Evaluating Waxy Maize Germplasm

This past winter my good friend Castanea at Homegrown Goodness was kind enough to send me some bulk packages of Waxy Maize seed from Lion Seed. Three varieties in total which I posted pictures of on the blog back when. Two of these were hybrids and a third was OP all being white and 90 days to maturity (he also sent a yellow flint which was high oil and ended up in a backcross to Amanda Palmer this season).

I set out to test the germplasm this summer past. Due to cross pollination concerns with the wide range of DTM in my Amanda Palmer and flint corn populations I didn't bother to plant the Waxy corn until late June/Early July. I knew this would have a major effect on it's productivity. As well it was planted on unamended soil which had not been treated with lime in several years.

The corn germinated quickly and seemed to grow well. It had a a bit of a nitrogen deficiency but continued on quite well regardless. By mid-October some of the corn was drying down and ready for harvest. As expected the harvest was a bit nill due to the late planting and fertility factors, none the less, I was rewarded with plenty of good seed for replanting this coming season.

A few observations about the corns growth that I made. It seemed to me the stalks were a bit fragile and pithy but this could be due once again to lack of nitrogen. The cob formation seems quite squat and the way the husk develops and connects to the handle is a bit odd with the husk itself having almost a vegetable quaility to it with a texture like that of the inside of a cabbage at the base of the cob. I did sample some of the corn in the milk stage and the flavor was similar to that of an SU sweet corn. Once I had dried ears in hand I took some of those that I rejected for seed and fed them out in an animal preference test to the pigs as well as the turkeys. 3 to 1 the animals seemed to prefer the waxy maize to Amanda Palmer, likely even they know they are able to process more of the starch than in a dent line.

This coming year I hope to grow a quarter acre and take a better look at the corn in more ideal conditions. One of the other major issues I experienced with the waxy corn was the preference deer and raccons and squirrels also showed for the corn so it's going to have to be planted somewhere a bit closer to the house and human activity that I am accustomed to planting Amanda Palmer for instance. This season I will also add a sample of colored waxy maize I recieved from my good friend Joseph Lofthouse as well.

Terms that I use in my writings which may be useful

I was over wondering around the Native Seeds/SEARCH web-site earlier and came accross a list of terms and definitions that I thought might be useful to know while reading my blogs, articles, and research papers, I thought it would be nice to post those here for folks that aren't aquainted with the lingo of farmers and plant breeders.



Accession: Plant sample, strain or population held in a genebank or breeding program for conservation or use.

Biodiversity: The total variability within and among species of all living organisms and their habitats.

Ex Situ Conservation Conservation of a plant outside of its original or natural habitat.

Genebank: Facility where germplasm is stored in the form of seeds, pollen, etc., or in the case of a field genebank, as plants growing in the field.
Gene Pool: All the genes and their different alleles present in an interbreeding population.

Genetic Diversity: The genetic variation present in a population or species.
Genetic Erosion: Loss of genetic diversity between and within populations of the same species over time or reduction of the genetic base of a species due to human intervention, environmental changes, etc.

Genetic Resources: Genetic material of plants, animals, and other organisms which is of value as a resource for present and future generations.
Genotype: 1) The genetic constitution of an organism. 2) A group of organisms with similar genetic constitutions.
Germplasm: A set of genotypes that may be conserved or used, e.g. seeds, clones, pollen.

In situ Conservation: Conservation of plants or animals in areas where they developed their distinctive properties, i.e. in the wild or in farmers' fields.
Indigenous/ local knowledge: Knowledge that develops in a particular area and accumulates over time through being handed down from generation to generation.
Landraces: Farmer-developed varieties of crop plants that are adopted to local environmental conditions.

Plant genetic resources: The genetic material of plants, which determines their characteristics and hence their ability to adapt and survive.
Regeneration: The growing out of a sample from an accession to replenish the original accession's viability.

Wild relative: A non-cultivated species which is more or less closely related to a crop species (usually in the same genus). It is not normally used for agriculture but can occur in agro-ecosystems (e.g. as a weed or a component of pasture or grazing lands).