Preparation and nutrition required to boost maize yields
Maize is going to be an attractive crop to plant this year, due to its low input requirements and high feed value.
Plan ahead to get the crop off to the best start by ensuring maize is supplied with the right nutrition within a tight window.
Current market conditions present maize growers with the perfect opportunity to produce a high value cash crop.
However, to make sure this is seen in the clamp come autumn, growers can’t rest on their laurels and need to ensure they drill in the right conditions and feed the crop at the right time.
Maize is a deep-rooting plant, so it needs the best possible seedbed to effectively establish its roots.
To give the crop the best chance of early establishment, it is important to ensure the seed is placed in moist soil and drilling depth needs to be adjusted accordingly.
When drilling maize, the soil temperature should be 10˚C at 10cm deep, to provide a warm environment for the seeds to thrive maize can be drilled into the soil at a depth ranging from 25mm to 100mm.
Those with drier soils should aim to drill deeper, whereas wetter soils can afford to be drilled closer to the surface.
To continue to encourage growth in the first few weeks, it is important to assess the necessary inputs needed for the crop to flourish.
David Newton, technical manager at Timac Agro UK
