Maize (Corn) Pests and Their Management

In some English speaking countries, principally USA, Canada and Australia, maize is known as corn. Maize, Zea mays, is one of the world’s most important cereal grains. More maize is produced than wheat or rice, though because much of the maize is fed to livestock or used for industrial purposes, more people are directly dependent on these other grains. Nevertheless, maize is a tremendously important crop, particularly in the Americas, China, and parts of Africa.

Maize was domesticated in Mesoamerica, probably in Mexico, sometime between 7,500 and 12,000 years ago. Its origin is obscure, but seems to be derived from a small-seeded wild Z. mayssubspecies known as teotsinte. Small teosinte-like cobs have been found in caves that date back to about 2750 b.c., but later, beginning about 1500 b.c., this grain began to be dispersed widely in the Americas. It became a staple of the indigenous peoples not only in Mesoamerica, but also in North and South America and the Caribbean. When...