SS 1 Third Term Agricultural Science Lesson Note – Husbandry of Selected Crops: Maize

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CLASS: SS 1

TOPIC: Husbandry of Selected Crops

CONTENT: 1. Cereal-Maize

2. Legume-Cowpea
3. Root & Tuber-Yam

SUB TOPIC 1: Maize: Zea mays

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

Maize belongs to the family GRAMINEAE which originated from America and has become one of the main food crops in West Africa. It is used in various forms as food by man and it’s also used as livestock feeds. It is a monocotyledonous annual plant which reaches a height of about 1m to 3m. The stem is soft and is divided into several internodes by the nodes. The leaves are long, flat with midribs and parallel veins. The plant is shallow rooted and has adventitious roots underground. Some of the adventitious root also develops at the lower internodes of the stem above the ground. These are called prop root. Maize has both the male and female flowers on the same plant. The male (tassels) are borne in the terminal pinnacle while the female flowers are borne in the combs or ears. The fruit is one seeded.

VARIETIES OF MAIZE: Some varieties of maize are: flint, floury, dent, yellow (TZRS),

White Maize (Ferz 27) and hybrid maize such as 8434-11

METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Maize is propagated by seed (sexual)

CLIMATIC AND SOIL REQUIREMENT: It requires a temperature of about 10ºC and 46ºC. Annual rainfall is 750-1500mm. It requires loamy soil which is neutral or alkaline. However, maize will grow in all soil except pure sand.

LAND PREPARATION AND PLANTING: The land should be cleared manually or mechanically. At times, low ridges, mounds or beds are prepared. Planting on flat soil is also good provided the place is free from erosion. In the South, it is planted in the late February to April for early maize and August for late maize. In the North, it is planted in June. However, maize can be planted anytime of the year if water is available. The depth should be 5cm deep.

PLANTING DISTANCE AND SEED RATE: Maize is planted 90 x 40 cm at 2 seeds per stand or 75 x 25 cm at 1 seed per stand. 20-25kg of seed is required per hectare planted at 2 seed per stand.

SUPPLYING/THINNING: Supplying should be done to fill un-germinated seeds while the excess germinated seeds should be thinned to two plants per stand.

MANURE AND FERTILIZER APPLICATION: Planting in freshly cleared forest soil may not require fertilizers. On a used land, apply 15:15:15 NPK at planting, then Sulphate of Ammonia four weeks after planting.

WEED CONTROL: Maize plot is weeded clean within

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