SWEET CORN


Sweet corn (Zea mays convar. saccharata var. rugosa; also called sweetcorn, sugar corn and pole corn) is a cereal with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring recessive mutation in the genes which control conversion of sugar to starch inside the ENO of the corn kernel. Unlike field corn varieties, which are harvested when the kernels are dry and mature (dent stage), sweet corn is picked when immature (milk stage) and prepared and eaten as a vegetable, rather than a grain. Since the process of maturation involves converting sugar to starch, sweet corn stores poorly and must be eaten fresh, canned, or frozen, before the kernels become tough and starchy.

It is one of the six major types of corn, the others being dent corn, flint corn, pod corn, popcorn, and flour corn

History

Sweet corn occurs as a spontaneous mutation in field corn and was grown by several Native American tribes. The Iroquois gave the first recorded sweet corn (called 'Papoon') to European settlers in 1779. It soon became a popular food in southern and central regions of the United States.

Open pollinated cultivars of white sweet corn started to become widely available in the United States in the 19th century. Two of the most enduring cultivars, still available today, are 'Country Gentleman' (a Shoepeg corn with small kernels in irregular rows) and 'Stowell's Evergreen'.

Sweet corn production in the 20th century was influenced by the following key developments:

  • hybridization allowed for more uniform maturity, improved quality and disease resistance
  • In 1933 'Golden Cross Bantam' was released. It is significant for being the first successful single-cross hybrid and the first specifically developed for disease resistance (Stewart's wilt in this case).
  • Identification of the separate gene mutations responsible for sweetness in corn and the ability to breed cultivars based on these characteristics:
  • su (normal sugary)
  • se (sugary enhanced, originally called Everlasting Heritage)
  • sh2 (shrunken-2)
  • There are currently hundreds of cultivars, with more constantly being developed.


BIRD’S EYE CHILI


Bird's eye chili, bird eye chili, bird's chili, piri piri or Thai chili is a chili pepper, a cultivar from the species Capsicum annuum, commonly found in Ethiopia and Southeast Asia. It is often confused with a similar-looking chili derived from the species Capsicum frutescens, the cultivar "siling labuyo". Capsicum frutescens fruits are generally smaller and characteristically point to the sky. 

Bird's eye chili can also be found in India, particularly in Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam, and Kerala. It is used in traditional dishes of the Kerala cuisine. This cultivar is also found in rural areas of Sri Lanka (known as kōcci, කොච්චි), where it is used as a substitute for green chilis. It is also a main ingredient in kochchi sambal, a salad made using freshly scraped coconut ground with bird's eye chilis and seasoned with salt and lime juice. It is used extensively in Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean, Lao, Khmer, Indonesian, and Vietnamese cuisine.

The bird's eye chili plant is a perennial with small, tapering fruits, often two or three, at a node. The fruits are very pungent.

The bird's eye chili is small, but is quite hot (piquant). It measures around 50,000 - 100,000 Scoville units, which is at the lower half of the range for the hotter habanero but still many times more spicy than a jalapeño.

  • Characteristics of the bird's eye chili plant
  • Plant height: up to 2 m
  • Stem colour: green
  • Leaf colour: green
  • Leaf size: 3–8 cm by 2–4 cm
  • Fruit colour at maturity: green, orange, or red
  • Fruit shape: conical
  • Fruit length: 2–3 cm
  • Fruit width at shoulder: 0.5 cm
  • Fruit weight: 2–3 g
  • Fruit surface: smooth
  • Seed colour: light tan
  • Seeds per fruit: 10–20



RED CHILLI


Definition: Chilli is a fruit which belongs to Capsicum genus. It has many varieties which are differentiated on its pungency measured on Scoville Scale. Chilli fruit when ripened and dried becomes red chilli, which is further grounded to form red chilli powder. These are categorized as hot pepper. Red chilli became famous all around the world because of its characteristics like pungency, taste and flavor matched black pepper, which was very expensive during old times and thus it became one of the most important and integral spices.

Description: Apart from its uses in cooking, it has medicinal uses as well. It helps in digestion, it develops blood and is a very rich source of vitamin C, which helps in developing the immune system. It is used as spray weapon also for keeping away attackers and mobsters.

Chilli crop grows well in deep loamy fertile soil with appropriate moisture content. Best time for sowing chilies is between April and June, i.e. in hot and humid weather. But dry weather is required at the time of harvesting. Major chilli growing countries are India, China, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Mexico, Vietnam, Peru, Pakistan, Ghana, and Bangladesh. These countries produce approximately 85% of the total red chilli in the world.

Among all the major producers, India dominates in chilli production and is the largest exporter as well due to superior quality found here. In India major production comes from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Orissa and Rajasthan. Guntur is the major physical market for red chillies.
Chilli prices are also affected by the demand and supply scenario. In futures commodity exchanges, it is traded on NCDEX, where price quoted is per quintal and trading unit is 5MT.

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