Botanical Name : Zea Mays L.
Family : Poaceae (Alt. Gramineae)
Subfamily : Panicoideae
Tribe : Andropogoneae

Introduction

· Maize Is One Of The Most Important Fodder Crop Particularly For Mulch Animals. The Crop Is Grown In Over 0.9 Million Ha In Different Parts Of The Country Throughout The Year. It Is A C4 Plant Having High Fodder Production Capacity In Short Duration. Maize Is Generally Grown In The Areas With Rainfall Of 50 Cm, But Higher Yields Are Achieved In 120–150 Cm Rainfall Areas. It Is Susceptible To Water Logging. In The Early Stage Up To 35 Days After Sowing, The Crop Is Drought Tolerant.

Botanical Description

· Maize Has A Very Distinct Growth Form; The Lower Leaves Being Like Broad Flags, 50–100 Cm Long And 5–10 Cm Wide; The Stems Are Erect, Conventionally 2–3 Meters In Height, With Many Nodes, Casting Off Flag-Leaves At Every Node. Internodes Can Reach 20–30 Centimeters. Under These Leaves And Close To The Stem Grow The Ears. The Ears Are Female Inflorescences, Tightly Covered Over By Several Layers Of Leaves; They Do Not Show Themselves Easily Until The Emergence Of The Pale Yellow Silks From The Leaf Whorl At The End Of The Ear. The Silks Are Elongated Stigmas That Look Like Tufts Of Hair, At First Green, And Later Red Or Yellow.

Cultivation Practices

· The Crop Prefers Deep, Fertile, Organic Matter Rich, Well Drained Soils With Ph 5.5–7.5. Maize Do Not Prefer Heavy Clay Low Land Soils. The Alluvial Soils Of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar And Punjab Are Suitable For Raising Maize Crop. Normally 4–5 Harrowing’s Are Required Before Taking Up Planting With The Onset Of Monsoon. A Balanced Application Of 60–120 Kg N, 40– 60 Kg P And 40 Kg K/Ha Is Recommended. Early Maturing Varieties Require Less Quantity Than Full Season Maturity Crops. It Is Also Advisable To Apply 20 Kg Zinc Sulphate/Ha Along With Basal Dose Of Fertilizer. One Fourth Of Nitrogen And Entire Quantity Of Phosphorus, Potassium And Zinc Should Be Applied 5–7 Cm Deep Before Sowing. The Rest Of The Dose Are Applied At Knee High Stage And After Emergence Of Flag Leaf But Before Tassel Emergence. About 20 Kg Seed/Ha Should Be Sown 5cm Deep Into Soil For Good Germination, Seedling Growth And Vigor. Transplanting Should Be Avoided As The Plant Can Not Cope Up With Main Crop Stand. A Population Of 65000–70000 Plants /Ha At Harvest Is Optimum For Realizing Higher Yields. For Attaining Desired Level Of Plant Density, A Row-To-Row And Plant To Plant Spacing Of 75 X18 Cm Or 60×22 Cm Should Be Maintained. To Ensure High And Stable Yield, It Is Desirable To Give 1 Or 2 Irrigation At Critical Stages (Flowering And Grain Filling Stages).