FAO Digital Media Hub - ITALY 1949. Experimental programme with hybrid maize

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A woman farmer harvesting maize.

A farmer woman cultivating the soil of her maize crops.

A view of maize trial fields used by INERA (Institut National d'Études et de Recherches Agronomiques) for research.

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ITALY 1949. Experimental programme with hybrid maize

1949 (exact date unknown). Bergamo, Italy. Dr Renzo Scossiroli is covering the developing ear and the tassel with paper bags. When the tassel is mature, pollen is shaken onto the female ear.

01/01/1949

File size 1.41 MB

Unique ID UF11P4F

FAO. Editorial use only. Photo credit must be given.

Background Information

This inbreeding goes on for several generations, the plants becoming progressively weaker but purer in strain. Two of these types are then cross-bred to produce a healthy hybrid corn type.

Sponsored by FAO, an experimental programme with hybrid maize began in Europe in 1948, and was then continued and expanded. At this experiment station in Bergamo, much work was done on inbreeding regular types of corn to obtain pure strains, then crossbreeding to obtain hybrid varieties.

In order to do this, both the tassel and the ear of the corn plant must be protected from outside pollination.