New Prospects Of Maize

New Prospects of Maize stands at the forefront of agricultural literature, offering an incisive look into the evolution and future pathways of maize cultivation. This volume distills cutting-edge research and progressive methodologies into a compelling narrative on enhancing maize’s role in global food security and sustainability. It traverses critical topics such as genetic diversity, technological advancements in farming practices, and the sophisticated science of genomics, reflecting a commitment to agricultural innovation. Essential for academics, industry experts, and policymakers, this book is a vital tool for anyone invested in the sustainable development of one of the world’s most important cereal crops. With its forward-looking perspectives, New Prospects of Maize is not only a repository of knowledge but also a guide to fostering resilience in a changing agricultural landscape.

Maize is a globally important crop mainly utilized as feed, food and raw material for diverse industrial applications. Among cereals, it occupies third place after rice and wheat and is a staple food for a large segment of population worldwide particularly in the Asian as well as African countries. This monogram discusses various aspects of nutritional quality of maize such as quality protein maize which has been considered as most significant discovery in enhancing nutritional quality of cereals in terms of increasing the concentration of essential amino acids. The biochemistry of starch which is an important industrial product of maize has been discussed in detail. Further, the role of maize oil which is highly regarded for human consumption as it reduces the blood cholesterol concentration has also been elaborated. Naturally, maize is a rich source of carotenoids such as beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, cryptoxanthin which have highly diverse health benefits ranging from maintaining normal vision to lowering of oxidative stress. The need for biofortification of maize for provitamin A carotenoids and their role in alleviating vision impairments have also been discussed. The effect of various biotic and abiotic stresses particularly carbon dioxide and temperature on quality has been discussed thoroughly. Many value-added products as well as fermented foods that have been produced from maize which is consumed in different forms worldwide are also discussed. The aspects related to the maize application as fodder and as a source of malting have also been covered concisely. Overall, the book provides complete information about various quality aspects of maize. The various stakeholders such as maize researchers, extension specialists, students, teachers as well as farmers will be immensely benefitted from this monogram.

Sometime around 1500 AD, an African farmer planted a maize seed imported from the New World. That act set in motion the remarkable saga of one of the world’s most influential crops—one that would transform the future of Africa and of the Atlantic world. Africa’s experience with maize is distinctive but also instructive from a global perspective: experts predict that by 2020 maize will become the world’s most cultivated crop. James C. McCann moves easily from the village level to the continental scale, from the medieval to the modern, as he explains the science of maize production and explores how the crop has imprinted itself on Africa’s agrarian and urban landscapes. Today, maize accounts for more than half the calories people consume in many African countries. During the twentieth century, a tidal wave of maize engulfed the continent, and supplanted Africa’s own historical grain crops—sorghum, millet, and rice. In the metamorphosis of maize from an exotic visitor into a quintessentially African crop, in its transformation from vegetable to grain, and from curiosity to staple, lies a revealing story of cultural adaptation. As it unfolds, we see how this sixteenth-century stranger has become indispensable to Africa’s fields, storehouses, and diets, and has embedded itself in Africa’s political, economic, and social relations. The recent spread of maize has been alarmingly fast, with implications largely overlooked by the media and policymakers. McCann’s compelling history offers insight into the profound influence of a single crop on African culture, health, technological innovation, and the future of the world’s food supply.

The book focuses on the principles and practices of tropical maize improvement with special emphasis on early and extra-early maize to feed the increasing population in Sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights the similarities and differences between results obtained in temperate regions of the world and WCA in terms of corroboration or refutation of genetic principles and theory of maize breeding. The book is expected to be of great interest to maize breeders, advanced undergraduates, graduate students, professors and research scientists in the national and international research institutes all over the world, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. It will also serve as a useful reference for agricultural extension and technology transfer systems, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), seed companies and community-based seed enterprises, policy makers, and all those who are interested in generating wealth from agriculture and alleviating hunger and poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.