Maize Production Case Study

PART 1.

MAIZE PRODUCTION

1. HISTORY AND BACKROUND

While land plants have existed on earth for nearly 500 million years, maize in the form that we are accustomed to today has only existed for approximately 6000 years. Scientists believe that maize is derived from an earlier ancestral plant called teosinte. Maize was domesticated in Mesoamerica, in the region that is now Mexico. Because it was nutritious, easy to store and carry, adapted to diverse growing conditions and provided food and fuel, maize became a staple food for most American and Caribbean cultures. After Europeans arrived in America they took it home with them and it spread around the world. Domesticated over the centuries, maize nourished the civilizations that became the mighty empires of the early Americas, including the Mayans, Incas, Aztecs and Anasazi. Treasured

Good progress has been made with cultivars showing less lodging, but differences among cultivars still occur.

Ear prolificacy

Prolificacy can be described as the potential of a cultivar to produce more than one ear at maturity. This characteristic is linked to the adaptability of a cultivar and can be used to good advantage where lower plant populations are required or where it develops spontaneously unintentionally.

IRRIGATION

Maize can be regarded as an important grain crop under irrigation, as it produces very high yields. It can produce from 80 to 100 tons/ha green material and 16 to 21 tons/ha of dry material within a relatively short period (100 to 120 days). It is therefore one of the most efficient grain crops in terms of water utilisation. Maize is usually produced under full irrigation in order to obtain the highest yields

7. HARVESTING PROCESS

Maize is predominantly harvested mechanically, although exceptions do occur in the case of hand harvesting.

Hand