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Sweet corn: varieties and seeds
The seeds of sweet corn, or maize, were brought to Europe from Central America. Now this crop is widely used and can be grown in your garden. If you decide to plant it at home, first find out about the advantages and disadvantages and choose the right variety.
What is the difference between sweet corn and fodder corn?
This cereal is used for food after being cooked, frozen or canned. Outwardly, it can be distinguished from forage varieties by its even, attractive, barrel-like ear and tight-fitting bright yellow grains.
Sweet corn is distinguished by its beautiful appearance and original taste.
This corn is cooked quickly, it turns out juicy and soft. But among its properties there are positive and negative:
- Balanced composition. This product includes vitamins B, C, E, PP, essential trace elements. When consumed, the body is saturated with amino acids, mineral salts.
- Nutritional value. It contains 100 kcal, almost 20% carbohydrates and 6% starch. It quickly satisfies hunger, which is especially appreciated at a relatively low cost.
- Poor absorption by the body. Nutritionists do not recommend this product to people who have problems with the work of the gastrointestinal tract and thrombosis. Sometimes there is a personal intolerance to corn and an allergic reaction to it.
It is better to use this cereal boiled, baked, canned, neat or as part of salads or main courses. It is best to avoid popcorn and cornflakes, which contain many artificial additives.
Characteristics of varieties of sweet corn
This annual plant is thermophilic, but grows well even in the northern regions. It is grown in open ground, propagated by seeds, which are sown in the ground heated to + 12 ° C.
When creating new varieties, breeders pay attention not only to taste, but also to the ease of cultivation and adaptability of the plant.
The choice of varieties is huge, in central Russia you can pay attention to the following:
- Early maturing, Dutch selection. These are hybrids “Spirit”, “Noa”, “Trophy”, having an ear 20 cm long and about 4 cm in diameter and ripening in 70-80 days. Even in a harsh climate, they produce more than 20 tons per hectare, and are often grown on an industrial scale for conservation.
- American hybrid “Dobrynya”. The super early variety can be harvested after 70 days. It is resistant to rust, mosaics, soot, grows on any soil, and has an exquisite taste.
- Medium early grade “Royalty”. This plant can be sown from April to the end of July with high yields. It ripens in 80 days, has small ears, is resistant to disease and is versatile in use.
Russian breeders pay more attention to food and feed varieties. Foreign experts have achieved great success in working with sugar varieties.
This kind of corn is easy to grow. She diversifies food, is used in the preparation of various dishes. When breeding, it is better to use hybrid varieties that give high yields.