Charles Darwin set the stage for the current seed crop hybrid revolution by propositioning that the species of animals and plants would change over time.
The mutations that aided in the survival of a species were the very same traits that were passed on to future generations.
During this time, similar discoveries by Gregor Mendel were being presented.
By breeding different types of pea plants, Mendel proposed he could forecast the traits of their offspring.
His studies were never really accepted until the beginning of the 1900s, and once his propositions that a genetic basis exists for all inherited traits were re-discovered, the science of breeding crops began to gain recognition.
Early settlers inadvertently abetted this process by selecting the best ears of corn to plant in the upcoming season, endorsing only the best qualities in that species of corn.
Later during the Great Depression, these hybrid crops caught the attention of farmers, and corn officially became the first hybrid seed crop on the market.
Currently, corn is available in many variations, including some that grow to reach heights above 20 feet and others that are barely two feet tall.
The peak time to produce hybrid corn is around 60 days after the plant germinates.
It is during this time that the female part of the plant, the ear, releases 1,000 potential kernels of corn which travel down to the silk strands growing out of the husk to become fertilized.
Within one day, an entire field can become pollinated as the silks turn brown in color.
As scientists began breeding different varieties of corn, they discovered that the hybrid plants were stronger than their parent plant.
The term "hybrid vigor" was created to describe the science of breeding various strains, resulting in more productive and stronger plants.
In 1926, the first commercial grain company in Des Moines, Iowa began benefiting from hybrid vigor.
Despite the Great Depression, these companies prospered because of the fact that hybrid seed varieties were demonstrated to be much better than the regular ones, which are pollinated by blowing wind.
Soon after, some other similar companies in Nebraska began working alongside the agronomists at the University of Nebraska to cultivate hybrids.
Today, nearly 99 percent of U.
S.
corn, wheat, cotton, peanuts, and numerous other crops are grown from hybrid kernels.
Grain companies are now able to create seed "prescriptions" - hybrids specified for a particular region.
Knowing that farmers do not plant their crops without prior treatment, these companies are beginning to seek the licenses needed to chemically treat the plants for the farmers.
On the horizon, companies are expected to pile traits in order to combine several herbicides which can be used to combat weed resistance.
These hybrid companies are becoming the sole one-stop supermarket for farmers.
The mutations that aided in the survival of a species were the very same traits that were passed on to future generations.
During this time, similar discoveries by Gregor Mendel were being presented.
By breeding different types of pea plants, Mendel proposed he could forecast the traits of their offspring.
His studies were never really accepted until the beginning of the 1900s, and once his propositions that a genetic basis exists for all inherited traits were re-discovered, the science of breeding crops began to gain recognition.
Early settlers inadvertently abetted this process by selecting the best ears of corn to plant in the upcoming season, endorsing only the best qualities in that species of corn.
Later during the Great Depression, these hybrid crops caught the attention of farmers, and corn officially became the first hybrid seed crop on the market.
Currently, corn is available in many variations, including some that grow to reach heights above 20 feet and others that are barely two feet tall.
The peak time to produce hybrid corn is around 60 days after the plant germinates.
It is during this time that the female part of the plant, the ear, releases 1,000 potential kernels of corn which travel down to the silk strands growing out of the husk to become fertilized.
Within one day, an entire field can become pollinated as the silks turn brown in color.
As scientists began breeding different varieties of corn, they discovered that the hybrid plants were stronger than their parent plant.
The term "hybrid vigor" was created to describe the science of breeding various strains, resulting in more productive and stronger plants.
In 1926, the first commercial grain company in Des Moines, Iowa began benefiting from hybrid vigor.
Despite the Great Depression, these companies prospered because of the fact that hybrid seed varieties were demonstrated to be much better than the regular ones, which are pollinated by blowing wind.
Soon after, some other similar companies in Nebraska began working alongside the agronomists at the University of Nebraska to cultivate hybrids.
Today, nearly 99 percent of U.
S.
corn, wheat, cotton, peanuts, and numerous other crops are grown from hybrid kernels.
Grain companies are now able to create seed "prescriptions" - hybrids specified for a particular region.
Knowing that farmers do not plant their crops without prior treatment, these companies are beginning to seek the licenses needed to chemically treat the plants for the farmers.
On the horizon, companies are expected to pile traits in order to combine several herbicides which can be used to combat weed resistance.
These hybrid companies are becoming the sole one-stop supermarket for farmers.