Why does domesticated corn depend on humans for cultivation?

Domesticated corn (Zea mays) is considered a cultigen, a term used to describe plants that have undergone such drastic shifts through selective breeding that they are now totally dependent on humans for their survival and propagation.1

Over approximately 10,000 years of domestication, native peoples in Mexico transformed a wild grass ancestor—likely teosinte—into the modern corn plant. This process involved the deliberate selection of the most productive and useful traits. As a result of these long-term genetic shifts, modern corn has lost the ability to maintain itself in the wild without human intervention. Consequently, humans must actively manage the cultivation, planting, and harvesting of the crop to ensure its continued existence.213