Maize (Zea mays) production

Area under crop:

The land has to be cleared and tilled before the rainy season starts and the maize should be planted immediately after the land is prepared. If this is not done, weeds may grow fast and compete with the maize for nutrients and sunlight. An estimated 2-3 milllion hectares are currently under maize in  Nigeria and its cultivation in the savannah continues to increase.

Seed:

Improved maize seed variety can be gotten from IITA. Seeds can also be gotten from other agricultural based stores

Climatic and Soil requirements:

Maize thrives well in soil that is deep, loose fresh, fairly light, well drained, fer­tile and rich in organic matter. The texture of the soil should be intermediate such as sandy, sandy-loam to sandy-clay loam. The surface of the soil (plot of land) should be flat or with a gentle slope of no more than 12 percent so as to facilitate low set-up costs.

Varieties of Maize:

There are different varieties of maize in the world today and the type you choose to produce will depend on consumer preferences and market demand in your area. In some localities, white corn is more popular than the yellow variety. In some other areas, it is vice-versa. However, the best maize varieties grow fast, are high yielding, mature earlier than the local varieties and are resistant to major pests and diseases. There are now some hybrid varieties that use much less water and can often survive in drought-prone areas. There are also late-maturing and early-maturing varieties of maize. Late-maturing varieties mature in 110-120 days and are good for zones with a long rainy season. Early-maturing varieties mature in 90-100 days and can be planted after a late-maturing variety in zones with two seasons of rainfall. There are also extra-early varieties which mature in 80-90 days. These can be planted in zones with very short rainy season (usually 2-3 months long).

Recommended maize varieties for different Agro-ecological zones.

Cultural practices/Planting method:

Seed at 25kg/ha of grain to achieve 54,000 plants/ha (75cmx25cm) for one plant per stand or 90x40cm for 2 plants per stand. In the southern guinea savannah and forest zones where the rainy season is long enough for two crop, plant in March/April for the first early crop and in August for the second or late crop. Unlike the Northern Guinea Savanna, sudan and sahel zones where only one crop is possible, plant as soon as the rain are established. Planting depth depends on the moisture level of the soil where depth for 2-3 cm is adequate for moist soil and 5-10 cm is recommended for dry planting. Deep seed placement under dry planting is recommended so that seed germinate only after adequate rains have fallen. However, the depth of planting should be uniform to allow uniform plant growth.

Nutrient deficiency symptoms:

Nitrogen deficiency- leaves turns yellow

Phosphorus deficiency- leaves turn purplish during early growth.

Potassium deficiency- leaves turns yellow or yellowish green streaks on leaves.

Magnesium deficiency- a general loss of green colour which starts at the bottom leaves and later moves up to the stalk.

Zinc deficiency- Pale yellow leaf base, light yellow streak of the leaves between the veins, stunting and delayed maturity.

Fertilizer recommendation for maize base on soil test

Weed control:

Begin thinning out when three to four leaves appear, around 15 days after germination. Remove surplus and weaker plants in order to obtain consistent density (one to two plants per seed hole, after thinning).  Regular thinning is required to produce a good yield. It can be done manually or chemically, using a selective herbicide.

Remove any weeds, especially during the vegetative phase of cultivation. Two to three hoeing sessions will be required: the first during thinning; the second when applying the urea; and the third just before the harvest, if the plot has a lot of weeds. If using herbicides, apply a pre-emergence herbicide such as Primextra + atra­zine just after sowing and before the emergence of the maize seedling.

Harvesting:

The amount of maize that can be harvested (per hectare) depends on the variety you planted, amount of rainfall, sunshine and the level of weed, pest and disease control management that was applied. Although Africa has some of the lowest maize yields in the world, it is not uncommon to expect between 11-15 tonnes per hectare.

Marketing:

Human beings

Africans directly consume about 30 percent of all maize that is produced worldwide. Unlike in developed countries where a major portion of maize produced is used for animal feed, maize is a significant part of diets in Africa. Eastern and Southern Africa use 85% of harvested maize as food, while Africa as a whole uses 95%, compared to other world regions that use most of their maize as animal feed. It is expected that the demand for maize as human food will grow in step with Africa’s population as Africa has one of the fastest growing populations in the world with an annual population growth rate of nearly 3 per cent over the last 20 years.

Animal Feed Producers

Maize is a favorite raw material for animal feed. It is cheaper than many of the other feed alternatives and provides the required nutritional content for livestock. As a result, over 60 percent of maize produced worldwide is used in feed production.

Industrial consumers

Some of the biggest industrial buyers of maize are food producers and breweries. International food processing giants like Nestle and Kelloggs (just to mention a few) purchase a lot of maize to produce some of the famous cereal-based breakfast brands like Cornflakes. Breweries also use maize as a major raw material for beer production. Africans consume millions of litres of beer every year and this volume is expected to rise significantly due to population growth and economic prosperity. The more beer is produced, the more maize that will be purchased by brewers across the continent to produce beer.