02:50Z")
> [@calm\_kiwi](#): > > Sorry for the very long URL, I seem to be not able to find the “make this URL a word” button (it’s a long time since I linked to anything…advice is welcome)! Try this: [noparse][BBC News](http://news.bbc.co.uk)[/noparse] ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/9 "2009-01-19T14:58:42Z")
[Corn hybrids increase yield:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterosis) > [@](#): > > Nearly all the field corn now grown in the United States and most other developed nations is hybrid corn. Modern corn hybrids substantially outyield conventional cultivars and respond better to fertilization. > > Heterosis in maize was famously demonstrated in the early 20th century by George H. Shull and Edward M. East after hybrid corn was invented by Dr. William James Beal of Michigan State University based on work begun in 1879 at the urging of Charles Darwin. Dr. Beal’s work led to the first published account of a field experiment demonstrating hybrid vigor in corn, by Eugene Davenport and Perry Holden, 1881. These various pioneers of botany and related fields showed that crosses of inbred lines made from a Southern dent and a Northern flint, respectively, showed substantial heterosis and outyielded conventional cultivars of that era. However, at that time such hybrids could not be economically made on a large scale for use by farmers. Donald F. Jones at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven invented the first practical method of producing a high-yielding hybrid maize in 1914-1917. Jones’ method produced a double-cross hybrid, which requires two crossing steps working from four distinct original inbred lines. Later work by corn breeders produced inbred lines with sufficient vigor for practical production of a commercial hybrid in a single step, the single-cross hybrids. Single-cross hybrids are made from just two original parent inbreds. They are generally more vigorous and also more uniform than the earlier double-cross hybrids. The process of creating these hybrids often involves detasseling. [Improving Corn](http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/timeline/corn.htm) > [@](#): > > From the time of the first settlers, who obtained corn from the Indians, farmers selected seed ears from the standing stalk or from the crib. They entered the best ears of these open-pollinated varieties in fairs and shows, and people thought the prizewinners would pass on their superiority to their progeny and so improve yields. It did not turn out that way. > > G.H. Shull, a geneticist at Cold Spring, Harbor, N.Y., started experiments in 1906… ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/10 "2009-01-19T15:23:59Z")
Oh yes, the F[sub]1[/sub] hybrid thingy isn’t nearly so market dominating for other seed crops as it is for corn. \*That’s \* what’s so different/special about growing corn. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/11 "2009-01-19T15:31:25Z")
Note that when something shows hybrid vigor, i.e., a crossbreed produces offspring better than the parents, the improved traits do not get passed to the next generation and sometimes the hybrid offspring are sterile. That means the farmer cannot plant hybrid corn and save some to use as seed corn the next year; even if the seed corn is not sterile it will not be as good as the first generation hybrid. The goal of the seed company and the reason for the advertising is to develop hardy but sterile hybrids that can only be grown by buying fresh seed from the company every year. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/12 "2009-01-20T04:55:43Z")
Thank you so much for the answers. It just seemed weird to me that corn was the lone “special” crop. ---
**Author:** ![dynamitedave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed655f/32.png) [@dynamitedave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dynamitedave)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-so-different-special-about-growing-corn/481972/13 "2009-01-20T06:56:37Z")
As said above, it’s advertising. The marketeers are hoping that if your neighbours crop does better than your own, you know what variety to ask for next year. Of course there are many reasons for differences in performance, least of all the variety. Maize seed costs a lot, and is very costly to establish. I think there are only the 2 suppliers here and they are fairly harsh with each other. Consider the signs to be the equivalent to dogs peeing on thistles 😛