The books of maize: Green Revolution and biological diversity in Latin America, 1951–1970

Abstract

From Global History, the article analyzes the scientific exchange that the Committee for the Preservation of Indigenous Strains of Maize –formed in the United States– promoted in Latin America through the series of publications: Races of Maize; intended for grain classification. The printing of these books was combined with the processing of 10 000 samples that, between 1951 and 1970, were refrigerated in gene banks. The article considers the complementarity that existed between the practices of preservation, classification and experimentation of maize in the advance of the Green Revolution, which operated through a supported structure by the mobility of professionals, the circulation of knowledge and the exchange of materials; among them, specialized publications.