Molecular DNA analyses of the New World grass (Poaceae) genus Zea, comprising five species, has resolved taxonomic issues including the most likely teosinte progenitor (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis) of maize (Zea mays ssp. mays). However, archaeologically, little is known about the use of teosinte by humans both prior to and after the domestication of maize. One potential line of evidence to explo...

A maize plant (Zea mays) planted in a test tube was found to inhibit the growth of the soil-borne plant pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melongenae. The antifungal compounds, 6-methoxybenzoxazolinone and 6,7-dimethoxybenzoxazolinone, were isolated from an ethanol extract of Zea mays roots, and (6R)-7,8-dihydro-3-oxo-alpha-ionone and (6R,9R)-7,8-dihydro-3-oxo-alpha-ionol were isolated from th...