Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Bell
Maize is almost unique among the grasses in having heads at
intervals up the stem, which makes it possible to have a plant which
produces a lot, but isn't bent over by all that weight at the top.
That comes naturally with sedges. Just to make the "right" choice is
huge task. I have chosen on a "hunch". I am impressed by the tree's
vigour.
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But didn't it take a very long time to get from wild ancestral maize to the modern cultivated plant? Isn't it so changed from the wild ancestor that we had considerable difficulty identifying it.
I read recently that modern plant breeders using the so-called traditional method of plant breeding deliberately irradiate the plant/seed (I forget at which stage) to get random genetic mutations, which I suppose might help speed things up a bit. Though its a bit easier with small annual plants like grass, you can grow a field of it and have thousands and thousands to select from in just a year. With a tree, it takes a lot longer and they take up a lot more space.