Is Sweet Corn Genetically Modified? A Detailed Guide to Growing Profits and Cultivation Techniques

Sweet corn is a kind of super-sweet corn suitable for eating raw; its thin skin breaks with a single bite, and the fresh, fragrant juice fills the mouth. Eaten raw or cooked, it is especially sweet and crisp, just like fruit, so it is called "sweet corn." Is sweet corn genetically modified? Are the growing profits good? What cultivation techniques do you need to master?

I. Is sweet corn genetically modified?

Sweet corn is not a genetically modified food. It is a natural sweet corn, and because it tastes both sweet and crisp, it is called sweet corn. Sweet corn already existed as early as 1779.

The so-called concept of genetic modification is adding the gene of one species to another species. This phenomenon already exists in nature; humans simply use this technology to make targeted modifications.

Introducing traits such as insect resistance and herbicide resistance through transgenic technology can improve the field adaptability of sweet corn, thereby increasing corn yields, reducing the environmental harm caused by spraying pesticides, and lowering the intensity of farmers' field management labor. Sweet corn bred in this way then becomes “genetically modified corn,” even though its sweet trait has nothing to do with transgenic technology.’

II. Are the growing profits of sweet corn good?

Sweet corn has a short growing period and saves farming time. From sowing to maturity, the growing period of sweet corn is only 70-85 days. Its management is the same as that of ordinary corn, but it reduces later labor such as threshing and drying.

Delicious and tasty, for beauty and health. Fresh-eating sweet corn is rich in linoleic acid, which has a good preventive effect on high blood lipids, high blood pressure, and diabetes; it is rich in vitamin E, which has a good beauty effect; it is rich in fiber, which improves digestive function, and the glutamic acid in it has a good health-care effect on the brain; the glutathione it contains is a recognized anti-cancer substance and to a certain extent has a preventive effect on the formation of cancer cells.

High growing profits and smooth sales. The yield of sweet corn is about the same as that of ordinary corn, but the price is 2-3 times higher than that of ordinary corn. After sweet corn is harvested, the next crop can be autumn cabbage, radish, or Welsh onion, which can add several hundred yuan or more in income per mu, and the green corn stalks after harvest are also the best raw material for cattle and sheep feed.

III. Sweet corn cultivation techniques

1. Seed soaking and sprouting

Sweet corn seeds are relatively expensive. Soaking seeds to promote sprouting can increase the germination rate, save seeds, and reduce farming costs. Method for soaking seeds and promoting sprouting: soak the seeds in warm water at 25-28 degrees C for 4-5 hours, take them out and drain them, wrap them well in a wet towel, place them in an incubator at 32-34 degrees C, and promote sprouting for 30-36 hours. Sow after the seeds show white.

2. Cultivating strong seedlings

Sweet corn seeds are shriveled, and the emergence rate from direct sowing is very low. This not only wastes seeds but is also unfavorable for uniform emergence, full stands, and even seedlings, and it affects later management, harvesting, and yield. Therefore, when growing sweet corn, seedling cultivation in nutrient pots must be used. The seedbed should be given sufficient base fertilizer. One week before sowing, apply one carrying pole of human and livestock manure plus 500 grams each of high-efficiency compound fertilizer and ammonium bicarbonate per 3 m of seedbed. After fertilizing, turn it over thoroughly and fine-tidy it.

3. Field site selection and preparation

Sweet corn is a cross-pollinated crop, and its flowering period cannot coincide with that of conventional waxy corn or feed corn; otherwise, cross-pollination can affect quality. Generally, the distance isolation method and the growth-period isolation method are used.

4. Transplanting specifications and quality

Sweet corn fields adopt wide-narrow row planting, with wide rows of 1.2-1.4 m, narrow rows of 0.5-0.6 m, and a plant spacing of 30-35 cm, planting about 2,800 plants per mu. If too dense, the ears are small and bald grains easily appear.

5. Scientific management

Apply 10 kg of ammonium bicarbonate plus 20 carrying poles of human and livestock manure per mu as seedling fertilizer; before jointing, apply 10 kg of urea or 20 kg of ammonium bicarbonate per mu as jointing fertilizer; before the male flowers emerge, apply 20 kg of high-efficiency compound fertilizer plus 10 kg of urea in holes as ear-grain fertilizer.