Lake County Gazette

In Urbana, on the University of Illinois campus, a historical marker commemorates a significant milestone in agricultural history. The marker reads: “In 1953, John R. Laughnan discovered that kernels of mutant corn were ‘unusually sweet.’ Within eight years, Laughnan had developed the ‘Illini Supersweet’ hybrid that revolutionized the sweet corn industry. Supersweet, now a dominant variety internationally, is higher in protein and lower in calories than conventional sweet corn.”

Corn has had a long history in the United States. The Illinois Museum described corn as one of the greatest feats of genetic engineering in human history. The cultivation of corn marked a turning point in the development of agriculture and human society in early Americas by providing a crop that could be stored and used during lean winter months.

John R. Laughnan was a professor of plant biology and head of the Botany Department at the University of Illinois. As a corn geneticist in the early 1950s, he discovered that the shrunken-2 (sh2) gene led to corn with less starch and four times more sugar than other sweet corns at that time. When Laughnan started marketing his varieties containing this gene, he developed what became known as "Illini Supersweet." Today, "supersweet" is often used synonymously with sh2.

Although it did not gain immediate popularity, supersweet corn has surged over the decades.

Whether preferred sweet or supersweet, sweet corn remains a staple on Illinois family tables and is deserving of its own special day of recognition.