The six major types of maize are dent maize, flint maize, pod maize, popcorn, flour maize, and sweet maize. Find here a detailed maize growing plan template for your ready reference.
The scientific name of maize (corn) is Zea mays. And it comes from the grasses’ families. In addition, it’s one of the world’s major food crops. Corn-producing countries include the United States, China, India, Argentina, Mexico, Ukraine, Russia, and South Africa.
The United States is by far the world’s biggest corn producer and also its biggest exporter. Other major producers include Brazil, Ukraine, and South Africa. Together these four nations account for at least 85 percent of global exports.
Maiz is by far the largest commodity traded globally. Most of the main trade is used for animal feeds; smaller amounts are traded internationally for industrial and food purposes.
India produces three crops: wheat, rice, and sugarcane. Among these, wheat and rice are the most important crops.
Economic Importance of Corn Farming
Maiz is an important staple food that humans eat and quality animal fodder. It is used as the main raw material for the production of hundreds of industrial products including starches, oils, proteins, alcohols, foods sweeteners, medicines, cosmetics, films, textiles, gums, packages, and papers.
Maiz is used extensively for livestock feed, including cattle, poultry, and pigs. It has higher digestibility than sorghum, bajra, and other legumes.
Over the past decade, global production of corn has risen by almost 4%, from 717 million metric tons (MMT) in 2004-05 to nearly 900 MMT in 2013-2014. And the area planted for corn worldwide has increased by almost 2%, from 527 million hectares (Mha) in 2004-05 to 548 Mha in 2013-14.
Health Benefits of Corn or Maize
- First of all, starch (or carbohydrates) is mainly made up of glucose.
- Corn kernels contain significant amounts of dietary fiber.
- Besides being a good source of protein, depending on the type of corn used, the protein contents ranging from 10-15%.
- Whole corn has less fat than most grains.
- Corn has some vitamins and minerals but their amounts vary depending on the variety.
- Last but not least, there are a number of bioactive phytochemicals in whole grain foods that may help protect against certain diseases.
Things To Consider In Corn Farming
- You need to have enough land for growing maize.
- If you’re growing corn without irrigation, you need to prepare yourself for a droughty situation too.
- Furthermore, you need to ensure that you have adequate arrangements for pest control. You need to keep your crops safe from insects and disease.
- Select the type of vegetable according to its intended purpose and climatic conditions.
- It is advisable to create a commercial farm planning document before starting a commercial crop-growing operation. A farm planning document helps to identify input expenses and additional resources.
Best Varieties For Corn Farming
There are many different types of maize worldwide. However, they vary depending on the region and the purpose of growth. We’ve compiled a list of some common ones here.
- Butter and sugar. 73 days. White and yellow kernels, good taste; 7 to 8-inches long ears. Resists bacterial disease and southern corn leaf blights.
- Golden Cross Bantam 85 days large yellow kernel ears uniform ears 7 ½ to 8 inches long with ten to fourteen row per ear sturdy stalk to six foot very productive resists bacterial wilt.
- Jubilee. 83 Days. Sweet, tender, golden, juicy corn for fresh eating or processing into hominy. Large ears, 8 -9 inches long with 16 rows, strong sturdy staves from 7 to 7 ½ feet tall. Resists smut and smog.
- Silver Queen. 88 day. Very sweet, tender white kernels; ear 8 to 9 inches long with 14 to 16 rows. Holds for a few weeks without loss of quality. The stalk grows 7 ½ to 8 feet tall. Adapted to a wide range of soils. Resists bacterial blight and Stewart’s Wilt.
- Breeders’ Choice. 73-DAY EXTRA SWEET TENDER CREAMY LIGHT YELLOW KERNEL STAYS SWEET FOR 10 TO 14 DAYS AFTER REACHING MATURITY MOST STALKS HAVE TWO EARS 16 TO 18 FULL ROWS PLANT TO SEVEN FEET BREEDERS CHOICE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF THE AMERICAN POTATO
- Concord (Also called ‘Moore’s Early Concord’) – tender, sweet, bicolor corn. Ear length 6–8in., with 12–16rows. Stalks to 5ft. Harvest early.
There are several popular Indian rice cultivars available today, including Himalayan 123, Sona like, Kisan, Ganges 1, 101, 5, Safeda 2, and others. High-yielding rice cultivars include Vijay, Kisan, and NLD white.
Agroclimatic Condition for Corn Farming
Maize grows best under warm weather conditions but can be grown anywhere between 0°C and 25°C. It is however sensitive to cold temperatures at any stage of its life cycle.
Maize needs 450mm to 600mm of rain per year. It gets most of its rainfall during the summer months (June through September).
Suitable Soil for Corn Farming
You can grow maize successfully in a range of different soil types, including sandy, loamy, and clayey. Soil with good organic content and high water-holding capacity is best suited for growing maize.
Read: How to take soil samples for analysis?
Because corn is highly susceptible to water stress, it is important to choose the right locations for planting. These include areas where there is good access to irrigation and good access to groundwater.
Commercial Corn Farming Cultivation Steps
1. Seed & Sowing
You should purchase only those seeds that are insect, pest,and disease-free. You should also buy seeds that are free from weeds. Buy them from trustworthy vendors. Make sure that they give you high germinability percentages.
Maize farmers use different methods to plant seeds, including dibble planting, broadcasting, and direct seeding. Depending on the purpose of planting, variety, and conditions, they may need to treat the seeds with pesticides.
You need to optimize the planting density for different purposes, sizes, types, seasons, and so on.
2. Manuring
To obtain desirable yields, the doses used for applying nutrients should match the supply from the previous crop (crop rotation) and the demands of plants by considering the current crop (soils’ nutrient status/balancing). Therefore, you need to adopt a specific nutrient-managing strategy at each location.
3. Irrigation
Irrigated water management is based on seasonal changes. About 80% of the total area of the country is irrigated. In the case of Rainfed conditions, the farmers can grow crops only after applying water. But if they get an assurance of water supply, then they can plan the cultivation accordingly.
For example, if the farmer gets an assurance of water supply for his farm, he can plant the crops according to the seasons. He may also take care of the drainage system properly so that no water overflows onto the fields.
4. Weed Control
Weeding is a very important part of crop production. Maizes can suffer significant losses if they are not weeded properly. Weeding ensures that the plants get enough water and nutrition so that they grow into healthy plants. Weeding also helps prevent diseases such as rust and mildew from spreading.
Weeding can be done manually by hand pulling, hoeing, or spraying herbicides. But, manual weeding is labor-intensive and time-consuming. So, chemical weed control methods are used in place of manual weeding.
5. Corn Plant Protection
Leaf blight is a possible illness of corn. You should be cautious about that. In addition, some of the possible damaging insects are stem borer, red hairy caterpillars, aphids, grasshoppers, and termites. Arrange the specific crop defense supplies for your corn farm.
6. Harvesting of Corn Produce
When harvesting grain, you may wish to leave the ears attached to the stalk, so they can continue to grow into new stalks. This is called “straw” or “grain”. However, if you plan to feed your animals later, you must remove them before any further growth occurs.
This is because the ear contains a large amount of starch, which is converted into sugar during digestion. If you wait until after the grain has matured, the remaining sugars will ferment and make the grain unfit for human consumption.
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