Corn: cultivation technology, features of planting, cultivation and care

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Every one of our compatriots has seen and tasted corn. However, not everyone thinks about how important culture it is. Therefore, tell about it in more detail. We will also dwell briefly on the technology of corn cultivation - it will be very useful for beginner farmers to learn about this.

Economic value of corn

Let's start with the fact that the scope of this valuable cereal is simply huge. Of course, first of all, many will remember the simplest boiled corn. Delicious, satisfying, sweet, it will be a great addition to the diet. Alas, it is usually used for a relatively short time - during harvesting. Overripe corn becomes less tasty, more firm. The problem can be solved by freezing - even after several months of storage in the freezer (if the cobs have not been thawed), the grains retain their original taste.

Maize is also actively used in canning - in this form the product can be storedseveral years.

It is impossible not to say about the preparation of corn flakes, as well as the use of corn flour - in many countries of the world it is actively used for baking the most ordinary bread and tortillas.

However, in our country, first of all, corn is a valuable economic crop used as a food base for animals and birds. It is no coincidence that in Soviet times the technology of growing corn for silage was actively developed - we will talk about this in more detail a little later.

Stems, leaves, young cobs are all rich in carbohydrates, as well as proteins and important micronutrients, including potassium and magnesium. Therefore, silage can be a great help in the cold season, when the diet of cows, pigs and other animals cannot be replenished with fresh grass.

Grains are actively used for fattening poultry before slaughter. A few weeks of feeding corn instead of the usual wheat allows chickens, ducks and turkeys to gain extra weight, making their meat more refined and tender. That is why this culture began to be actively grown in the USSR. The modern technology of corn cultivation is quite simple, which makes it relatively easy to harvest rich crops even in problematic regions (low temperature, poor soils, droughts).

Stigmas are also used - they are actively used in traditional medicine, allowing you to get rid of (or at least reduce the development of) such dangerous diseases as diabetes, hypertension and a number of others.

Therefore, it is worth knowing more about corn for every person who is interested inagriculture.

Suitable predecessors

First of all, you need to choose a suitable place for growing corn. And this applies to both small summer cottages and vast agricultural fields with an area of tens of square kilometers.

Biological features of corn cultivation using grain technology provide for well-lit areas, but at the same time protected from the wind. The lack of sun leads to the fact that the process of photosynthesis is not too active. This means that less carbohydrates are deposited in grains and leaves. Therefore, the cobs turn out to be less sweet, and the leaves and the trunks themselves become not very nutritious. Well, protection from the wind is especially important in the first weeks of growth - strong gusts may well damage the growth. For grown corn stalks, this is no longer so important.

The best predecessors for corn are legumes, as well as most cereals.

Therefore, according to modern technology of corn cultivation for grain and silage, it is recommended to plant it in areas where winter cereals were grown in winter. A good choice can be a field where any legumes were grown - beans, beans, peas. And, of course, you can get a great harvest on the site, which before that "rested" - was under fallow.

In general, corn is not a very picky plant. It is quite possible to grow it as a monoculture for three to four years in a row. However, this is only permissible in areas with intenseirrigation or regular rainfall during the warm season. In addition, in the third year and later, it is very important to apply fertilizers - both mineral and organic. Longer use of monoculture depletes the soil, leading to a sharp decrease in yields.

Also, growing one crop on the site for several years, you should be prepared for possible problems. First of all, this is the possibility of accumulation with the subsequent spread of infections. Most often it is blister smut, helminthosporiasis and a number of other diseases.

Unsuccessful predecessors include sunflower and sugar beets. These crops are very dry soil. And growing sugar beet also absorbs a lot of nutrients, including zinc. On soil poor in this trace element, corn does not grow very well. You can observe the deformation of the ears, a sharp shortening of the internodes, as well as the appearance of pale yellow spots along the veins on the leaves. Of course, the yield drops sharply.

If we are talking about growing a small amount of corn, for example, in the garden, then the neighborhood with peas or beans will be a good combination. Often experienced gardeners throw seeds directly into one hole. This is not at all accidental. On the one hand, fast-growing corn acts as a support for legumes - they cling to the trunk, receiving the necessary support and without causing the slightest harm. On the other hand, legumes have a unique ability to bind atmospheric nitrogen and enrich the soil with it. Therefore, corn receives additional nourishment,and the soil is depleted much weaker.

Tillage

Now that the reader knows about the biological characteristics of corn, it is worth talking about soil cultivation technology.

It is aimed not so much at creating comfortable conditions for growing a valuable crop as at destroying weeds - both annuals and perennials.

In the most neglected areas, it is recommended to carry out double or even triple disking. On ordinary lands, plowing is first carried out - to a depth of about 30 centimeters. Loosening the earth facilitates the rooting and development of a powerful root system, which makes it possible to provide the plant with all the substances necessary for successful growth. If corn is grown in one area for several years, then fertilizers are scattered on the ground before plowing - plowing allows you to mix the soil at the same time, enriching it with nutrients.

Preparation just before planting includes harrowing. It is produced two to three weeks after plowing. To a depth of about 10 centimeters, the earth is additionally turned over with the help of a harrow. This further softens the soil, and at the same time destroys the grown weeds. It is very important to start this stage when the probability of night frosts is already excluded - otherwise the young shoots may die.

Thanks to this preparation, the number of weeds is significantly reduced. About 30 percent of root plants remain, as well as no more than half of annuals. Of course, this allowsget a richer corn crop - by the time the weeds have regained enough strength to grow, the useful crop will already be powerful and strong enough to crush them or at least drastically reduce the rate of development.

After plowing and harrowing, the field should be as flat as possible, there should be a minimum amount of large clods of earth.

Sowing

When growing corn in a small area - for example, in a country house or garden - there are no special problems when sowing. Usually they are simply sown one or two grains per hole. It is much more difficult to make correct calculations when sowing fields.

In this case, an indicator of 10-25 kilograms per hectare is considered optimal. This largely depends on climatic conditions, when it is necessary to control the density of crops.

For example, if sowing is carried out in a dry area, then the optimal indicator is from 20 to 25 thousand plants per hectare. The steppe regions, where it rains infrequently, but falls, allow growing almost twice as many plants - up to 40 thousand. The areas of central Russia with regular rainfall provide an even better harvest, making it possible to grow from 40 to 50 thousand plants per hectare. The best climate is warm, with abundant rainfall. For example, the technology of corn cultivation in the Krasnodar Territory provides for an even denser planting - from 50 to 55 thousand.

The standard planting depth is considered to be 5-7 centimeters. However, in dry regions with rare rainfall, it makes sense to double it in order toavoid drying out.

Untreated seeds are planted in open ground in most regions - this is not a necessary condition for a rich harvest.

Alas, in many regions of our country, characterized by a harsh climate, it is possible to harvest only when using seedlings. In this case, the seeds are first germinated in warm conditions - greenhouses or residential premises - and only after that they are planted in the ground. Of course, in this case, we are not talking about growing corn on an industrial scale - only in small volumes, in a country house or garden.

The optimal soil temperature is considered to be about 10-12 degrees Celsius. However, today you can find more frost-resistant varieties that can easily withstand a drop in ground temperature to +8 degrees. Low temperatures can cause serious damage and destroy most of the plants.

Crop care

If there is regular rainfall at least once a week, you can do without watering. Otherwise, irrigation is mandatory for at least the first 4-6 weeks, until the corn has a strong root system and can not get moisture from the ground.

Also an important stage of care is the timely cleaning of corn from weeds. This is usually done by harrowing. Yes, in this case, some of the plants die - this must be taken into account when calculating before sowing. Up to 10% of stems with two or three leaves perish. Older adults usually tolerate harrowing easily, while mostweeds (up to 80 percent!) perish. This gives corn a serious head start and, thanks to its high planting height and density, confidently stifles weeds, not allowing them to receive enough sunlight and moisture.

Some gardeners also recommend carefully removing side shoots so as not to damage the main stem so that they do not pull some of the nutrients onto themselves. Then the number of cobs and their size increases, which positively affects the yield.

Utilization of fertilizers

The use of fertilizers is especially important on weak and depleted soils. Therefore, special attention is paid to the technology of corn cultivation in the Republic of Belarus. The value of this culture cannot be overestimated - the methods of application have already been mentioned above.

Manure is considered the best fertilizer - it is easily processed by microorganisms living in the soil, and provides the plant with all the necessary elements. However, its use often leads to a sharp increase in the number of weeds, the seeds of which are introduced into the soil along with manure. Because of this, many experts recommend using compost made from recycled manure and grass. It also contains most of the important components, but weed seeds are either damaged during decay or killed due to high temperatures. This is especially important with the intensive technology of corn cultivation for grain.

If the crop is to be used as silage, it is very important to use urea - this increases the amount of proteins in the grains and stems.

Important is andapplication of mineral fertilizers. For one ton of grain, it is recommended to add about 24 kilograms of nitrogen, 25 kilograms of potassium and 9 phosphorus. Thanks to these substances, plants get a good start - the root system develops faster, the green mass increases, as does the number of grains on the cob.

Harvesting

An important step is the harvest. After all, the technology of cultivating and harvesting corn is a real science.

The optimal period is when about 70 percent of the cobs have reached wax maturity. Further storage is possible both on the cob and in the grain. In the first case, the optimal condition for harvesting is about 40 percent moisture, and in the second - no more than 32.

Slightly unripe, more moist grains are removed for eating and preservation - they are the most soft, juicy and sweet. Overripe cobs become less soft, and some of the sugar turns into starch, which increases the shelf life, but the taste is significantly reduced.

If it is planned to use not only cobs, but also stems with foliage for subsequent ensiling, they can be used immediately. It will be useful to describe this difficult procedure in more detail.

Ensiling

Silage is an essential addition to the diet of many herbivores. It not only contains a large amount of carbohydrates and proteins, but also a number of important vitamins and microelements. Animals on such food gain weight much faster than onusing ordinary hay, even the highest quality. Therefore, it will be useful for every person interested in this issue to know about the technology of growing corn for silage and the intricacies of silage.

The right time to collect the stems along with the foliage is the end of the milky-waxy maturity. At this point, the moisture content of the corn is approximately 65-70 percent. This indicator is considered optimal.

The harvested greens are carefully crushed on special equipment and put into special silo pits or large-volume plastic bags sold today. If necessary, greens are mixed with s alt - for example, if you plan to add ready-made silage to the diet of cows. At the same time, s alt acts as an excellent preservative, increasing the shelf life of a valuable product.

When using silo pits, the greens are covered with earth, and the bags are simply tied to exclude the possibility of air entering. Thanks to this, the crushed corn does not dry out, and the fermentation process starts. This procurement procedure was practiced in the USSR. The modern technology of corn cultivation and ensiling has not changed a bit.

Immediately it is worth considering that fermentation is accompanied by the release of an unpleasant odor, so it is clearly not worth carrying out the process near the house.

After a month or two after harvesting, ready-made silage can be used as an important food supplement for animals. It can either completely replace hay, due to its greater juiciness and calorie content, or become a good addition to it.

Storing cobs in the household

However, not all gardeners grow tens of square kilometers of corn, which is then harvested or used as silage. How to keep a valuable product in the household?

It's pretty easy to make. Ripe cobs are removed from corn and exposed. The stigmas are discarded or used in home treatment. At the same time, the leaves are not removed, but left - thanks to them, you can easily tie several dozen cobs into a kind of pigtail or simply tie the leaves around a cord or a horizontal stick. In this state, they are hung in a cool, well-ventilated place. The lack of moisture allows the product to be stored for several years. Its palatability cannot be called high, but it is quite possible to use it as a valuable fodder crop, for example, for fattening poultry.

Conclusion

This concludes our article. Now you know the many ins and outs of growing and harvesting corn. So, if necessary, you can easily translate all theoretical knowledge into practice.