ABSTRACT
Introduction Maize (corn) has had a long history in the United States (US) as a bioenergy crop, particularly as source of ethanol. With economic growth increasing rapidly in many developing countries, the question as to whether maize is a legitimate source to meet ever-increasing energy demands requires detailed examination. The ability to manipulate the genetics and molecular biology
of maize has increased to a level of sophistication that could not have been anticipated when Watson and Crick fi rst postulated the double helix in 1953. This observation is counterbalanced by the established roles that maize has long played in the food and feed chains, to say nothing of the numerous molecules that are harvested for industrial products. Anything that alters the availability of a natural resource by shifting it away from traditional applications in the supply chain will ultimately affect the comfort and safety of signifi cant numbers of people. Today this change is already being felt in the US, where almost four out of ten plants are being used to extract ethanol from corn starch. This volume is dedicated to the evaluation of maize as a candidate biofuel plant. Thus, the chapter provides background for understanding the basic biology of maize, its historical role in agriculture and industry as well as for biofuels, its social and economic functions and ultimately a context through which the remaining contributions may be viewed.
