Re: Fw: Line breeding vs hybridization corn/maize.

From: Lewandjim at aol.com on 2001.06.25 at 15:44:27(6875) In a message dated 6/24/2001 8:37:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time, ju-bo@email.msn.com writes: << I do not believe the reference to 'maize corn' (below) being only able to +More reproduce with man`s assistance to be correct---in the wild, both the more primitive ('wild') forms as well as the more 'advanced' (improved) forms of maize/corn can and are 'planted' by the activities of wild animals, who 'open' the enclosing modified leaves to get at the seed/kernels contained within, and a certain small percentage of these are dislodged by them to fall and germinate, thus carrying on the plants lineage, as it was with the original 'design'. >> Julius, I think you are correct that maize can be disseminated by natural means but to my knowledge maize has not been recognized as a natural species for nearly half a century. When I was in college Dr. Charles Heiser was one of the researchers. I remember his economic botany lectures going into great detail into the bigeneric origin of maize - apparently created and nurtured into its final form by Indians of southern Mexico and Central America. Jim Langhammer

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