MAIZE - Family-Gramineae(Poaceae), Botanical

name-Zea mays
ORIGIN
The primary centre of origin of maize is considered by most
authorities to be the Central America and Mexico, where
many diverse types of maize are found. The discovery of
fossil maize pollen with other archaeological evidence in
Mexico indicates Mexico to be the native of maize.
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
Maize is cultivated throughout the world. From 58°N latitude
to 40°S latitude, the crop spreads and cultivated over 139
million hac of area and around 600 million tonnes of maize is
produced. Crop occupies the third position next to rice and
wheat in area and production. USA,
China, Brazil, Mexico, India, Romania, Philippines, Indonesia
are some of important countries cultivate maize crop. In
India, Rajasthan, UP, MP, Bihar, Karnataka, Gujarat, AP, J&K,
HP and Maharashtra are important states produce maize.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
It is staple human food, feed for livestock, for fermentation and many
industrial uses. It is having abundant starch (65%). There are two types
of milling. Wet milling produces industrial starch like sweeteners, also
produces various modified maize starch for paper lamination, textile
wrap, sizing and laundry finishing. Dry milled products are animal feed,
brewing, breakfast cereals, other food. In India, dry milling is the
predominant process for flour and animal feed, fermentation and
distilling industries and composite flours. In the new millennium, it is an
alternate crop to rice and wheat. About 35% production is consumed by
human, 25% poultry and cattle feed, 15% food processing.
MAIZE GRAIN TYPES
Flint corn (Zea mays indurata)
Entire outer portion of kernel is hard starch. Flint comes in many colours such as white,
yellow, red-blue or their variable.
Dent corn (Zea mays indentata)
About 95% of production in USA is dent corn. Hard starch is confined to kernel only. The
amylose of soft starch in the core contracts when the grain is dried producing
characteristic dent in the top of the kernel. May be yellow, white and red colour of kernel.
Sweet corn (Zea mays saccharata)
Grown for food and harvested at 70% moisture content. It is good source of energy.
About 20% of dry matter is sugar compared to 3% in dent corn. It is also a good source
of vitamin C & A.
Flour corn (Zea mays amylacea)
Kernel is largely composed of soft starch with little or no hard starch. Kernels are easy to
grind. Primarily used by natives of Andean Highlands of South America.
Pop corn (Zea mays everta)
It’s kernel is small and extreme form of flint corn. When heated to 170°C, the grain
swells and burst and turning inside out. At this temperature, the water held in the starch
turns to steam and the pressure causes the explosion

Waxy corn (Zea mays ceretina)

Due to waxy appearance of the kernel, it is called as waxy corn. The starch is entirely
amylopectin whereas dent has 78% and 22% amylose. Hybrids of waxy are raw
materials for wet milling starch industry for textile and paper sizing and corn oil.

SOIL AND CLIMATIC REQUIREMENT

Soil requirement
Deep, fertile, rich in organic matter and well drained soils are the most preferred
ones for the crop; however, maize can be grown on a variety of soil types. The soil
should be medium textured with good water holding capacity. The crop is very
sensitive to water logging and since it is mainly grown during rainy season, care
should be taken to assure that water does not stagnate on the soil
surface for more than 4-5 hours. Loamy or silty loam soil or silty clay loam soil
having fairly permeable sub soil is ideal soil types. Thus, the ideal soil is neither
clayey or sandy and has a pH between 6.5 and 7.5 along with an exchangeable
capacity of around 20 milli-equivalent/100g, base saturation of 70-90%, bulk
density of about 1.3 g/cc and water-holding capacity of about 16cm/m depth.
Climatic requirement
Maize requires 9 to 30°C from planting to emergence.
Emergence to silking, leaf number
increases with temperature and photoperiod. Increase in
time to tassel as the diurnal variation increase from 0-
17°C. Maximum rate of maize growth is at 30°C. Longer
the grain filling period, higher the grain yield provided no
freezing temperature. Higher the solar radiation, higher
will be the photosynthesis in maize.
CULTURAL PRACTICES
I. IRRIGATED MAIZE
Application of FYM or compost
Spread 12.5 t/ha of FYM or compost or composted coir pith evenly on the un-ploughed
field along with 10 packets of Azospirillum (2000 g/ha) and incorporate in the soil.

Field preparation
Plough the field with disc plough once followed by cultivator ploughing twice, after
spreading FYM or compost till a fine tilth is obtained.

Forming ridges and furrows or beds

• Form ridges and furrows providing sufficient irrigation channels. The ridges should be 6
m long and 60 cm apart.
•If ridges and furrows are not made, form beds of size 10 m2 or 20 m2 depending on the
availability of water.
• Use a bund former or ridge plough to economise cost of production.
Application of fertilizers
• 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.
• Apply quarter of the dose of N; full dose of P2O5 and K2O basally before sowing.
• 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.
• Apply the fertilizer mixture along the furrows evenly and cover to a depth of 4 cm with
soil.
• If bed system of planting is followed, open furrows 6 cm deep at a distance of 60 cm
apart.
• Place the fertilizer mixture along the furrows evenly and cover to a depth of 4 cm with
soil.
• When Azospirillum is used as seed and soil application, apply 100 kg of N/ha (25%
reduction on the total N recommended by soil test).
Application of micronutrient
• 12.5 kg of micronutrient mixture ,
mixed with sand to make a total quantity of 50 kg/ha is to be applied.
• Apply the mixture over the furrows and two thirds in the top of ridges, if ridge planting is
followed.
• If bed system of sowing is followed, apply the micronutrient mixture over the furrows.
• Do not incorporate the micronutrient mixture in the soil.
Seed rate
Select good quality seeds and adopt the seed rate of 20 kg/ha for grain maize and 25 kg
/ha for baby corn.

Spacing: Adopt a spacing of 25 cm between plants in the rows which are 60 cm apart.
Seed treatment
• Use pelleted seeds with insecticides (treat one kg of seeds with Chlorpyriphos 20EC or
Monocrotophos 36 WSC or Phosalone 35 EC @ 4 ml + 0.5 gram gum in 20 ml of water)
for the control of stem borer or seed treatment with Imidacloprid 70 WSC 10 g/kg of
seeds.
• Seed treatment with Metalaxyl or Thiram @ 2 g/kg of seed for the control of downy
mildew and crazy top.
• Seeds treated with fungicides may be treated with three packets (600 g/ha) of
Azospirillum before sowing.

Sowing
• Dibble the seeds at a depth of 4 cm along the furrow in which fertilizers are placed and
cover with soil.
• Put one seed per hole if the germination is assured otherwise put two seeds per hole.
Weed Management

• Apply the pre-emergence herbicide, Atrazine 50 WP @ 500 g/ha (900 lit of water) at 3
days
after sowing as spray on the soil surface followed by one hand weeding on 40-45 days
after
sowing.
• Apply herbicide when there is sufficient moisture in the soil.
• Do not disturb the soil after herbicide application.
• Hoe and hand weed on the 17th or 18th day of sowing, if herbicide is not applied.
NOTE: If pulse crop is to be raised as intercrop, do not use Atrazine.
Thinning and gap filling
• If two seeds were sown, leave only one healthy and vigorous seedling per hole and
remove the other on the 12-15 days after sowing.
• Where seedlings have not germinated, dibble pre-soaked seeds at the rate of 2 seeds
per hole and immediately irrigate.
Hoeing, hand-weeding and earthing-up
• Hoe and hand-weed on the 30th day of sowing.
• 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.
Top dressing with N
• Place half of the dose of N on the 25th day of sowing along the furrows evenly
and cover it with soil.
• Place the remaining quarter of N on the 45th day of sowing.
Water management
Maize crop is sensitive to both moisture stress and excessive
moisture, hence regulate
irrigation according to the requirement. Ensure optimum moisture
availability during the most critical phase (45 to 65 days after
sowing); otherwise yield will be reduced by a considerable extent.
Regulate irrigation according to the following growth phase of the
crop. Critical stages are, 6th leaf, late knee high, taselling, 50%
silking and dough stages. Of which, tasseling and silking are most
critical stages and water stress during these stages reduces the
maize yields considerably. About 600-700 mm is needed for 100
days crop.
Harvesting
Stage of harvest: Observe the following symptoms, taking into consideration the
average duration of the crop. The sheath covering the cob will turn yellow and dry at
maturity. The seeds become fairly hard and dry. At this stage the crop is ready for
harvest.
Harvesting: Tear-off the cob sheath by using the gunny needle and remove the
cobs from the plant.
Carry out harvest operations at a single stage for easy transportation.
Threshing cobs: Dry the cobs under the sun till the grains are dry. Use mechanical
threshers or by running the tractor over dried cobs to separate the grains from the
shank. Clean the seeds by winnowing. Collect and store the dry grains in gunnies.
Stalk for cattle feed: Maize straw can also be used as a good cattle feed when it is
green. Harvest the crop and cut the green straw into bits with a chaff cutter or chopping
knife and feed the cattle.
Yield
• 5 tonnes of grain yield and 10 tonnes/ha of straw yield can be obtained.
• In case of Baby corn, about 6 tonnes/ha of cob yield with 25 tonnes/ha of green fodder
yield is possible.