Guangdong sweet corn

Guangdong sweet corn

　　Guangdong sweet corn accounts for over 50% of the national planting area and yield, primarily sold as fresh cobs. The leading sweet corn-producing region in Guangdong is Huizhou.

　　　　In the 1980s, Guangxi bred the Chaotian 20 variety of sweet corn, the first sweet corn variety on the Chinese mainland. Its unique flavor quickly gained immense popularity, with field prices reaching 1–1.6 yuan per kilogram. The planting area of sweet corn rapidly expanded from zero to 60,000 hectares. Starting in 2004, the Guangxi Maize Research Institute successively collaborated with the United States, Canada, and Thailand to introduce “foreign corn” and breeding materials, which were then crossbred with local varieties. Researchers are now selecting “successor” hybrids suited to Guangxi’s local soil and climate from these “mixed breeds,” adding an “international” flavor to the corn.

　　　　In recent years, relying on canned food enterprises to vigorously develop “contract farming,” the promotion of sweet corn cultivation techniques has made sweet corn a new highlight for increasing farmers’ income. Benefiting farmers have rapidly expanded the planting area of sweet corn.