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| Production Technology of Maize |
How to Grow Maize
English name: Maize.
Scientific name: Zea mays.
Family: Gramineae.
Life cycle: 150-155 days.
Economic importance
It is used as human food, also as poultry feed and fodder crop. Alcohole and edible oil is prepared from maize. Also prepared board paper.
Origin: Central America, Mexico and Pakistan.
Environmental Requirements
• It is a crop of warm weather.
• Temperature: 21 C for germination and 32 C for growth.
• Rainfall: 25-500 cm but sensitive to stagnant water.
• Soil: All type of soil but well drained sandy loam to loam soil is best.
• PH : 5.5-7.5.
Variety
Local variety: Savar, DMR, JC.
Improve variety: Bornaly (BARI maize 1), Suvro (BARI maize 2), Mohar, Ambercop (khoi bhutta), Suwan 1, Suwan 2, BARI bhutta 5, BARI bhutta 6. Hybrid Variety: BARI Hybrid Bhutta 3, 8, 9, 10, 11.
Land preparation:
Land should be prepared 4-5 ploughing and laddering.The field should be properly leveled.
Fertilizer Application
• Urea: 275-300 kg/ha.
• TSP: 175-200 kg/ha.
• MoP: 100-125 kg/ha.
• Gypsum: 125 kg/ha.
• ZnSO4 : 10 kg/ha.
1/3 urea and all other fertilizer should be applied during final land preparation. 2/3 Urea are equally splited applied at 35-40 DAS and 65-70 DAS.
Sowing
Time: Robi: 15 October – 15 November.
KharifI: 15 February – April.
KharifII: July.
Method: 60-75 cm X 2530 cm spacing. But it can be sown as broadcasting.
Depth: 25-35 cm.
Seed Rate: 25-30 kg for grain/ha.
50 kg for fodder/ha.
Seed Treatment: Seed should be treated with Agrosan G.N. and Granosan M.
Intercultural Operation
Gap filling: Gap filling is done at 7-10 DAS.
Thinning: When plant attain a height of 5-10 cm, it should be thinned out at 10-15 DAS.
Weeding: 2 weeding can be done.
Earthing Up: The soil in between the line should be earthup at the base of plants.
Irrigation: 2-3 irrigation are needed. 1st at 35-40 DAS, 2nd at 65-70 DAS and 3rd at 90-95 DAS.
Insect pest and disease Control
Important insect are Ear worm, Borer, aphids.
Control
• Seed should be treated with Agrosan G.N. and Granosan M.
• Use resistance variety.
• Spray crop with Malathion 57 EC or Fifanon 57 EC for Earworm and aphids.
• Spray Sumithion/ Diazinon 57 EC for borer.
Disease
Important disease are Leaf blight, Maize streak, maize mosic virus.
Control
• Use resistance variety.
• Rough the infected plant.
• Spray cupper oxichloride/Macuprax.
Harvesting
Maturity Symptoms
• Colour of crops become straw colour.
• Leaf become slightly yellow.
• Black spot are seen at the base of seed.
• Grain become hard.
Method: Mature crop should be harvested by hand and dried in the sun for 3-4 days. Finally the seeds are to be separated by corn sheller or hand or cattle.
Yield
• Local variety: 2-3 ton/ha.
• High yielding variety: 4-5 ton/ha.
• Hybrid variety: 5-6 ton/ha.
• 10,000 crop/ha for boiling or roasting.
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