In 1950, the [Thai] Department of Agriculture began to
study these strains. One selected strain . . . seemed superior
and became the major commereial variety for most of the
1950s.
Also starting in 1950 , collections of corn varieties from
Indonesia and the United States were introduced by the
jointly sponsored agronomic development program. of these
varieties, a Guatemalan seed (via Indonesia) named Te-
guisate Golden Flint seemed to respond best under Thai
conditions. In 1952 , one hundred pounds of this seed were
multiplied at Bangken and Tha Phra Agricultural Experi-
mental stations, and in 1953 , selected farmers perticipated
in further multiplication. Because the principal corn buy-
ers, the japanese, preferred a flint and because the Guate-
malan flint tended to give greater yields per unit area than
did the pakehong dent/the Guatemalan corn soon replaced
the earlier variety asthe major Thai commercial corn.