Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most adaptable crops, able to thrive in a wide range of agro-climatic conditions. Since it has the largest genetic yield potential of all the cereals, maize is referred to as the “Queen of cereals” worldwide. Although it is mostly used in India as a food crop by the rural populace in the form of bread and gruel, it also has enormous industrial potential. To ensure optimal yields and quality, it is essential to follow a well-defined package of practices of maize (POP), right from maize planting until harvest. Don’t stop here! Read further to know the complete guidelines on how to grow maize crop for successful harvest.
Botanical Name: Zea mays
Common Name: Corn (English), Makka (Hindi), Makka cholam (Tamil and Malayalam), Mokka jonna (Telugu).
Crop Season: All seasons [Kharif and Rabi]
Crop type: Field crop
Soils that are deep, fertile, abundant in organic matter and well-drained are the best for cultivation of maize crop. The soil should have a medium texture and should be capable of holding sufficient water. As the crop is mostly cultivated during the rainy season, it is particularly vulnerable to waterlogging. Hence, black clayey soils which hold excessive water are not suitable for maize cultivation in areas with heavy rainfall. Sandy loam soils with pH ranging between 6.5 to 7.5 are highly preferred for maize cultivation.
From planting maize until emergence, the crop requires 9 to 30°C. With the increase in temperature and photoperiod, leaf number rises from emergence through silking. Time to tassel increases when the diurnal temperature ranges from 0 to 17°C. At 30°C, maize grows at its fastest pace. As long as there is no freezing temperature, the longer the grain filling period, the higher the grain yield. The rate of photosynthesis in maize will increase as the solar radiation level rises.
For planting maize crop, prepare the field by ploughing the land 2-3 times with a mouldboard plough and forming the seedbed by ploughing the land twice and then crush the clods using a rotavator to bring the soil to fine tilth. Add FYM or compost at the rate of 10 t/acre during last ploughing and level the land.
Type of Maize | Seed Rate (kg/ha) | Spacing (cm) | |
Row to Row spacing | Plant to Plant spacing | ||
Grain | 20 | 60 | 20 |
Pop corn | 12 | 60 | 20 |
Sweet corn | 8-10 | 75 | 25 |
Baby corn | 25-30 | 45 | 20 |
Fodder maize | 45-50 | 30 | 10 |
Before planting maize seeds, it is recommended to treat the seeds with Cyantraniliprole 19.8 %+Thiamethoxam 19.8% FS at a rate of 6 ml/kg of seeds to manage seed borne pests.
Due to the sensitivity of the maize crop to both moisture stress and excessive moisture, irrigation should be adjusted as needed. At the most crucial period (45 to 65 days after planting), make sure there is the maximum amount of moisture available; otherwise, the yield will be significantly decreased. Adjust irrigation as necessary for the crop’s subsequent development stage. The sixth leaf, late knee height stage, tasselling, fifty percent silking and dough phases are crucial. The most crucial stages are tasseling and silking, during which if subjected to water stress, lowers maize crop yield significantly. Ridges and Furrow method of irrigation is highly preferred for maize farm.
During the last ploughing, 12.5 t/ha of FYM and 10 packets of 1 kg azospirillum should be applied. Further, NPK fertilizers should be applied as nearly as possible to the soil test’s recommendations. In the absence of soil test recommendations, use a general guideline of 120:60:60 kg/ha N:P2O5:K2O both during kharif and rabi. Apply a full dosage of P2O5 and K2O as well as 25% of the N dose just before maize planting/sowing or at the time of planting.
Weeds pose a severe threat to maize cultivation, with a potential to reduce production by up to 35%. It is believed that the most crucial time for weed competition in maize farm is the first 4 to 6 weeks following planting of maize. It is advised to inter-cultivate the soil between the rows using some animal drawn or mechanical implements which pushes the soil towards the plant base. Herbicide usage is quite efficient in keeping weeds at bay in maize field. Atrazine, pendimethalin or simazine pre-emergence applications at a rate of 1 kg/ha in 500 liters of water are often advised. Moreover, in case of post emergence recent herbicidal combinations like Mesotrione + Atrazine (2.27%+22.7% SC), Topramezone (33.6% SC) or tembotrione (34.4% SC) are very successful in controlling weeds of maize.
A month after maize planting and up until the cobs appear, it infests the crop. The common damage sign is “dead heart” i.e., withering of the central shoot. On the stem, close to the nodes, are apparent bore holes. Juvenile larva feed on fragile, folded leaves by crawling over them, producing the familiar “shot hole” sign.
Use potassic fertilizers while cutting back on the use of excessive nitrogenous fertilizers, there shouldn’t be any water stress. Under severe infection, spraying mancozeb at the rate of 0.2% or Avtar fungicide (Zineb 68% + Hexaconazole 4% WP) at the rate of 2.5 gm/lit water is recommended.
Maize can be harvested at physiological maturity i.e when the stalks and leaves are somewhat green, but the husk cover has dried and turned brown. In general stalks along with cobs are harvested and stacked. Further, dehusker-cum-sheller can be used for shelling of unhusked cobs. For better results maize should be shelled when the moisture ranges between 15 to 20%.
The feasible yield for the maize crop ranges from 20-25 qntl/acre since it has the best production potential among the grains.
Hybrids | DHM-11, DHM-113, DPCH-6, Pioneer-3342 |
Sweet corn | Madhuri, Priya, Win Orange |
Baby corn | VL-42, Him-123, Him-129 |
QPM | Shakti-1, HQPM-1, HQPM-5 |
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