Sow early maize in trenches for higher grain yield and easy irrigation

摘要

The recommended sowing time for maize during kharif season is from end May to end June. The crop sown in the last week of May and first fortnight of June is exposed to hot and dry weather conditions, thus, requiring frequent irrigations for ensuringoptimum plant stand and better early growth. The crop sown in flat beds requires more irrigation water and takes more time for irrigation. Evaporation losses are also more because of greater exposed area. Results of the various experiments conducted on sowing methods revealed that trench sowing gave higher grain yield than flat sowing and crop sown on the ridges (Table 1). Recommendation has been made during kharif 2000 to sow maize in trenches from end-May to mid-June during the hot and dry weather conditions to achieve good plant stand and higher grain yield with minimum quantity of water, Root lodging is also considerably reduced 'with this method (Table 1).