Stephen Smith

PERU

Some of the most stunning corn originates from Peru. With the Andes Mountains isolating many communities and valleys, the corn is allowed to evolve and become often very colorful landraces. The ancestral Chullpi, ancestor to all sweetcorn comes from Peru. Many of these do reach rather large heights and the root systems are nothing to get happy over, but that is natural of them because of their highland climate of origin. The soils are poor, often not fertilized, and are still forming so their roots are not meant to withstand much more. Planting these on poorer, mostly to fertile soils with some, not all rocks, is often helpful in shortening and increasing production. Overall though, many of these are not extremely productive, as no landrace usually is. They are only meant to sustain those in where they come from.