Corn - the real "queen of the fields" - one of the most common cereals, cultivated throughout the world. Easily adapts to any climate, high-yielding, but - with good care after sowing.
A man takes literally everything from corn and uses it in various spheres of life - cobs, corn silk, stalks and leaves. This is not only a very useful food product, the basis for the production of medicines, but also a huge forage base for livestock( grains go to feed poultry, pigs, and the stems - to the production of silage).
Vegetables are planted in Russia and Ukraine, the main thing is to comply with the technology of sowing, and to care after shoots appear properly.
Table of Contents.In addition, it is so “domesticated" by man that it does not occur in wild form( it is not able to shower seeds and germinate on its own).Consequently, to obtain high yields for corn, meticulous care is needed, and it must be started from the seed base.
The quality of seeds primarily affects the yield of maize. Maize seeds require some preparatory measures before planting in the soil.
- First, specialized farms are engaged in growing cereal for seeds. They are also working on the breeding of new hybrid varieties; they are striving for continuous improvement of the seed base.
- Secondly, other specialized farms are engaged in special preparation of seeds for sowing .For this, the grains are separated from the cobs, cleaned and sorted strictly according to the varieties. Then the seeds are dried and pickled - treated with special fungicidal preparations that protect the grain from fungal and other bactericidal diseases. Etching protects not only the seeds, but also the seedlings from pathogens in the soil, taking into account the time of sowing.
- Third, the is required to calibrate the corn seed, i.e.their division into fractions by size. This ensures an accurate calculation of the seeding rate per 1 ha and uniformity of sowing.
- Fourth, before sowing, is used for air-thermal heating of seed seeds, which increases the rate of crop germination, the survival of sprouts in the early stages.
The best precursors for maize
To increase the yield of any crop, the crop rotation plays an important role.annual alternation of crops on the same area of sowing.
For corn, the most favorable precursors are potatoes, legumes and winter wheat. Good yield gives our grass after alfalfa on steam areas.
Maize yields good yields in the steam fields where alfalfa has grown. If the acidity of the soil does not exceed the norm - from 5.5 to 7 pH, systematic introduction of correctly selected fertilizers, corn can be sown as a monoculture, i.e. several years in a row on the same acreage of .
Seeding
culture Since corn is a heat-loving plant, it can be sown after heating the soil at 8-12 degrees at a depth of about 10 cm.
Depending on the climatic conditions of the area, this happens approximately from early to mid-May .Depth of seeding into the soil is 5-6 cm, in arid areas - up to 8 cm.
Density
Planting density depends on the natural conditions of the growing area, purpose( grain or silage), corn variety( early or late), maximum height of mature plants.
Planting density ranges from 50,000 to 120,000 seeds per hectare. Taking into account all the parameters, planting density is calculated or selected individually so that each plant receives a sufficient amount of moisture, light, and nutrients. It can vary from 50,000 to 120,000 seeds / ha of .
For example, the thickness of the early ripened varieties in the steppe zone should be an average of 60 thousand per hectare, approximately 40-45 plants per 10 meters with a row spacing of 0.7 m.
Norm of sowing of seeds per 1 ha per kg
Seeding rate, alsoas well as density, it depends on a number of indicators: the growing area, the direction of use of the crop, the sowing method, the size of the planting seeds, the individual characteristics of the hybrids.
seed consumption ranges from 15 to 25 kg per hectare of .
The need for thinning seedlings
Usually corn fields are sown with the help of special pneumatic seed drills. They provide a “dashed” method for planting seeds into the soil while maintaining the exact distance between the seeds in a row and between rows.
Corn is sowed with the help of pneumatic seed drills. Thus, the right amount of seeds is planted immediately at a specified distance from each other. Thinning seedlings is not required and does not make sense .
Cultivation technology
The process of growing corn cereals is quite simple, includes several basic steps:
- tillage before sowing - autumn plowing the field to a depth of 25-30 cm , at the same time, it is possible to apply herbicides against perennial weeds;
- autumn cultivation with fertilization;
- spring soil preparation using the method of harrowing - early( with large weeds clogging the soil) and pre-sowing cultivation( to a depth of sowing of seeds - 6-8cm), application of complex fertilizers;
- seed preparation for sowing;
- sowing corn subject to the timing and compliance with the norms and depth of sowing;
- pre- and post-harvest harrowing to destroy weeds and loosening the soil ;
- harvesting( in the earlier periods, corn is harvested for silage, and when the grain moisture content is 35-40%, the grain is harvested).
Harrowing should be carried out before and after the emergence of corn seedlings. The high yield and high demand for make the crop attractive for cultivation. In the countries of the world, 20% of the whole grain is used in the food industry, the same amount in technical production, more than 60% goes to feed.
The ability to adapt to different weather conditions made it possible for breeders to create many hybrid varieties. Any farmer will be able to pick up hybrids that best suit this climate, and grow a great harvest.
