When and How to Plant Corn in Northeast China in 2018, with Technical Guidelines for Promoting Growth and Development
Due to the severe drought encountered in Northeast China during the spring planting period recently, corn has shown missing seedlings, broken rows, and uneven seedling sizes. For this reason, the Corn Expert Steering Group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has proposed guidelines for corn growth and development to promote rapid corn growth. So when should corn be planted in Northeast China? How should it be planted?
Planting time:
The sowing time is after Grain Rain (around April 20) and before May 10, and harvest is generally after October 1 and before October 20.
Planting techniques:
1. Hoe and cultivate early to promote development.
Vigorously promote hoeing, cultivation, and intertillage weeding, and ensure early hoeing and early cultivation to reduce competition between weeds and corn for water and nutrients. Especially in replanted and reseeded plots, where conditions permit, deep loosening of the furrow should be carried out immediately after emergence to capture accumulated temperature, loosen the soil, resist drought and preserve soil moisture, enhance corn root activity, and accelerate the growth and development process. For plots that receive rainfall and some low-lying, waterlogged areas with standing water, manpower and machinery should be organized promptly to dredge field ditches and dig seepage ditches to accelerate drainage and soil drying.
2. Strengthen field management and apply topdressing at the right time.
To promptly supplement nutrients, promote corn growth and development, and improve stress resistance, topdressing should be carried out in combination with intertillage at the jointing to small trumpet stage. It should not be too late or excessive, so as to avoid delayed maturity due to excessive vegetative growth or failure to mature. When corn has 6-7 leaves, apply 15-20 kg of urea per mu in combination with hoeing and cultivation, and carry out side-deep topdressing. For some plots with small or weak seedlings, a second topdressing can be carried out at the 9-10 leaf stage in combination with a second intertillage, and foliar topdressing can be carried out where conditions permit. In addition, suitable growth regulators can be sprayed according to growth conditions to promote plant growth and development.
3. Weed promptly and control weed damage.
Because chemical weed control was not effective due to the earlier drought, weed damage may worsen after rain, so weeds should be controlled promptly to prevent weed damage. On the basis of hoeing and cultivation, combine manual and chemical weeding. For corn fields where seedlings are older than the 5-leaf stage, suitable chemicals should be selected to control weeds. This year, corn seedling ages are uneven and the weed population is relatively large, so the dosage should be reasonably determined to improve control effectiveness.
4. Strengthen monitoring and prevent and reduce disasters.
Northeast China is prone to rapid shifts between drought and flooding, so dynamic forecasting and warning of soil moisture and meteorological disasters should be strengthened, plans should be formulated early, and targeted technical measures should be proposed to reduce disaster losses. At the same time, strengthen disease and pest prevention and control. For plots where underground pests are severe due to drought, timely and targeted control measures should be taken. In mid-to-late June, focus on controlling the meadow moth and armyworm, and timely control should be carried out in fields that reach the control threshold. Actively carry out prevention and control of corn borer, northern corn leaf blight, and other diseases and pests in the middle and later stages.