What are the corn planting methods? This kind surprisingly doesn't grow ears

Corn is one of the most important food crops in the world, with about one-third of the world's population using it as a staple food, and it is also an indispensable feed for livestock, poultry and fish. So, what are the corn planting methods? Here we introduce them to you.

1. What are the corn planting methods?

1. Soil: Corn is not very strict about soil requirements; loose soil, deep soil, and chernozem, chestnut soil and sandy loam rich in organic matter, with a pH value in the range of 6-8, can all be used for planting.

2. Temperature: Corn is a warm-loving crop; seed germination requires 6-10°C, the optimum germination temperature is 28-35°C, the seedling stage can tolerate short-term low temperatures of -2 to -3°C, the jointing stage requires 15-27°C, the flowering stage requires 25-26°C, and the grain-filling stage requires 20-24°C; early-maturing varieties require an accumulated temperature of 2000-2200°C, medium-maturing varieties 2300-2600°C, and late-maturing varieties 2500-2800 (3000)°C.

3. Light: Corn is a short-day plant and can flower and set seed under short-day (8-10 hours) conditions. According to research, corn develops quickly under short-wavelength light such as blue light during the day, while in the morning or evening it develops quickly under long-wavelength light such as red light.

4. Water: Corn has a relatively high water requirement; the optimum rainfall during the growing period is 410—640mm. Areas with less than 150mm in summer are not suitable for planting corn; excessive rainfall, however, affects light, increases diseases, lodging and weed damage, and also affects the improvement of corn yield and quality.

5. Fertilization: Before sowing, apply 2000-3000kg of high-quality farmyard manure per mu as base fertilizer; at sowing, apply 4-5kg/mu of ammonium sulfate, 15-20kg/mu of superphosphate, and 2-3kg/mu of chloride fertilizer; during the jointing, booting, tasseling and flowering-grain-filling stages, apply nitrogen fertilizer as a top dressing, with a total nitrogen application of 10-20kg/mu over the whole growth period.

6. Diseases and pests: The main diseases include leaf spot, head smut, smut, black-streaked dwarf disease, and bacterial wilt, while pests include armyworm, corn borer, mole cricket, cutworm, and white grub. Attention should be paid to selecting disease-resistant varieties, strengthening cultivation management, rational crop rotation, and chemical control measures for timely prevention and control.

2. This kind of “corn” doesn't grow cobs!

This corn that doesn't grow cobs is Mexican corn grass (Pennisetum purpureum x Pennisetum glaucum, also known as king grass or Mexican grass), native to Mexico, the Caribbean islands and Argentina. China introduced it from Japan in 1979, and it is currently planted in many provinces such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan and Sichuan; its stems and leaves are sweet, crisp, tender and juicy, with excellent palatability. Cattle, sheep, pigs, rabbits, geese and others all like to eat it, and it is also the first-choice forage grass for herbivorous fish, with a high digestion and conversion rate, and its benefits are many times higher than those of corn with cobs.

The plant of Mexican corn grass is very similar to corn, but its tillering is much stronger than that of corn, with each plant able to produce more than 20 tillers, and some up to 60-70 tillers; it has strong regrowth ability, entering a rapid growth period 30 days after sowing, and beginning to be harvested 45 days after sowing, after which it can be cut again every 20 days, and can be cut 8-10 times over the whole growth period. With proper management, it can produce 10,000-30,000 kg of green forage per mu; it has stronger adaptability to harsh environments, tolerating heat, drought, salinity, alkalinity and poor soil. It can be planted in any area where corn can be grown, and in southern regions it can be sown in all four seasons.

The above is an introduction to the corn planting methods and the cobless Mexican corn grass, and we hope it is useful to you.