Breeders have used the natural variability existing in the corn genome to develop corn hybrids with special properties for the food, feed, and industrial uses. Genetic Enterprises International is taking an integrated approach to specialty corn breeding by first developing corn hybrids that have all the agronomic traits needed for competitive performance in farmer’s fields. These hybrids then have naturally occurring specialty traits bred into them. Some specialty corns need to be developed from the beginning with the desirable special characteristics already existing in germplasm to maintain the desired qualities. Our commercial hybrid lineup includes conventional hybrids and specialty hybrids with modified proteins, such as high quality protein corn with the opaque 2 endosperm mutant; modified starch corn with the waxy endosperm mutant; high carotenoid corn; color corns for food, with the blue and red anthocyanin genes; and hard texture endosperm food corn with high yield of grits.
Our breeding program is a continuous effort with new products in different stages of development. Our new provitamin A hybrid, GEI 2318, is currently in production and will be available in 2016. We will feature this hybrid this summer along with all the other specialties in a field day this fall.. We will post more information as the season develops.