Corn is one of major cereal grains grown in the world, exceeded only by rice and wheat in terms of quantity produced. In the past decades we have witnessed important development in corn production and its role both in human and animal nutrition. In China, corn is produced on 2.3 million hectares annually and plays an important role in the economy of the country. Most of the corn produced in China is marketed as commodity corn, which is fed to livestock largely except for human consumption; only little corn production is marketed as specialty corns. Greater emphasis is being given to the development of new processes and new products to enhance the value of corn. Specialty corn production is one way of these programs. The potential to enhance use of corn for specialty purposes based on existing uses, and develop new products to meet the needs of future generations. It is believed that the acreage for specialty corns grown will be increased with the improvement of people's living standard. As a result, the amount of their seeds required will increase consequently. Sustainable seed production of specialty corns is obviously very important and urgent because these programs have unique characteristics that require careful handling and monitoring during their development for specific needs.%玉米是主要粮食作物之一.在世界范围内,玉米的产量仅次于水稻、小麦而居第三位.玉米生产在过去的几十年里发展很快,对人们的生活和畜牧业的发展起着举足轻重的作用.在我国,玉米常年播种面积稳定在230万hm2左右,除了作为人们食用外,其大部分产品作为动物饲料.玉米栽培的类型绝大部分为马齿型和部分硬粒型品种,只有极少数为特用玉米.为提高玉米的价值,各国进行了种种努力,特用玉米生产就是其中一种途径.玉米潜在的特殊用途可基于现有的产品和开发新的产品相结合,以满足不断增长人口的需要.可以相信,随着经济的发展和人们生活水平的不断提高,特用玉米的种植面积将会不断扩大,特用玉米种子的需求量也会相应地提高.由于特用玉米的特殊性,它在生产过程中需要精心的管理和监测,所以特用玉米种子的可持续生产就显得尤为重要和迫切.
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