MAIZE CROP

Scientific name= Zea mays L.

Origin= Southern Mexico and Central America.

v Area Distribution=

· In all over world:

USA, China, Beazil, India, Mexico, France, Africa, Russia, etc.

· In India:

Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar etc.

v Classification:

They are classified in 7 groups based on the endosperm kernels:

· Dent corn (Zea mays indentata sturt)

· Flint corn (Zea mays indurate sturt)

· Popcorn (Zea mays everta sturt)

· Soft corn (Zea mays amylacea sturt)

· Sweet corn (Zea mays saccharate sturt)

· Popcorn (Zea mays tunicate)

· Waxy corn (Zea mays ceratina Kulesh)

v Varieties:

· Hybrids:

Sartaj, Gagan 11, Trishulata, Deccan 1or107, VL 42.

· Composites:

Dhawal, Tarun, Navin, Shweta, Navjot, Kiran, Kanchan, D 765, Surya, VL Makka 88, Hara Bahar (African tall), Madhuri (sweet corn), Amber (Popcorn), VL Amber (Popcorn).

v Importance=

· Mazie is one of the most important cereal crops in the global agriculture economy.

· Maize crop is used as a food for man and as a feed for animals.

· It has very high yield potential.

· There is no cereal on the earth which has such immense potentiality, and that is why it is also known as queen of cereals.

· Maize crop is utilized in many ways like other grain crops.

· Over 85% of maize produced in the country is consumed as human food.

· Green cobs are roasted and eaten by people with great interest.

v Cultivation Practices:

a. Soil Requirement :

· Fertile, deep and well-drained soils are necessary for maize.

· P.H.= 7.5-8.5

b. Climatic requirement:

· Temperature: 18-30 degree.

· Rain fall: 60-110cm

· Relative humidity: 75-80% approximately

a. Sowing time:

Crop Region	Sowing Time
Indo-Gangetic plains and Andhra Pradesh	Mid-June-Mid July
Peninsular India	May- June
North- Eastern Hills	First week of March
North- Westen Hills	April end- early May

b. Spacing:

· Row to row: 60-75 cm

· Plant to plant: 25-30 cm

Seed rate: 20-25 kg/ha

e. Field Preparation:

· Give four to five ploughing and planking to make the seed-bed free from clods and weeds.

· Use mould board plough, disc harrow or cultivator for the 1^st cultivation.

f. Irrigation practices:

· 4-6 irrigations are required depending upon rain-fall.

· Critical stages for irrigation- Tasselling and silking.

g. Nutrient and fertilizer management:

· Hybrid verities: 120:50:40 NPK kg/ha.

· Composite verities: 100:40:30 NPK kg/ha.

· Paddy straw compost @180 kg per acre along with recommended dose of fertilizer.

· FYM: 20-25 tons/ha

a. Weed Control methods

Mechanical methods

They are many mechanical methods are used for controlling weed management. They are following:

a. Hand pulling

b. Hand weeding

c. Burning

d. Flooding

e. Hoeing

f. Tillage

g. Smothering with non-living material(mulching).

h. Earthing up

Chemical method

They are many herbicides used in maize crop. They are following:

· Pre plant incorporated:

o Trifluralin 0.8-1.20 kg/ha

o Butylate 4.0-60 kg/ha

o Fluchloralin 0.9-1.0 kg/ha

· Pre emergence:

o Atrazine and simazine @1-2 kg/ha to control grasses and broad-leaved weeds effectively. Atrazine can be applied at any stage of crop that is pre (or) post emergence.

o Alachlor and Metolachlor @1-2 kg/ha as pre-emergence are effective against annual grosses but these are weak on broad leaf.

o Pendimethalin 1-1.5 kg/ ha.

· Post emergence:

o 2,4-D or

o MCPA (0.25-0.5 kg/ha) used as directed spray between 8 and 25 cm whorl height stage of crop to control the broad-leaved weeds.

o Metsulfuron-methyl 0.30-0.50 kg/ha

o Tembotrione 125-150 g/ha with surfactant (20 DAS) or without (30 DAS) surfactant.

a. Harvesting:

· Harvesting can be start when the husk is turned yellow and grains are hard enough having less than 30% moisture.

· Remove the husk from the cobs and dry them in sun for 7-8 days.

· There after grains are removed either by beating the cobs by stick or with the help of maize shellers.

b. Yield: