Comments on: Cacao and maize tell similar stories

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:23:40 +0000

Thanks for the comment Ron, but I’d like to know more about this story. Can you either send a link to a good account of the discovery story, or else write it up yourself as a guest post?

By: Ron

Ron — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 02:29:03 +0000

Similar stories in another sense. The discovery of chocolate (by a Maya king, according to legend) was probably also the result of a one-time mutation that created the ‘criollo’ variety of cacao preferred by the Maya, and still responsible for the highest quality chocolate.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:00:49 +0000

Just to be complete, there is also an experiment by John Doebley which tries to demonstrate the opposite point. He plans to have 25 or 30 cycles of selection on teosinte to end up with a maize-like plant.

So there is something for each taste – and we will have a few decades to indulge without worrying about the truth!

To be continued.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:47:49 +0000

Absolutely fascinating story. Thank you so much for the link, Jacob. For anyone who follows your link and is confused by landing in the middle of the article, it begins here.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:20:41 +0000

"They know all about the mutations that make maize. But as far as I know they have not yet made synthetic maize. Why not?" Well, that depends on your maize domestication theory. Mary Eubanks has an alternative theory, which says that maize is a product of hybridization involving not only teosinte but also Tripsacum, not just straightforward selection on teosinte. And... she actually has the plant that her theory would predict as possible to make. With these hybrids she has produced some maize varieties used in organic agriculture, I believe. But not everybody believes Dr Eubanks. An authority like Garrison Wilkes says it is plausible, however. Read more at here.