ORIGIN AND HISTORY:
*genetics of maize
-flour corn-amylacea
-pop corn-everta
-dent corn-indentata
-flint corn-indurata
-sweet-saccharata
-waxy corn-ceratina
-Amylomaize-Z.Mays
-pod corn-tunicata
-striped-japonica

*mainly considered the central America and Mexico as the primary centre of origin.
*four theories regarding the origin:
-may be direct domestication of Mexican annual teosinte species.
-may've been derived from hybridization between a small domesticated maize and a teosinte.
-may've undergone two or more domestication.
-may've evolved from a hybridization of Z. diploperennis by Tripsacum dactyloides.
*wild ancestors of cornr are not found today yet the evolution of corn has been traced.
*most of the genetic studies revealed that teosinte was the first domesticated in Mexico around 4000 to 3000 BC
*greatest genetic diversity of corn is available in the south American continent.
*introduced to India from America 17th century begining.