Zea

Zea Production Maps and Statistics

Figure 1*

Figure 2*

Maize is one of the top 3 grains grown in the world (see Cereal Statistics.) Figure 1 (above) shows 2005 maize production in metric tonnes, and Figure 2 identifies the locations where that maize was grown and the production levels for each country. There were 163 countries producing maize in 2005, but only two countries together - the US and China - produced over half of the total amount.

Below are some links to more information on Maize production:

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Joint Agricultural Weather Facility's Major World Crop Areas and Climatic Profiles (maps and statistics)
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service - Corn for Grain Harvested by State, Corn for Grain Yields by State, Corn for Grain Harvested by County, Corn for Grain Yields by County, Sweet Corn Harvested by County, Sweet Corn Yields by County

*FAOSTAT data, 2006

Zea Harvest and Production Statistics

The following graphs were produced using data from FAOSTAT Agricultural Data. The production of the graphs was assisted by two of the Plant Genome Research Outreach Program's high school interns, Sara Shapleigh and David Drew.

Figure 3	Figure 4
World maize production has increased almost 300% (see Figure 3) , while the area harvested has increased only 33% (see Figure 4), indicating a large improvement in yield per hectare. Maize production and yield in the US mirrors the world growth (see Figures 5 & 6.)
Figure 5