Tillage and crop establishment:

Tillage and crop establishment is the key for achieving the optimum plant stand that is the main driver of the crop yield. Though the crop establishment is a series of events (seeding, germination, emergence and final establishment) that depends on interactions of seed, seedling depth, soil moisture, method of sowing, machinery etc but, the method of planting plays a vital role for better establishment of crop under a set of growing situation. Maize is mainly sown directly through seed by using different methods of tillage & establishment but during winters where fields are not remain vacant in time (till November), transplanting can be done successfully by raising the nursery. However, the sowing method (establishment) mainly depends on several factors viz the complex interaction over time of seeding, soil, climate, biotic, machinery and management season, cropping system, etc. Recently, resource conservation technologies (RCTs) that include several practices viz. zero tillage, minimum tillage, surface seeding etc. had came in practice in various maize based cropping system and these are cost effective and environment friendly. Therefore it is very important that different situations require different sowing methods for achieving higher yield as described below:

(i) Raised bed (ridge) planting: Generally the raised bed planting is considered as best planting method for maize during monsoon and winter seasons both under excess moisture as well as limited water availability/rainfed conditions. Sowing/planting should be done on the southern side of the east-west ridges/beds, which helps in good germination. Planting should be done at proper spacing. Preferably, the raised bed planter having inclined plate, cupping or roller type seed metering systems should be used for planting that facilitates in placement of seed and fertilizers at proper place in one operation that helps in getting good crop stand, higher productivity and resource use efficiency. Using raised bed planting technology, 20-30 % irrigation water can be saved with higher productivity. Moreover, under temporary excess soil moisture/water logging due to heavy rains, the furrows will act as drainage channels and crop can be saved from excess soil moisture stress. For realizing the full potential of the bed planting technology, permanent beds are advisable wherein sowing can be done in a single pass without any preparatory tillage. Permanent beds are more beneficial under excess soil moisture situations as the infiltration rate is much higher and crop can be saved from the temporary water logging injury.

(ii) Zero-till planting: Maize can be successfully grown without any primary tillage under no-till situation with less cost of cultivation, higher farm profitability and better resource use efficiency. Under such condition one should ensure good soil moisture at sowing and seed and fertilizers should be placed in band using zero-till seed-cum-fertilizer planter with furrow opener as per the soil texture and field conditions. The technology is in place with large number of farmers particularly under rice-maize and maize-wheat systems in peninsular and eastern India. However, use of appropriate planter having suitable furrow opener and seed metering system is the key of success of the no-till technology.

(iii) Conventional till flat planting: Under heavy weed infestation where chemical/herbicidal weed management is uneconomical in no-till and also for rainfed areas where survival of crop depends on conserved soil moisture, in such situations flat planting can be done using seed-cum-fertilizer planters.

(iv) Furrow planting: To prevent evaporative losses of water during spring season from the soil under flat as well as raised bed planting is higher and hence crop suffers due to moisture stress. Under such situation/condition, it is always advisable to grow maize in furrows for proper growth, seed setting and higher productivity.

(v) Transplanting: Under intensive cropping systems where it is not possible to vacate the field on time for planting of winter maize, the chances of delayed planting exists and due to delay planting crop establishment is a problem due to low temperature so under such conditions transplanting is an alternative and well established technique for winter maize. Therefore, for the situation where fields are vacated during December-January, it is advisable to grow nursery and transplant the seedlings in furrows and apply irrigation for optimum crop establishment. Use of this technique helps in maintenance of temporal isolation in corn seed production areas for production of pure and good quality seed as well as quality protein maize grain. For planting of one hectare, 700 m² nursery area is required and the nursery should be raised during second fortnight of November. The age of seedlings for transplanting should be 30-40 days old (depending on the growth) and transplant in the month of December-January in furrows to obtain higher productivity.