Maize production area

Figure 3 Long term trend of sorghum and maize production area in Ethiopia. NB the area allocated for improved varieties of sorghum was only 6,3 J 2 ha out of1,253,620 ha, which is less than 1%. ...

A site Cor ihc plum was selected close 10 the banks of the Vaal River, which is South Africa s major source of water. 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Johannesburg and on top of a vast coal field. Sasol acquired approximately 8000 acres (3200 hectares) for the plant and its township which was to have the name of Sasolhurg. The site was in the middle of an area where cattle grazing and com (maize) production wcic the only activities and Sasol had to create its own infrastructure from scratch. 

Despite the advantages mentioned above, there are important limitations. In fact, agricultural cultivation devoted to ethanol production requires large areas and consumes significant water resources, as in the case of sugar cane. It has been indicated that overcropping of the soil can be a problem in some cases. For other cultivations, such as maize, a possible competition between food and energy was indicated. 

The existence of two pheromone races of the European corn borer, O. nubilalis, has been considered in the context of the genetic architecture regulating pheromone production and response. These two strains were transported from Europe to new areas (such as North America) by human activity and much of the current sympatry of the two strains in eastern North America and some regions of Europe may have been fostered by both strains shifting to maize as a larval food source. It is uncertain how these strains diverged, but this may have occurred allopatrically as it appears that hybridization in the field in areas of current sympatry is infrequent (Klun and Huettel, 1988 Bengtsson and Lofstedt, 1990). 

Maternal fumonisin exposure has been proposed as a potential risk factor for human NTDs among populations consuming large amounts of fumonisin-contaminated maize or maize-based products (Marasas et ah, 2004). Globally, NTDs present a tremendous burden to human populations in rural areas of the world where maize is a dietary staple, and fumonisin contamination is common (Hendricks, 1999 Kromberg and Jenkins, 1982 Marasas et ah, 2004 Melnick and Marazita, 1998 Moore et ah, 1997 ... 

Maize mixed the most important food production system in East and Southern Africa, also exists in parts of West Africa. Typically, there is a single cropping season some areas experience a shorter second season. Farm sizes are often <2 ha. Main cash sources are small ruminants, tobacco, coffee and cotton. Cattle are kept as draught animals, for... 

In order to assess the long term trend on sorghum and maize area and production nationally, 42 years crop acreage data was used. The data was obtained from Central Statistical Authority of Ethiopia and the FAO agricultural statistical data base. 

Figure 4 Area of maize and sorghum production in eastern and western Hararghe weredas identified for sorghum production threatened by maize. Data source Bureau of Agriculture for western and eastern Hararghe.

Starches as a group, and the three principal volume starches, individually, are by far the most important polysacolloids on both a weight and a money basis. They are also the cheapest polysaccharides in most areas of the world, the major exception being the Orient, where starch crops are more valuable as food and so are replaced, in other usages, by less easily assimilated polysacolloids. Com (maize) is the most important starch crop in this country (accounting for over 90 % of the total production of starch), followed by potatoes and wheat whereas, in Europe, the production of potato and wheat starch far exceeds that of corn. 

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