For the first time, Marcio Resende, a University of Florida Institute for Food and Agriculture Sciences sweet corn breeder, led a team of researchers to sequence the genome of a type of supersweet corn.
Scientists can use this information to make new breeding methods, as well as to learn more about the biology and history of sweet corn, according to a news release.
“This is expected to translate into better varieties for farmers and consumers,” Resende, also an assistant professor of horticultural sciences, said in the release.
Florida farmers grow more than 37,000 acres of sweet corn annually — mostly in southwest and southeast Florida, according to the Florida Farm Bureau.
The crop is in season from October to June.
Florida also ranks No. 2 nationally in the production and value of fresh market sweet corn, typically accounting for about 20% of national sweet corn production.
