Baby Corn

Baby corn is a popular vegetable in USA, Europe and Southeast Asia. The demand for baby corn is rapidly increasing in urban areas in India. Baby corn is not a separate type of corn like sweet corn or popcorn and any corn type can be used as baby corn. It is delicacy, which can be profitably used in prolific types of corn i.e. those types , which bear two or more ears per plant. The shank with unpollinated silk is baby corn. The economic product is harvest just after the silks emerge (1-2 cm long). Baby corn has immense potential as a salad and as cooked vegetable. It is used as an ingredient in ChopSuey (Chinese dish), soups, deep fried baby corn with meat, rice and other vegetables. Large number of dishes may be prepared from baby corn as discussed subsequently. Baby corn is highly nutritive. The nutritive value of baby corn is comparable to any common vegetable (Table 1). Since only immature cob is harvested as the economic produce, the crop meant as baby corn can be harvested within 50-55days. Thus in the areas adjoining cities or other urban areas (peri-urban agriculture) multiple crop of baby corn can be raised which would fetch greater income to the farmers. Baby corn can be effectively used as both a nutritious vegetable and as an export crop to earn valuable foreign exchange. After harvest the still young plants may be used as fodder for cattle.