SUCCESS STORY OF BABY CORN HYBRID HM4

Baby corn plays a significant role in ensuring livelihood security and augmenting income level of farmers in peri-urban areas. Maize hybrid HM 4 (Fig. 33) possess all the desirable traits of an ideal baby corn. Its cultivation is gaining momentum not only in national capital region but also in peri-urban interface of other states in India. This single cross hybrid has an attractive creamish to light yellow colour with desirable size of 6.0 to 11.0 cm in length and 1.0 to 1.5 cm in diameter with regular row arrangement. It is highly nutritive and sweet in taste. It has most desirable medium height plant type. It is lodging resistant, prolific and responsive to high dose of fertilizers. Plant remains green even after picking of baby corn. Three to four pickings are common. Green plants also provide quality fodder to livestock. It is also suitable for intercropping with vegetables, pulses, flowers, etc. to get additional income from the same resources.

Farmers of "Aterna" village in Sonipat district of Haryana started baby corn cultivation during 1997. Initially farmers were using the seed of private sector hybrids costing Rs.160-200/-kg

Farmers had to invest heavily on seed input due to higher seed rate(20 kg/acre) and costly seed. Inspite of this fact, farmers continued cultivation of baby corn due to commercial value and high income in short period. An innovative farmer Shri Kanwal Singh Chauhan of this village came to know about new baby corn hybrid HM 4 from the breeder of this hybrid, Dr. Sain Dass at Regional Research Station, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University, Uchani, Karnal.

He obtained seed of HM- 4 and introduced this in his village for baby corn cultivation. He obtained seed at very cheap rate i.e. around RS.50/- per kg of seed. Seed rate of this hybrid is low (8-10 kg/acre). Therefore, cost of cultivation was reduced. Produce of baby corn was brought in Azadpur Mandi, Delhi. Its demand increased due to desirable colour, size and taste of this hybrid. He invested less than Rs.10,000/- per acre and earned more than Rs.30,000/- per acre within 60 days of crop duration. He started growing HM- 4 round the year. His neighbours also adopted this hybrid. Haryana Seed Development Corporation (HSDC) is producing seed of this hybrid and making seed available to the farmers.

Every farmer in this village is cultivating baby corn and well experienced about advantages of HM 4 hybrid. It proved boon for the farmers of Aterna village. Socio-economic condition of the villagers significantly improved. Every farm family has own pucca house, land, vehicles and other facilities.

Farmers of this village are also producing truthful seed of HM 4 hybrid (Fig. 34). They are fulfilling seed requirement of HM 4 of neighbouring villages as well as farmers of different parts of the country.

Field visit of baby corn hybrid HM 4 was organised (Fig. 35) in this village.

Training programmes on seed production, cultivation and value addition of baby corn were also organized by the Directorate of Maize Research, New Delhi. Farm women are keenly interested in recipes of baby corn. Trained farm women are preparing recipes viz. pickle, murbaba, pakora, soup, chutney, Manchurian, vegetables, kheer, burfy, laddoo, etc. in the village (Fig. 36, 37). Baby corn hybrid HM 4 and its value added products were also displayed in exhibitions (Fig 38, 39) organised in different parts of the country. Visitors were interested and expressed satisfaction over quality of HM 4 hybrid and its products.