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Field Preparation and Sowing

Field Preparation and Sowing

The main objective of field preparation are to control weeds, facilitates sowing, provide aeration and better seed soil contact and improve water holding capacity, etc. and successful maize cultivation requires good seed bed. These things may be achieved by giving one deep summer ploughing immediate after harvest of rabi crop. It is essential by which inner layer of soil is exposed to sun thereby killing insects and weeds. Before sowing plough the field once or twice followed by breaking the clods with the help of power tiller or level the field by hand fork/farua. To provide drainage, remove the soil around the terrace and raise the height of the bed by 20-30 cm. leveling can be done on the day of sowing so that soil compactness can be reduced.

Seed rate:

The recommended seed rate for Sikkim is given below:
Local varieties & Composite: 20 kg/ha
Hybrid Varieties: 10 kg/ha

Selection of seed: The seed should have a minimum of 65% germination and free from weevils and seed borne diseases. Use certified seed for raising healthy crops.

Seed treatment:

Seeds should be well coated with bio-fertilizer like Azotobacter @ 200gm and Phosphobacteria in 400 ml water per 10 to 12 kg seeds. It will considerably increase the yield by fixing atmospheric nitrogen to 10 kg/ha and make unavailable phosphorus available to plants by solubilization.
Instead of Azotobacter it is better and wherever Rice bean/soybean/urd intercropping is planned, add 2 kg of Rhizobium in addition to Azotobacter and Phosphobacteria.
If seed treatment is not given apply Rhizobium 4 kg + Phosphotica 2kg in 100 to 200 kg of compost.
Time of sowing: Most of the farmers of Sikkim start maize sowing form the day of “Sripanchami” even if the land is very dry. This practice is not desirable. The best time for sowing of maize is recorded at Gyalshing is only after the first shower of pre-monsoon rain when there is sufficient moisture in the soil. It is also noted that the seeds sown in the month of February and in the month of May gives little differences in the yield per unit area. The actual time of sowing varies with the altitude and season of growing which is given below:
 

Lower elevation : February to March
Higher elevation : March to April
Pre-Kharif maize : July to August (at lower hills only)

Depth of sowing: Depth of sowing is governed by soil moisture regime and soil type. Seeds should be sown at 2 to 3 cm depth where sufficient soil moisture is available to enable germination. Deep sowing will affect the germination and growth, however at drier zone deep sowing is recommended for uniform germination.

Method of sowing: In Sikkim, seeds are sown by broadcasting and in line. However, line sowing is best which facilitate better intercultural operations.

Broadcasting method:
  1. In this method seeds are broadcasted and scattered by hand over the well ploughed land. The seeds are covered with top soil either by ploughing immediately or by manual planking.
  2. This method of sowing is still common in some backward farmers but it is unscientific.
  3. This method has several drawbacks i.e.

 
  • all the seed do not get proper soil moisture content and do not germinate,
  • some amount of seeds are eaten by birds as it does not covered fully with the soil result in an uneven and poor germination,
  • difficulties in intercultural operation especially in weeding and hoeing,.
  • More seed are needed to be sown than the recommended level which increase the cost of cultivation and reduce the net profit.
  • This method of sowing is basically used for the cultivation of fodder crops.

2. Line-sowing method: It is superior method of sowing than the broadcasting because line sowing of crop facilitates the cultural operations and optimum plant population for maximum yield. In this method seeds are sown by different method in the rows by keeping a proper distance and depth using a seed row marker or wooden line marker called “Halo” or using a working plough. In one method lines are formed by halo and seeds are sown in the line.

In another method, lines are formed at shallow depth using country plough and then seeds are dibbled in the furrows. Finally seeds are covered from exposure using top layer soil.

The recommended spacing are:

1. Low fertile soil : 45 × 20 cm
2. Medium fertile soil : 60 × 15 cm.

Sowing the seed behind the plough: This method is very common in Sikkim as well as all the maize growing areas of the country. After the preparation of field shallow furrows are opened with the help of country plough and seeds are dropped in them by hand. Sometime a funnel is attached with an iron pipe in the hand of plough and the seeds dropped at desired depth and spacing for obtaining satisfactory germination. After dropping of seeds planking is done thereafter to cover the seeds. This method permits sowing across the slopes only. Since terrace width are narrow in Sikkim animal may not turn along the slope. Hence sowing can’t be done along the slope.

Dibbling method: This method is very time taking as the seeds are placed with the help of khurpi manually at required distance in the row. It needs less seed rate and is the best method for costly seeds. It can be practiced in small and uneven terraces.

Hill sowing: In this method the seeds are dropped with the help of corn planters. The planters are placed at an appropriate place pressed for dropping four seeds at one place which is technically known as hill. It also needs relatively less seed rate.

Sowing crops in sunrise and sunset direction is believed to have higher grain yield and production of healthier plants because of least or no mutual shading of the plants. The response more pronounced with hybrid and composite varieties as they are most sensitive to shading effect.