The objective of this work was to compare the maize production system recommended in the decade of 1940 with the system currently employed in Brazil. We used the paper published by Antônio Secundino de São José at Revista Ceres in 1944 to compare the agricultural practices used at that time with the ones currently employed. In the 40's, we found no direct concern with aspects of soil and water conservation. However, the process of raising grain yield based on the use of more on-farm inputs , such as manure and seeds, was initiated at that time. The maize crop was treated as a sole enterprise without the concepts of integrating crop-livestock and soil and water conservation. Currently, many concepts recommended 70 years ago are still on use in the organic and smallholder farming systems. On the other hand, the large-scale maize cultivation have used a large number of varied inputs such as synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, hybrid seeds (transgenic or not), planting and harvesting machinery. We conclude from the literature reviewed that in the last 70 years many chances have occurred in maize production system which were essential for the productivity to have increased 3.79 times in the period analyzed. The entire production system was modified in relation to the construction and protection of productivity, which in turn, gave support to Brazil to become the third-largest world producer and exporter of maize, increasing from 5.6 million tons in 1944 to 81.5 million tons in 2013.
Zea mays L.; production system; cultivars; technology
