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MAIZE (Zee mays)

I. SEASON AND VARIETIES

II.PREPARATION OF THE FIELD (IRRIGATED CROP)

1.FIELD PREPARATION

In Western Zone black soils, plough the field with disc plough once followed by cultivator ploughing twice along with composted coir pith @ 12.5 t/ha and 150% recommended N to enhance the yield in maize-sunflower cropping sequence

Plough twice with iron ploughorthreeor four times with a country plough. In between the ploughing, break the clods, if necessary, or plough six times with a country plough till a fine tilth is obtained.

2.APPLICATION OF FYM OR COMPOST

Spread 12.5 t/ha of FYM or composted coir pith evenly on the unploughed field along with 10 packets of Azospirillum (2000 g/ha) and incorporate in the soil..

3.FORMING RIDGES AND FURROWS OR BEDS

i. Form ridges and fullows, 6 m long and 60 cm apart

ii. Form irrigation channels across the furrows

iii. If ridges and furrows are not made, form beds of size 10 m2 or 20 m2 depending on the availability of water.

iv. Use a bund former or ridge plough to economise cost of production

4.APPLICATION OF FERILIZERS

i. Apply NPK fertilizers as per soil test recommendation as far as possible. If soil test recommendation is not available adopt a blanket recommendation of 135:62.5:50 NPK kg/ha.

ii. Apply quarer of the dose of N and full dose of P2O5 and K2O basally before sowing.

iii. In the case of ridge planted crop, open a furrow 6 cm deep on the side of the ridge at two thirds the distance from the top of the ridge.

iv. Apply the fertilizer mixtue along the furrows evenly and cover toa depth of 4 cm with soil.

v. If bed system of planting is followed,open furrows 6 cm deep at a distance of 60 cm apart.

vi. Place the fertilizer mixture alongthe furrows evenly and cover to a depth of 4 cm with soil.

vii. When Azozpirillum is used as seed and soil application, apply 100 g of N/ha (25% reduction on the total N recommended by soil test )

5.DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS

Nitrogen deficiency: Leaves become yellow, older leaves show drying at tips with progress along mid veins, stalks become slender.

Phosphorus deficiency: Leaves are purplish green during early growth. Growth spindly,slow maturity, irregular ear formation.

Potassium deficiency: Leaves show yellowor yellowish green streaks-become corrugated - Tips and marginal scorch. Tips end inears are poorly filled. Stalks have short internode-plants become weakand may fall downs.

Magnesiumdeficiency: Older or lower leaves are the first to become chlorotic at margins and between veins/ Streaked appearance of leaves. Necrotic or chlorotic spots seen inleaves.

Zinc deficiency: Older leaves haveyellow streaks or chlorotic striping between veins. In several cases, unfolding of young leaves may be white or yellow.

Iron deficiency: Interveinal chlorosis. The entire crop may exhibit bleached appearance.

6.APPLICATION OF MICRONUTRIENT

i. 12.5 kg of micronutrient mixture formulated by the Department of Agriculture, Tamilnadu,mixed with sand tomake a total quantity of 50 kg/ha is to be applied.

ii. Apply the mixture overthe furrows and two thirds in the top of ridges, ifridge planting is followed.

iii. If bed systemof sowing is followed, apply the micronutrient mixture over the furrows.

iv. Do not incorporate the micronutrient mixture in the soil.

III.MANAGEMENT OF MAIN FIELD

1. SEED RATE

Select good quality seeds and adopt the seed rate; hybrids - 15 kg/ha and varieties 20 kg/ha.

2.SPACING

Adopt a spacing of 20 cm between plants in the rows which are 60 cm apart. Population: 80,600/ha

3.PRE-TREATMENT OF THE SEEDS WITH FUNGICIDES

i. Treat the seeds with Psudomonas sp.@ 2 g per kg of seed

ii. Seeds treated with Biocides may be treated with three packets(600g/ha) of Azozpirillum

iii. Store the seeds with neem leafs or nochi leaf in Polylined cloth to maintain seed viability for more than 10 months.

4.SOWING

i. Dibble the seeds at a depth of 4 cm along the furrow inwhich fertilizers are placed and covered with soil.

ii. Put one seed per hole inthe case of Ganga 5, CO1 and two seeds per hole inthe case of K1

5.WEED MANAGEMENT

i. Hoe and hand weed on the 17th or 18th day of sowing.

NOTE: If pulse crop is to be raised as intercrop, do not use Atrazine.

6.THINNING AND GAP FILLING

i. Leave only one healthy and vigorous seedling per hole and remove theother on the 7th or 8th day of sowing.

ii. Where seedlings have not germinated, dibble seeds at the rate of 2 seeds per hill immediately pot water.

7.PEST MANAGEMENT

i. Mix 40 kg.Neem cake powder with sand to make up a total quantity of 50 kg and apply in theleaf whorls on the 20th day of sowing: Repete the same once after 20 days.

8.NEMATODE

If lesion nematodes are present apply neem cake in the seed holes at the time of sowing.

9.DISEASE MANAGEMENT

i. Downy mildew: CO 1,. COH1 and COH 2 are resistant to downy mildew. Rogue out affected plants. Spray Psudomonas sp. 2gr/lit.of water 20 days after sowing.

ii. Leaf spot: Spray Psudomonas sp. 2gr/lit.of water when the disease intensity reaches grade 3

10.HOEING, HAND WEEDING AND EARTHING UP

i. Hoe and hand-weed on the 30th day of sowing.

ii. Demolish the original ridges

iii. Earth up and form new ridges so that the plants come directly on the top of the ridges. This will provide additional anchorage to the plants.

11.TOP DRESSING WITH N

i. Open a furrrow 5 cm depth along the base of the ridge (10 cm away from the base of the plants) with a hand-hoe or stick.

ii. Place half of the dose of N onthe 25th day of sowing along the furrows evenly and cover it with soil.

12. APPLICATION OF INSECTICIDES

i. Apply Neem cake to the soil. Spray with Neem kernal extract 5%.

13.APPLICATION OF FUNGICIDES

Spray Psudomonas sp. 2gr/lit.of water.if initial foliar symptoms of diseases are noticed.

14.SECOND TOP DRESSING WITH N

Place the remaining quarter of N onthe 45th dayof planting as furrow application at a depth of 5 cm and 10 cm away from the base of the plants and cover with soil.

IV. WATER MANAGEMENT

Regulate irrigation according to the following growth phase of the crop

Yield maximisation: Adopt plant populationof 1,11,000 plants (60 x15 cm) with NPK at 200:100:80 kg/ha. Apply N and K inthree equal splits at sowing, knee high and taselling stages. Apply ZnSO4 at 25 kg/ha as basal in addition to other recommended practices.

V. HARVESTING THE CROP

1. STAGE OF HARVEST

i. Observe the following symptoms, taking into consideration the average duration ofthe crop. The sheath covering the cob will turn yellow and dry at maturity.

ii. The seeds become fairly hard and dry. At this stage the crop is ready for harvest.

2. HARVESTING THE CROP

i. Break off or cut and remove the cobs alone along with the sheath.

ii. Remove the sheath to separate the cob

iii. Carry out harvest operations at a single stage

3.THRESHING THE COBS

i. Dry the cobs in the sun till the grains are dy

ii. Use mechanical hreshers for threshing or beat wiht a stickand separate the grains from the cob

iii. Clean the seeds by winnowing

iv. Collect and store the dry grains in gunnies.

4.STACKING THE STRAW FOR FEEDING CATTLE

i. Do not dry maize fodder as it is a good cattle feed wshen green.

ii. Harvest the crop and cut the green straw into bits with a chaff cutter or chopping knife and feed the cattlle.

VI. SPECIFIC PROBLEMS

1.COB BORER

Apply Neem kerenal extract 5% at silk drying stage. Repeat the insecticidal application 15 days later

In deep black clayey soils of Western Zone (Perianaickenapalayam Soil series), the low permeability and poor infiltration are the main soil problems.

To over come these physical constraints, in a maize-groundnut cropping sequence, ploughing the field with mould board plough once, followed by disc harrowing twice for the first crop of maize and working the cultivator twice for the second crop of groundnut canbe done.

RAINFED MAIZE

1.FIELD PREPARATION:

Chisel the soil having hard pan formation at shallow depths with chisel plough at 0.5 M interval first in onedirection andthen inthe direction perpendicular to the previous one once inthree years. Apply 12.5 t/ha of FYM or compostor composted coir pith besides chiseling, to get an additional yield of about 30% over control.

2.APPLICATION OFFYM OR COMPOST:

Spread 12.5 t/ha of FYM or compost or composted coir pith evenly on the unploughed fieldalong with 10 packets of Azospirillum (2000 g/ha) and incorporate in the soil.

3.APPLICATION OF FERTILIZER

i. Apply NPK as per soil test recommendation as far as possible. If soil test recommendation is not available, adopt a blanket recommendation of 60:30:30 NPK kg/ha for Alfisols and 40:20:0 NPK kg/ha for Vertisols.

ii. Apply halfof Nand full dose of P2O5 and K2O with enriched FYM as basal along with Azospirillum (10 packets/ha).

ii. Top dress remaining half of Nat tasseling.

4.SEED RATE

Select good quality seeds. Adopt the seed rate; Hybrid - 15 kg/ha and varieties - 20 kg/ha.

5.SPACING

Adopt a spacing of 45 cm between rows and 20 cmbetween plants in the row.

Population : 1,11,000 plants/ha.

6.PRE-TREATMENT OF SEEDS WITH FUNGICIDES

i. Treat the seeds with Psudomonas sp.2 g/kg of seeds.

ii. Seeds treated withBiocides may be treated with three packets (600 g/ha) of Azospirillum

7.SOWING

Dibble or drill the seeds at a depth of 4 cm.

8.CROPPING SYSTEMS

i. Intercropping system of maize + cowpea or maize + blackgram is recommended for higher net returns in the red lateritic soils of Southern districts.

ii. For Vertisols of Southern districts, maize + redgram intercropping systems is ideal.

VII. SEED TECHNOLOGY

1. SEASON

November-December

II.SPACING

Give a spacing of 45 x 10 cm for varieties and 60 x 25 cm hybrids (CO 1).

3.SEED RATE

Use a seed rate of 10 kg/ha.

4. PLANTING RATIO

For multiplication of'A' line (A X B) 12 kg/ha, 4 kg/ha plant in the ratio of 4:2 to female to male line.

5.APPLICATION OF FERTILIZERS

Basal: 40:75:40 NPK kg/ha. Top dressing 20th day 50:0:0 NPK in kg/ha. Top dressing 40th day 60:0:35 kg/ha. For CO 1 hybrid, 200:100:100.

6. HARVESTING

Harvest the crop when the husk completely turns into straw colour. Manual dehusking is better. Sort the cobs true to type (remove ill filled diseased cobs and cobs having kernel colour variation).

7.SHELLING

Theshelling moisture content should be 15-18%. Shelling the seed cob by beating witha pliable stick and also by maize sheller is safer to seed quality. Injury due to improper shelling amounts to 48% pericarp injury will promote Penicillium sp. Mechanical injury can be estimated by treating the kernels with 20% FeC13 or staining with 0.25% tetrazolium solution.

8.GRADING

Grade theseeds in cleaner using the sieve with a size 18/64" (7.28 mm).

9. SEED TREATMENT

Slurry treat seeds with 8% moisture content either with Neem leaf or nochi leaf Treated seeds can be stored for one year in cloth bag.

MAIZE - MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION

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