Appearance: single stem (stalk) with 16-20 leaves

(USDA NIFA, 2013)

Starch : made from the endosperm of the corn, the part of the seed that exists to nourish the potential new plant

Sugar: Corn syrup is made from corn starch. Starch is a carbohydrate, a molecular chain of sugars. Enzymes are added to the starch to break the chains into sugars, mainly glucose

Ethanol: (Distilled alcohol from grain); ethanol fuel or biofuel made by distilling corn.

Oil: is produced by squeezing the germ of the corn; used as a food ingredient and frying.

(Cellania, 2010)

(Sara's House HD, 2011)

Canada

> Corn was the great staple of Indians before European settlers arrived

> European settlers learned the use of the cereal and became a staple crop

> had methods of cultivation, selection, seed testing, etc

> Today, Canada produces corn for forage

Worldwide

> was important part of diet for many indian groups

> used all parts of the corn plant

> husks: braided and woven to make masks, moccasins, sleeping mats..

> corncobs: could be useful for fuel, for game darts or for ceremonial use

(Admin, 2009)

This table shows the impact of corn sector in Ontario's economy alone. It is evident that it has a huge impact because of the GDP (total value of the economy). There are also many industries that are indirectly affected by the corn sector giving more jobs than the direct industry alone. Therefore, corn production has a high impact in a Canadian economy because there are other provinces that are specialize on corn production than the Ontario such as Manitoba and Quebec.

• agrochemical impacts resulting from fertilizers,herbicides, and pesticides
  

While these chemicals are necessary for agricultural productivity, they may create problems such as water pollution that can cause problems to human health and natural ecosystems. 

• potentially unsustainable levels of irrigation
  

Agriculture has expanded to use of irrigation in dry lands for more crop production. This has raised issue because of scarce resources and overused water from western rivers.

• the introduction of genetically modifiedorganisms and effects on biodiversity

Genetically modified corns contain genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) that produce toxins that kill corn insect pests. However, these genes may be transferred into wild relatives that can reduce biodiversity and also create herbicide resistance in weeds. It may affect non targeted organisms like butterflies or insects that help control pests.

(Ackerman et al., 2003)

Corn has a great impact on the quality of human life. This is evident with the products that contain corn as a necessary ingredient. For example, ethanol which is made from distilled corn grain is what is currently used for cars as gasoline. Corn oil is also used in many cosmetics, soaps, medicines, and other products. This shows that corn makes human lives easier particularly in food and medicine. It’s a fairly easy product to harvest and it has many benefits worldwide as it also creates exports and imports in many different countries. When a country has a high GDP, this makes the standard of living of one country high making the quality of human life good.

Corn production in Canada is also conjoined with the production of soybeans alternately. This has the advantage of more weed control options, fewer difficult weed problems, less disease, insect build-up and less nitrogen use, as oppose to growing corn continuously. Production issue such as environmental condition and pest problems are minimal concerns for growers. Weeds are among the major concern for growers as they serve hosts or insects and diseases and compete with the crop for moisture.

(Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2006)

There are no complicated process are required for the production of corn that will eventually harm the environment in present and it is expected to stay this way in the future.

Secondly, it has a significant impact on Canadian’s economy. As shown in the chart previously, corn production creates million jobs in Ontario, both directly and indirectly to corn production. This might include the labour included in harvesting the corn production to production of ethanol that uses corn as main material. Corn product is imported and exported annually and in 2005, the export was $57.7 M which was added and had a significant impact to the total GDP of the economy. (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada,2006)

A new area of research has developed involving corn and its potential anti-HIV activity. It is discovered that a specific protein, Lectin, found in corn (called GNAmaize) can inhibit the growth of HIV virus. Lectins are special proteins found in all foods (or organisms) that can bind onto carbohydrates receptors which are found in cell membranes. In some micro organisms such as HIV, the binding of lectins onto sugars has been shown to reduce the activity of the virus. This concludes that corn has become a big part of growth and development in a society not only in Canada but all over the world. (George Mateljan Foundation, 2013)

Admin. (2009). History of Corn in Canada. AfricaFoodBank. Retrieved fromhttp://africafoodbank.com/2009/06/23/history-of-corn-in-canada/

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. (2006). Cultural Practices and Production Issues. Crop Profile for Field Corn in Canada. Retrieved fromhttp://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2009/agr/A118-10-13-2006E.pdf

Cellania, M. (2010). 10 Ways We Use Corn. Mental Floss. Retrieved fromhttp://mentalfloss.com/article/26030/10-ways-we-use-corn

CGC. (2013). Canadian Corn. Canadian Grain Commission. Retrieved fromhttp://www.grainscanada.gc.ca/corn-mais/cmm-mcm-eng.htm

Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAOSTAT). (2011). Production of Crops of different countries. Restrieved from http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=567#ancor

George Mateljan Foundation. (2013). Corn. The world’s healthiest foods. Retrieved fromhttp://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=90

USDA NIFA. (2013). Anatomy and Reproduction of Corn. Plant and Soil Sciences eLibrary. Retrieved fromhttp://passel.unl.edu/pages/informationmodule.php?idinformationmodule=1075412493&topicorder=3&maxto=12

Vyn, R., & Marchand, L. (2005). Summary of Economic Impacts of the Corn Sector. The economic importance of Ontario’s Corn Sector. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ridgetownc.uoguelph.ca/research/documents/vyn_Impact_of_Corn_Report.pdf

Wiatrak, P. (2013). Environmental Conditions Affecting Corn Growth. Clemson Cooperative Extension. Retrieved from http://www.clemson.edu/extension/rowcrops/corn/guide/environmental_conditions.html