Being non-tillering crop, optimum plant population can be achieved if suitable crop establishment techniques like method of sowing, sowing time, seed rate, seed treatment, crop geometry etc., are followed. Weeds can be managed well either by two hoeings 15–30 days after sowing or herbicides like atrataf 50 WP (atrazine) at 2 kg/ha on medium to heavy textured soils and 1.25 kg/ha in light soils within 10 days of sowing, using 500 litres as pre-emergence or spray 262.5 ml/acre laudis 420 SC (tembotrione) in 375 litres of water at 20 days after sowing. Integrated nutrient management strategy renders use of farm yard manure at 10–15 t/ha, Paddy straw compost at 450 kg/ha or synthetic fertilizers at 120 kg N, 60 kg P2O5 and 40 kg K2O per hectare for hybrids and 80 kg N, 30 kg P2O5 and 20 kg K2O per hectare for composites. Integrated pest management approach emphasizes on use of physical, chemical or biological measures for the control of insect-pests. Maize borer can be controlled by spraying coragen 18.5 SC at 75 ml using 150 litres water/ha. Drying of maize produce can be done sun drying, smoking or air drying for fetching better market price.
Maize is known as the Queen of Cereals’ due to its’ demand and wider adaptability. It is the second most important cereal crop in the world in terms of acreage and production. Global production of Maize was about 1040 million MT in the year 2016–2017, where in USA and China contributed about 38 and 23%, respectively. In India, maize is the 3rd most important food crop after rice and wheat, where about 15 million farmers are engaged in maize cultivation. In India, Andhra Pradesh ranks first in maize production followed by Karnataka with per cent share of 20.9 and 16.5, respectively . It has a share of 9% in about Rs. 100 billion agriculture sector gross domestic product . Maize can be cultivated successfully in loamy sand to heavy clay, well aerated, neutral pH soils. As of tropical origin, it is highly sensitive to water stagnation, so avoid the cultivation in low-lying or poor drainage fields. Furthermore, extended low temperature less 5°C severally affects the crop. Optimum range of temperature for better crop growth and yield realization is 25–35°C . Being day neutral, maize crop can be cultivated throughout the year which leads to high yield levels in a short period of time. In this chapter, we are going to discuss an array of different production technologies to be followed by farmers for successful cultivation and better realization of yields. A brief outline of the chapter is given below.
Maize crop can be cultivated without any primary tillage under no-till with decreased cost of cultivation and better resource use efficiency. In this situation, maintenance of proper soil moisture at sowing and band placement of seed and fertilizers with zero-till seed-cum-fertilizer planter with furrow opener as per the soil texture and field conditions is pre-requisite. The technology is followed by large number of farmers especially under rice-maize and maize-wheat systems in peninssular and eastern India. If the field is infested with weeds, farmers can go for foliar spray of gramoxone 24 SL (paraquat) @ 1250 ml/ha about 24 hours before planting of maize crop.
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