makka plant population per acre spacing seed rate high yield ridge
What is the right plant population and spacing for hybrid maize?
VVenkata Rao9mo ago · 336 views
4 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓9mo ago
Hybrid grain maize yields best at a fairly high plant population, usually about 60 cm between rows and 20 to 22 cm between plants, giving roughly 30,000 to 33,000 plants per acre, with a seed rate of around 8 kg per acre. Maintaining the right stand matters more than people expect, so sow at proper depth into moisture, aim for single plants per hill, and gap fill or thin early to keep population uniform. Ridge or bed planting helps drainage and makes irrigation and fertiliser placement easier. Too few plants waste land and too many cause weak stems, poor cobs and disease. Adjust slightly by hybrid, soil fertility and season, and follow the seed company and KVK recommendation for your variety.
SSuresh9mo ago
Keeping a uniform stand at recommended spacing lifted my cob size. Gap filling early made a real difference in yield.
NNingappa8mo ago
In Karnataka I started ridge planting with a tractor-drawn planter that drops single seeds at fixed spacing, and my stand became far more even than hand dibbling. Even spacing meant every plant got light and the cobs were a uniform size.
PPrasad Rao8mo ago
One caution: I crowded my plants too close one year hoping for more cobs and got thin weak stalks that lodged and small cobs. Sticking to the recommended spacing gave a better total yield than overcrowding.