Corn

Description
Maize lives for a year. They grow from 0,5 up to 3,5 m. Stem or bet is made up of knuckles and buns. Inside, it is filled with pith. The leaves are spherical, wide and 30-100 cm long. The flowers are merged into inflorescences. At the top there is a male inflorescence or a broom, and in the middle part, grow 1-3 female inflorescences, which after receiving the male cell start to form a cob. Pollen leaves with the help of the wind. The cob is composed of a spongy interior (class) and grains, which can be yellow, white, red or black. The mature cobs  are wrapped with a sheet-like leaves. The root system is rugged, however in dry habitats it also develops above-ground roots to absorb air humidity.

Growth conditions and habitat
Maize is a thermally demanding plant. It also needs a lot of moisture, the annual rainfall must be 500- 600mm. High moisture is required from the beginning of flowering to lactic maturity.The soil should be deep and medium heavy, with 2 - 3.5 % organic matter. We sow it from mid-April to mid-May. The harvest takes place depending on the intended use, from the end of August to the September for silage and from the end of September and October in the case of grain maize.

Culinary use
Corn flour is used as a side dish called polenta or as an addition to other flours. Corn oil is produced from corn sprouts and is very persistent. In addition to glucose, it contains many vitamins and minerals: thiamin B1, manganese, biotin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium. It is originates from America, where it has been domesticated by the  American indigenous people. After the discovery of America, it was among the first plants that were brought back to Europe. In the middle of the 20th century in Slovenia corn was called a Turk, because it was supposedly brought to us by the Turks in the 17th century.

Trukin: This smaller version of corn  creates one to two small cones. The particularity of this variety of maize is that it is orange in color and that the seeds can be peeled. The shelled seeds are used to prepare traditional frmanton (maize) maneštra (casserole). We sow it at the end of April and we harvest the crop in October.

Sources:
doc. dr. Darja Kocjan Ačko: Poljščine, pridelava in uporaba. ČZP Kmečki glas, d.o.o. Ljubljana, 2015
https://lj.kgzs.si/Portals/1/2014%20-%20novice/Tehnoloska%20priporocila%20za%20koruzo-koncna%20verzija,09_04.pdf