Agostinella Corn
Agostinella Corn is an herbaceous species belonging to the family Graminaceae. When the ripening is complete, the seed is an orange caryopsis with vitreous fracture. The plant has an upright bearing with 150-190 cm of height (from the root collar); the last leaf fits at 140-185 cm of height (from the root collar); the ear fits at 60-80 cm, at the 5th node (from the root collar). Some plants have double spike fitting at the 6th node); the cob (male inflorescence) fits at the 11th node. The leaves have medium-small size and the ear, of medium-small size too, has an average number of 400-500 caryopses. Agostinella Corn is cultivated according to a three-year crop rotation, including potatoes, beans, and savoy for the second year, and again corn at the end of the cycle. It is sown in all kinds of soil, although it prefers fertile valleys. It is sown in spring, towards the end of April, especially in the area of Vallepietra: as a matter of fact, in this period it is possible to avoid both the return of the winter cold and the autumn bad weather. It is sown manually or mechanically, using small quantities of seed, usually 30-40 kilo/ha of seed, that is about 15 and 20 caryopses for square meter. Harvesting is manual and the cobs are preserved during the winter until they are milled. The production is low and does not exceed 50ql/ha. After the harvesting, the ears are braided and hung to the ceilings of the storehouses, in order to enable a gradual drying of the caryopses.
