Maize Crop Production Guide PDF

CROP PRODUTION MAIZE (Zea Mays) A) Climatic requirements Maize requires hot sunny climate with an evenly distributed rainfall of about 450mm during growing season and average temperatures of 240 C. B) Soil type and Soil pH requirements Maize can be grown in a wide range of soils from sand to cl...

CROP PRODUTION MAIZE (Zea Mays) A) Climatic requirements Maize requires hot sunny climate with an evenly distributed rainfall of about 450mm during growing season and average temperatures of 240 C. B) Soil type and Soil pH requirements Maize can be grown in a wide range of soils from sand to clay, provided they are well drained. High yields are normally obtained from deep loam soils that are rich in organic matter. pH range of 5.5 and 7.0 is suitable. C) Seedbed preparation ❖ Soil is prepared by ploughing to a depth of 25 cm to 30 cm. ❖ Disc the soil by breaking soil clods that may have formed. ❖ Then the seedbed is levelled and worked to medium tilth by harrowing. D) Time of planting In Botswana, the growing season generally occurs between October (onset) and March (end). E) Planting of maize: maize is planted directly by seeds ❖ Seed rate: 22kg per ha though it may vary from 17 – 35 kg/ha depending on variety and spacing adopted. One seed per planting station and at stated spacing plant population would be 40 000 plants per hectare. ❖ Depth of planting: Maize seeds should be planted about 5 cm to 8 cm deep. ❖ Spacing: spacing between rows (inter-row spacing) is 90 cm. Spacing within a row (intra-row Spacing) is 30 cm apart. F) Application of manures ❖ Basal dressing -Adding 2:3:2(22) + 1% Zn at an application rate of 1000kg/ha. The fertilizer is applied with a planter in rows during planting. - Kraal manure is broadcast and dug in 5 weeks before planting at the rate of 30 000kg /ha. ❖ Top dressing Apply LAN (28%) 100kg/ ha 4 weeks after planting. The fertilizer is applied with a planter in rows. 16 G) Prevention and control of common Pests and Diseases Common Pest: Stalk borer Common disease: Maize streak virus REFER TO NOTES ON STALK BORER AND MAIZE STREAK VIRUS H) Prevention and control of weeds 1. Mechanical weed control Control of weeds using physical means such as digging/tillage, cultivation, hoeing, slashing and hand pulling. 2. Cultural weed control Include all the aspects of good crop husbandry to minimise weed interference with crops e.g. mulching, crop rotation, early planting, use of clean seeds etc. 3. Chemical Weed Control The use of herbicides- these are chemicals used to kill weed. Selective Herbicides – these are post-emergence herbicides that kill a specific group of weeds and do not harm other plants. e.g. Duron and 2-4 D herbicides will kill only broadleaf weeds but not maize plants. Non selective herbicides-these are pre- emergence herbicides that kill any plant. They are applied before maize is sown. E.g. Atrazine and glyphosate. I) Recognition of crop maturity For dry grains ❖ leaves are yellow ❖ Husks are dry and papery ❖ Grains are hard ❖ Moisture content is at about 20% J) Harvesting of yield Maize can be grown for fresh cobs or for dry grains. It takes 13 to 15 weeks before the fresh cobs are ready for harvesting and at least 18 weeks before dry cobs can be harvested. De-husking maize cobs is done traditionally by hand and knife, more especially if it is still green. Self-propelled maize combine harvesters are also used for direct harvesting and threshing of maize with husk. 17 It is harvested and stacked for several weeks to hasten the drying out of cobs. When moisture content is at about 12% it can be threshed and stored safely in bags or silo. In good harvests, it may yield 4.8 – 5.5 ton/ha. K) Storage methods- different structures made with different materials are used. Storing maize in a crib on the ground Open-basket storage Bins roofed with brick Metal Silos Bag storage 18 L) Marketing- the following activities are involved in the marketing of maize Harvesting and stocking Transport from the field Temporary storage Drying Husking Shelling and winnowing Storage, sorted and graded Weighing and putting in bags and pricing. Sold to individuals as fresh or dry and local traders through co-operatives and BAMB M) Relevant Legislation 1. Maize (Classification and Grading) Regulations: These regulations apply to maize bought or sold by the Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board (BAMB) starting from the 1974/75 crop season. They cover aspects such as: ❖ Classification and Grading: Maize is categorized into different classes and grades based on quality criteria. ❖ Weevil Maize: Guidelines for handling maize infested with weevils. 2. Control of Goods (Import and Export of Agricultural Products) Regulations: These regulations govern the import and export of agricultural products, including maize. ❖ Agro chemicals act of 1999 provides for registration, licensing, promotion, advertising, labelling and handling of agrochemicals. ❖ All imported germplasm to be registered. ❖ Local production to be protected from imports. ❖ Imported seeds should come with Phyto-pathological report. N) Record keeping To operate a successful and profitable production enterprise a farmer or farm manager must maintain a set of records. A farm Diary: A document in which important events are recorded daily. Some events (data) may later be transferred to other record types. There are two types of records ii) Production records: Production records involve the activities involved in manufacturing or producing goods. They focus on the physical aspects of production. 19 a. Labour use records. b. Machine/tractor use record. c. Water, fertilizer, fuel use record, etc. d. Maize crop records including areas, yields, planting and harvesting times, etc. iii) Financial records. Financial records involve activities related to financial transactions. These may include: a. Profit and loss account b. Sales account c. Income account d. Expenses account 20