Maize Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.3, 149-166 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/mgg 156 were also found in the tasting of fresh corn in Guangdong and Fujian: For example, the new super sweet corn variety 'Minshuangse 6" scored 86.8~89.2 points in the comprehensive appearance and taste tasting in the national regional trial, which is significantly better than the control 'Yuetian 16' (85.0 points); experts commented that its kernels are crisp, sweet, fragrant and delicious. Another example is the sweet and sticky corn 'Nongke 336' bred in Tianjin, which is famous for its outstanding taste. It has the characteristics of soft skin, juicy and sweet, and the fresh ears can be eaten raw directly. This variety has won the special prize for high-quality fresh corn at many tasting meetings. The judges said it was "sweet as honey, crisp and tender without residue", and ranked among the top in the sweet and sticky group. The new varieties of fresh corn introduced in this batch generally performed well in terms of cob commerciality and tasting quality. Many varieties have neat and beautiful cobs, uniform grain size and close arrangement, and some colored varieties are more attractive, which is conducive to increasing the market price. In terms of taste and flavor, high-quality varieties generally have the characteristics of "thin skin, crisp, sweet, and no residue", which meets the preference of modern consumers for fresh corn "soft, sweet and sweet in the mouth, no residue after eating" (Wang et al., 2021). These sensory advantages mean that the new varieties have strong competitiveness and promotion prospects in the high-end market of fresh corn. 4.3 Survey results on market acceptability The market acceptance of new varieties is a factor that must be considered in variety selection and promotion. In order to evaluate the response of consumers and growers to the introduction of new fresh corn varieties, the test team collected market evaluation information through tasting surveys, production and marketing docking meetings, and demonstration planting feedback. Overall, the new high-quality fresh corn varieties have been generally welcomed by consumers and actively recognized by the planting entities. In the consumer tasting session, 20 randomly invited tasters blindly evaluated and scored different varieties of fresh boiled corn. The results were basically consistent with the expert scores: varieties such as 'Jinyin 208' and 'Caitiannuo 168' scored the highest, and more than 90% of consumers expressed their willingness to buy and taste again; while only 40% of the control variety 'Caitiannuo 617' said that "the taste is acceptable", showing a significant gap. During the daily management of the field and the mature harvest, many growers also took the initiative to taste different varieties of fresh corn in the field. They generally reported that the new varieties "are indeed much sweeter and more glutinous than the old varieties they planted before, and the taste is good." This word-of-mouth effect helps the spontaneous promotion of new varieties. From the perspective of market sales, new varieties of fresh corn have high commodity value and market competitiveness. On the one hand, varieties with good appearance are more likely to be favored by consumers. For example, the two-color ears of 'Caitiannuo 168' attracted many merchants to consult at the agricultural product exhibition, and they all said that this "color corn" has an excellent appearance and is expected to be sold at a high price as a gift corn. On the other hand, varieties with outstanding flavor can establish a brand and increase loyalty. In the marketing of the "Northeast Nongsao" fresh corn brand in Jilin, it is precisely because of the selection of sweet and soft high-quality varieties that the products have been exported to Japan, Singapore and other countries and won the gold medal at the International Grain and Oil Trade Fair. It can be seen that fresh corn with excellent quality is easy to form a brand effect, and market acceptance and recognition will be significantly improved. After our trial demonstration, some local cooperatives have expressed their willingness to purchase seeds of new varieties and plan to carry out large-scale planting in the "one village, one product" model to meet the needs of the local vegetable market and sightseeing picking. It is worth noting that the sales of fresh ears of fresh corn are seasonal and immediate, while new varieties are generally high-yielding and early-maturing, and the listing period is concentrated. This requires regulating supply by staggered planting or developing primary processing at the production site. In this regard, we also consulted wholesalers and processing companies in the market survey: they generally believe that if these high-quality fresh corns can be processed by prefabricated vacuum packaging, quick freezing and other methods, the market period can be greatly extended and the sales radius can be expanded. This means that the new variety is not only popular in the fresh ear market, but also has potential demand in the processing field. At present, the domestic consumption of fresh corn has shown a diversified trend - fresh ears, catering ingredients, and quick-frozen cans coexist (Tang et al., 2024). This batch of new varieties performed well
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