Races of Maize in Cuba (1957) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 19-48
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From page 20... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 19 of mongrelization of Cuban corn · makes selection of "typical" or "average" ears of commercial races difficult, twenty-five ears which best represented the race were chosen for careful description. In general, an ear was used for description of a race only if, in the opinion of the author, a Cuban farmer would select it for sowing.
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From page 21... ...
20 RACES OF MAIZE thus highly susceptible to attack by granary weevils, are not popular with the small farmers of western Cuba who store their corn in cribs for several months. Maiz Argentino is a low-yielding flint grown chiefly for industrial conversion to corn meal.
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From page 22... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 21 Only three of the seven varieties are possibly indigenous, in the sense that they may have been grown in Cuba by the aboriginal inhabitants before the discovery of that island by Columbus. The rest are considered probable post-Columbian introductions, chiefly on the basis of historical evidence.
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From page 23... ...
22 RACES OF MAIZE cob/ rachis index low, 1.67; ear length/ rachis index medium, 9.6; glume/ kernel index medium, 0.62; rachillaj kernel index high, 0.29; pedicel hairs 0.2 to 0.6 mm. long, absent, sparse, or very dense; cupule 5.2 mm.
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From page 24... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 23 sparse to dense; upper glumes papery to fleshy, venation mostly moderately weak, the margins straight or slightly indented, basal hairs few, mostly 0.2 mm. long; tunicate allele tuw; rachis tissue hard.
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From page 25... ...
24 RACES OF MAIZE choice of the two varieties, many fanners would continue to grow the Criollo simply because they tend to resist change. An important reason for the popularity of Maiz Criollo among farmers producing corn for home use only is their strong belief in its ability to resist granary weevils.
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From page 26... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 25 but no denting, thick cobs with a slight taper toward the tip, slightly swollen butts, and relatively hard, stiff glumes. In these respects and in many quantitative characters as well, Maiz Criollo is intermediate between two other Cuban races, Maiz Argentino and Tus6n.
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From page 27... ...
26 RACES OF MAIZE Western Hemisphere. Indeed, in this trial Del Valle's Cuban corns occupied five of the first six places.
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From page 28... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 27 cob/rachis index low, 1.62; ear length/rachis index low, 8.8; glumejkernel index medium, 0.52; rachilla/kernel index high, 0.28; pedicel hairs 0.3 to 0.6 mm. long, dense or none; cupule 5.7 mm.
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From page 29... ...
28 RACES OF MAIZE visible in many Criollo semiflints collected in 1954, "Maiz Gibara" is not popular with the small farmer who grows corn for home consumption. Of thirty-one farmers interviewed in the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Habana, Matanzas, and Las Villas, fifteen stated that they had formerly grown Maiz Gibara.
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From page 30... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 29 crop to a granary immediately after the harvest, as is common in Oriente.
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From page 31... ...
30 RACES OF MAIZE received its cylindrical dent from the Greater Antilles. Nevertheless, dent corns are of frequent occurrence in collections from coastal regions of northern South America.
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From page 32... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 31 amined)
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From page 33... ...
32 RACES OF MAIZE growing Maiz Argentino, but low yields and other undesirable qualities had induced more than half of these to abandon the variety and take up others. History in Cuba.
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From page 34... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 33 hundred-weight, and a good market existed for corn meal produced from Argentine corn. In order to encourage local producers, in the late 1920's a duty was placed on imported maize; imports from Argentina fell from nearly 34,000 tons in 1920 to 1,246 in 1930.
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From page 35... ...
34 RACES OF MAIZE Distribution outside Cuba. Brown ( 8)
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From page 36... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 35 Ears, internal characters. Ear diameter 36 to 41 mm.; cob diameter 20 to 28 mm.; rachis diameter 9 to 14 mm.; kernel length 9 to 12.5 mm.; kernel volume 0.22 cc.; estimated rachilla length 2.26 mm.; cob/ rachis index high, 2.08; ear length/rachis index very high, 18.7; glumejkernel index medium, 0.54; rachilla/kernel index medium, 0.21; pedicel hairs when present 0.3 to 0.7 mm.
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From page 37... ...
36 RACES OF MAIZE Maiz Canilla exists in two forms described by Hern[mdez ( 24) as distinct races.
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From page 38... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 37 author. A multiplicity of local names exists for the various forms, however.
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From page 39... ...
38 RACES OF MAIZE was occupied by the less advanced Sub-Taino culture. A perusal of Columbus' Journal gives the impression that the admiral considered the agriculture of Hispaniola much more highly developed than that of Cuba.
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From page 40... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 39 Tassels. Short, many branches; about 177o of branches secondary; tertiary branches rare; condensation index low.
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From page 41... ...
40 RACES OF MAIZE liable informant in that town, the white popcorn had been imported from the United States in small cardboard packages shortly after the First World War. In the western province of Pinar del Rio several farmers claimed formerly to have grown a white popcorn, seeds of which they had purchased in stores in the provincial capital.
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From page 42... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 41 twenty years ago a yellow popcorn was substituted, because it does a better job of popping." Hybrids have been developed from this "so-called Argentine Popcorn." It is now being packaged in sealed tins, since "we found over the years that you could not use a paper carton and retain the popping quality of the corn in the container." Unfortunately, "any records on the old white rice popcorn would be so old that they have long since been destroyed.
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From page 43... ...
42 RACES OF MAIZE Del Valle and Hidalgo Gato ( 19) stated that the white popcorn which they collected in the province of Las Villas and at Gi.iines ( Habana province)
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From page 44... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 43 times called "maiz de polio blanco"; the red-pericarped variant is called "maiz de pollo morado," or "purple popcorn." Reference. Hernandez, 24 (as "Race 1")
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From page 45... ...
44 RACES OF MAIZE basal hairs if present very short, lacking in 83j{ of ears examined; marginal hairs 0.1 to 0.2 mm., scattered or lacking; tunicate allele tu"; rachis tissue soft. History and distribution.
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From page 46... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 45 Pop only since about 1945. It is said to be grown for popping and to feed young chicks, which are unable to swallow the larger grains of field corn.
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From page 47... ...
46 RACES OF MAIZE slightly tapering, usually with a pronounced sterile tip. 10 to 12 rows; shank diameter medium; no midcob color.
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From page 48... ...
EXISTING RACES OF MAIZE IN CUBA 47 fleshy, the margins straight or somewhat wrinkled, venation very weak or none, glabrous. Tunicate allele tu or tuw; rachis tissue moderately hard.
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