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- Botanical name :- zea mays. L
- Family :- Poaceae/Gramineae
- Origin :- Mexico / South America
- Chromosome no :- 2n= 20
- Type of Fruit :- Caryopsis
- Type of inflorescence :- Spike
- Protein content :- 10-11%
- Carbohydrate :- 65-67%
- Fat :- 3.5 - 4%
Some Important Fact of Maize
* maize is also known as 'Queen of Cereal' and 'Backbone of America'.
* 'zein' protein found in maize, maize protein (zein) deficient in Tryptophan and lysine.
* zea mays originated from fodder maize Toesinte (Euchlaina mexicana).
* There is no wild Species found in maize.
* Maize is non-tiller plant.
* Maize is day neutral and C4 plant.
* Maize has the highest yield potential among all cereal crop.
* Maize is Monoceous plant, maize flowers are born in cluster, male flower (Tassel) on top while female flower ( silk) are found inside the young cob.
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| Tassel |
* Maize is cross pollinated crop, wind pollination is most common
* protoandry found in maize.
* yellow color in maize is due to 'Zeaxanthin'.
* Ganga-1 is first hybrid variety of maize.
* Ganga- 1 hybrid is developed by 'Double hybrid cross' method.
* Seminal roots present in maize nourish the seedlings plants.
* Test weight (weight of 1000 seeds) of maize is 280 grams.
Area and Production
- maize occupies the third rank next to rice and wheat in both area and production.
- USA, China, Brazil, Mexico, India, Romania, Philippines, Indonesia are the major maize producing country in the world.
- major maize producing state in India are Rajasthan, UP, MP, Bihar, Karnataka, Gujarat, AP, J&K, HP and Maharashtra.
The maize variety can be classified as below
A) Flint corn (zea mays indurata)
- endosperm of kernel is sopt and mostly grown in India
B) Dent corn (zea mays indentata)
- Yellow / white colored seed, common in USA
- About 92-95% of production in USA is zea mays indentata i.e Dent corn.
C) Pop corn ( zea mays everta)
- small size of seed endosperm, popping quality.
- when we heat pop corn @ 170°c , moisture convert into steam and create pressure and kernel brust.
D) Sweet corn :- ( zea mays saccharata)
- it contains more amounts of sugar than other, cobs is picked for canning purpose.
- sweet corn is harvested at 70% of moisture content.
- it's not only good source of energy but also vitamin A and vitamin C.
E) Flour corn :- ( zea mays amylacea)
- mostly grown in South Africa, used for making flour.
- The kernel of these corn is easy to grind.
F) Pod corn :- ( zea mays tunicata )
- Each grain is covered by husk.
G) Waxy corn :- ( zea mays ceretiana)
- Due to it's waxy appearance of the kernel, it is called as waxy corn.
Varieties
- Ganga-1 is first hybrid variety of maize.
- Ganga-101, Ranjeet, Deccan-101, Shakti, ratan, sangam, Ganga safed, Ganga-1, Ganga-2, Ganga-3, Ganga-4 and Ganga-5.
A) Composite varieties of maize
Vijay, sona, amber, kishan and jawahar.
B) Hybrid Varieties of maize
- sangam, ganga safed, deccan and hi-starch.
- Protina, Shakti and Ratna are the lysine rich varieties of maize.
Soil and Climate
- soil should be well drained, fertile, rich in organic matter.
- maize is warm season crop, day neutral, it can be grown throughout the year.
- the optimum temperature for germination is 21°c and for flowering temperature should be 27°c.
Irrigation
- maize sensitive to water in early stages of crop, avoid water stagnation in early stages.
- water requirement for maize crop is 500-800mm.
Seeds and Sowing
- certified seed of improved varieties selected.
- seed should be treated with fungicides like thiram/Captan/Carbendazim.
- sowing of maize can be done in June-July, Sept-Oct, and March-April.
Seed Rate
1) For grain purpose :- 15-20kg/ha
2) For Fodder purpose :- 30-40kg/ha
Spacing
- spacing should be 60×30-22.5
- Plant population is 55,000 to 70,000 /ha
- Depth should be 5-7cm
* Weed Management
- 1-2 hand weeding and 2-3 hoeing with bullocks should be done.
Fertilizer management
-The recomonded dose of fertilizer for rainfed crop is 120:60:60 .
Plant protection
A) Major pest
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| Maize fall armyworm |
stem borer, shoot fly and armyworm are the important and major pest.
B) Disease
seed rot, seedling blight, Charcoal rot.
C) Physiological Disorder
1) White bud of maize caused by zinc deficiency.
2) Red and purple color of maize leaves due to deficiency of Phosphorus.
Harvesting
- cobs mature earlier than stalk. When leaves turn yellowish, cobs sheath turn brownish and grain becomes hard, crop become ready to harvest.
- cobs are picked from stalk, stalk are used as green fodder.
- at harvest, grain should not coain more than 20% moisture.
Yield
- the average yield of grain is about 25-30 q/ha.
- Fodder yield :- 50-60q/ha.
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