Maize

Botanical name Zea mays
Family Gramineae (Poaceae)
Parts used: Grains (Caryopsis)

Economic Importance: 

1. Maize is a very cereal in India but new world maize lack gluten hence not suitable for making bread. In Bihar and UP, maize flour is used to make breads.

2. Green and dry plants are used as fodder and is suitable for stock feed.

3. roasted grains of ear are eaten by people.

4. The grains are also used for making certain alcoholic beverages.

5. Important preparations of maize grains are pop corns and corn flakes.

6. Corn starch and corn sugar and corn oil are very useful products of maize grains.

7. Corn sugar and corn syrup are important in the manufacture of confectionery, jams and jellies.

8. Corn starch is used as a substitute for talc in bath powder and is also used for starching clothes. Starch is also used in manufacture of asbestos, ceramics, dyes, plastics, oil cloth and linoleum.

9. Corn syrup is used in shoe polish, rayon and tobacco industry.

10. Maize cobs, when cooked under pressure with acids, produce furfural a compound used in the production of adiponitrile (nylon), in the refining of diesel, vegetable and lubricant oils and in manufacture of plastics. Furfural derivatives are used as antiseptics.

11. Zein, a special kind of protein in maize, is spun into a soft, durable artificial fibre. Zein is also employed a s a foaming agent in fire extinguishers, and ingredient of linoelum and oil cloth, a sizing for textiles, a binding material for composition of cork, manufacture and as an adhesive to bind paper, glass and wood.

12. Maize cobs are used for production of pipe, chemicals, plastics, furfural and also as a livestock feed. 

13. The leaves are used as cigrette wrapper.

14. The cob husks are used for making matting, hats and filling for mattresses.

15. The stalks and leaves are used for making paper, paper board and wall board.