Maize Farming
Maize is one of the main food crops and is commonly grown by different people in different countries. It performs well under rain fed, but it can also be grown under Irrigation.
Being photoperiod insensitive, it can be grown any time of the year, giving greater flexibility to fit into different cropping patterns. It grows best on deep, well-drained, fertile soils, and where total seasonal rainfall exceeds 500 mm.
For optimal yields, it requires a good agronomic practices and a well distributed annual rainfall of 600 to 1000 mm and an optimum soil pH of 5.5 to 8. It tolerates to drought and some acidic soils unlike other crops.
Choice of Varieties
The choice of Maize variety depends on several factors, which include the following:
- Yield potential
- Season length
- Anticipated disease
As a farmer you should choose and use a variety which is well adapted to your area. The choice of variety should match the climatic conditions of your area. Nowadays, hybrid maize variety has potential to give high yields over local varieties.
Climate and Soil Requirements
Temperature requirements
The maize crop requires warmth throughout the period of its active life. The greatest production potential lies in areas where isotherms in the warmest month range between 21 and 27 °C.
Maize does not grow well or gives less yields in areas where the growing season temperature is less than 19 °C or in areas where the average night temperature falls below14 °C. For this reason, proper timing of planting of your maize is required for dry-season cropping under irrigation.
Maize yields decreases when temperature increases above 32 °C, even though maize can tolerate high temperatures up to 35 °C. Maize responds differently to changes in temperature at different stages of growth.
During germination, the optimal temperature should be around 18 °C. Germination is low at temperatures below 14 °C, which may occur during the dry period. Cool, wet weather encourages many pathogens that cause seedling diseases and kernel rots in your maize.
Rainfall requirements
The amount and distribution of rainfall are highly important factors in successful production of Maize. A well distributed rainfall with a minimal range of 480–880 mm is adequate for maize, depending on the variety.
The moisture requirements for maize are small during the early stages of development but increase rapidly up to the flowering stage of your maize, before decreasing again as the Maize crop matures. Maize is especially sensitive to moisture stress during flowering when a short spell of stress can reduce the crop yield by up to 30–35%.
Soil requirements
Maize perform well on deep, loamy, well drained fertile soil. It can also be grown on other soil types such as sandy to clay, grey, brown, red and black soils, but it does not give optimal yields.
Cultivation Practices
Land preparation
Land preparation for Maize cultivation involves bush clearing, removal of tree stumps, termite mounds, and ploughing. Maize cultivation requires warm and moist soil, well supplied with air, fine enough to allow rapid germination of the seeds and proper growth of roots to absorb the available soil nutrients.
Land preparation for Maize fields should begin at least three weeks (21 days) before planting to allow breakdown of organic matter. You can use a hoe to clear your Maize field or mechanical method.
Seed treatment
It is recommended that Maize seeds for planting should be dressed with the appropriate dressing chemicals before being planted to protect your Maize against soil pests, diseases, and bird attacks before or after germination. Some recommended chemicals include marshal 2% dust, Apron Star, and other approved seed dressing chemicals.
Planting date
Planting time for your Maize should be done as soon as the rains are established and preferably immediately after a good enough rain. The later maize is planted, the lower the yield. Early planting enables the crop to benefit from the early release of nitrates in the soil, as well as reduced incidence of insects and diseases.
Plant spacing
The plant spacing recommended for maize is 75 × 50 cm, where 2 plants per stand are adopted. Maize may be planted either manually (hand planting) or mechanically depending on capital constraints.
The width of rows and the spacing of plants in the row determines the plant population of your maize field. Thus the closer the spacing, the more plants there will be per unit area.
The recommended number of maize plants per hectare varies from 36,000 to 60,000, depending on the environmental yield potential and hybrid. A seed rate of about 25 kg/ha is required for your Maize field, but this depends on the seed size.
Fertilisation
The fertiliser requirements of your maize will depends on the soil fertility and yield target. Infertile soils require more fertiliser, as does a higher yield target.
The two most important nutrients for maize are nitrogen and phosphorous, but maize also requires potassium and, on some soils, Zinc in small quantities.
The first consideration for fertilising maize is manure, for it is an excellent source of nutrients and has many other benefits for soils.
Inorganic fertilisers should be considered as a supplement to manure. The following fertilizer nutrients are recommended per hectare for maize; 100 kg N, 50 kg of single super phosphate (SUPA), and 50 kg of muriate of potash (K20).
You should apply first dose (that is 50:50:50) at planting or within the first week of planting using about 6 bags of NPK 15-15-15. The second dose of N (50 kg, about 2 bags of urea) should be applied between 4 and 5 weeks after planting your Maize.
Weed control
Good weeds control in maize field is a prerequisite for high yield. Weeds usually compete with the crops for nutrients, sunlight, and water. To permit the maize crop to express its full potential on the field, regular weeding is necessary. Timely weeding in your Maize field is essential, especially at the early stages of growth.
Pests and diseases
Dressing the seeds prior to planting your Maize easily controls most of the diseases (whether soil-or seed-borne) which affect it. A few pests such as stem borers, and grass hoppers occur occasionally and rarely present any serious challenge.
Harvesting
When your Maize is to be consumed fresh, harvesting should be conducted when the silk has turned brown (50–70 days after planting). But when grain is needed, harvest your maize as soon as the grain is dry (80– 110 days after planting) depending on the variety.
During harvesting, the Maize cobs is broken by hand from the plant or the whole plant is cut with a cutlass. Where the entire plants are harvested, they are often stacked in the field to allow the Maize grain to dry further.