Fodder Maize - Organic Farming in Tamil Nadu
About Fodder Maize:
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Maize is an important kharif fodder crop which gives highly succulent and nutritionally rich fodder.
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Maize grain is also an important feed component of dairy cattle and poultry feed.
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Maize is a rich source of starch, protein and edible oil.
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Maize produces good quality herbaceous fodder with high palatability.
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Hence by providing sufficient quantities of fodder instead of costly concentrates and feeds to the milch animals, the cost of milk production can considerably be reduced.
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Optimal growth conditions are 18-21°C average day-temperatures, annual rainfalls of more than 750 mm, and deep, well-drained rich soils.
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However, maize withstands annual rainfalls ranging from 230 to 4100 mm, a pH between 4.3 and 8.7, and a great variety of soils.
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Frost kills the plants.
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Drought is detrimental at flowering as it affects pollination and impairs yields.
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Maize has no tolerance to flooding.
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Fodder Maize - Method and time of sowing
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Maize requires very fertile, well drained loamy soils having pH range of 5.5 to 8.0.
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The crop grows best on alluvial or red soils but can also by grown on well drained black soils.
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It does not thrive well on heavy soils, saline and alkali soils.
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After preparing a fine seed bed the crop must be sown in lines (20-30 cm apart) by using seed drill or maize planter or by kera on para method.
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Sowing time varies from place to place.
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Maize has bold seed size.
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It requires 50-60 kg seeds depending upon size.
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Seed should be sown in lines spaced at 30 cm.
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For summer sowing in irrigated areas, last week of February to last week of March-April is the appropriate time.
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Rainy season crop is sown with the beginning of rains in June-July.
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Rabi crop is sown in October-November particularly in eastern and southern parts of the country.
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In hills sowing is taken up in May.
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Water Management for Fodder Maize:
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Irrigate immediately after sowing and give life irrigation on the third day and thereafter once in 10 days.
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The maize crop is comparatively more to sensitive to excess moist and stress.
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It requires 5-6 irrigation at 10-12 days interval during summer season
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Requires 3-4 irrigation at 10-12 days during Rabi
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And 1-2 during rainy season when rainfall interval exceeds 12 days.
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How to fertilize Fodder Maize:
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Maize responds well to the application farm yard manure and compost.
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Apply 10 tons’ farm yard manure or compost per acre one fortnight before sowing.
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In the absence of farm yard manure, it requires 110 kg urea per acre.
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In addition to this in two split doses. Half of the urea should be applied at the time of sowing and remaining half 25-30 days after sowing.
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Weeding for Fodder Maize - after 30 days
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Weeding has to be done in the fodder maize farm as weeds rob your plants of the benefits of the fertilise you apply.
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Hence after 30 days, weeding has to be done for the plants.
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If necessary, second spell of weeding can be done after 45 days
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After that, fodder maize will grow very fast and densely.
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Fodder Maize after 50 days of planting
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Fodder Maize will become robust, tufted and has a vigorous root system, developing from nodes of its creeping stolons.
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Fodder Maize by this time would have grown up to 6 feets in height.
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They will form dense thick clumps, up to 1 m across.
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The leaves will be flat, linear, and hairy at the base, 100 cm to 120 cm long, 1 cm to 5 cm wide and bluish-green in color.
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Fodder Maize after 70 days of planting
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Fodder Maize is very palatable because the stalks are tender
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It has a wide range of adaptability so that many farmers can benefit from it.
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Harvesting is done at intervals of 60 to 70 days.
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The first harvest, however, is made three months from planting.
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Then succeeding harvests are every 60 to 70 days.
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The stalks are cut close to the ground, and in no time, new shoots or ratoon will come out.
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How to harvest Fodder Maize
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The crop is ready for harvest at silk stage for fodder purpose, which continues up to milk stage.
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The early harvesting though produce good quality fodder but yield is reduced.
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In case of late harvesting, the fodder quality is impaired
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Maize yields around 160-200 quintals of green fodder per acre during rainy season and 100-120 quintals of fodder per acre during summer season.
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Palatability increases as hard stems when fermented into silage become soft and better utilized by the dairy animals.
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