Post by Trade Coach on Nov 8, 2021 19:50:44 GMT 1
Major Causes Of Low Maize Yield In Nigeria And How To Solve It – Part 1
Maize farming is an activity in Nigeria that produces maize cobs and grains; it is one of the most important food crops in the country. Maize is a popular crop and it can be cultivated anytime of the year in the country.
Maize is not only used to prepare meals for human beings in Nigeria but also for animals and poultry. Maize constitutes the most important component of the poultry feed formulation. It constitutes about 70% of the total feed formulation for chicken.
Most baby foods and other foods are made of maize; therefore it is impossible not to farm maize in the country as Nigeria uses maize a lot in their meals.
Maize and corn is the same thing, only that corn is used by the Americans and maize is used by the British. Sometimes, people tend to be confused, but there is no need for that as both are the same.
Apart from the fact that the commodity is used heavily in the country, the yield per hectare is unacceptably low in Nigeria. How can you increase the yield in your farm? Follow us as we show you how in this guide.
Increasing maize yield per hectare in Nigeria is not a difficult thing to do if you follow the required steps.
Do The Following To Increase The Yield Of Maize In Your Farm
1. The first thing to do is to use the correct maize variety.
There are many maize varieties in the country and indeed Africa and all over the world. However, they are mainly grouped into two: Hybrid and Open Pollinated varieties.
We advise you to use mainly improved varieties that combine drought striga resistance. Striga is commonly known as witchweed by farmers, it is a genus of parasitic plants that occur in parts of Africa, Asia and Australia.
Please make sure that the variety of maize you are planting is striga-free seed.
You should use seeds with high-yield potential and adaptable to you geographical zone. As a farmer, you should know your zone very well so that you can always choose seeds that can be cultivated with high yield there.
You must also obtain your seeds from official or recommended seed companies or their agents. Try as much as possible to avoid using left over grains from your last harvest.
2. Leaf eating caterpillars insecta (Lepidoptera).
There are many insects that tend to attack maize leaf, but the commonest pests are Faw Army Worm (FAW) and grasshoppers. Honestly, FAW is destructive; you should do everything possible to do away with them when- ever they attack. They not only destroy maize leaves, but other plants too. It is reported that the larvae can destroy more than 340 plant species with maize being the most susceptible.
Report has it that about 17.7 million tonnes of maize are lost yearly by many African countries due to the effects of FAW.
The activities of Faw have been detected in the following states in Nigeria: Abuja, Oyo, and Ogun.
The prevention of this deadly pest usually involves the combination and usage of multiple chemical formulations.
How do you prevent them from damaging your maize?
*When you do deep ploughing before planting, you expose and kill the pupae present in the soil, and this will avoid future infestation.
*You need to maintain good spacing and hygiene in the field.
*Avoid water logging and water stress during the flowering stage. Water stress in plants is caused by the water deficit, which can be caused by drought or high soil salinity.
*Please set up light traps to kill the moths during night.
*Grow castor along the border as a trap crop.
*Destroy all egg masses you can find in the castor and tomatoes.
*Kill all grown up larvae you can find in your farm.
*Intercrop your maize farm with Cowpea, Onions, Coriander and Cassava.
*Grow basil leaves which will act as repellant to them.
*You can erect bird perches for birds to come and perch as predators against them.
*Attack should be controlled by applying 1.68kg active ingredient of Vetox 85/ha i.e. 3 standard matchbox filled to the level per 4.5 litres (1 gal) of water. This has to be done in two applications, the first at two weeks after planting, and the second two weeks after.
You need to show interest in maize cultivation in Nigeria, due to the availability of irrigation maize can be planted all-round the year.
Because maize takes averagely between 60 – 100 days to reach harvest stage, you can now plant maize for minimum of three (3) times in a year.
Stay with us as we are still continuing with more articles in this very important series of how to increase maize yield in Nigeria.
We have looked the various diseases that can attack your maize and the various solutions to control the pests.
Don’t forget that our company trains individuals and companies in agro-export business, get more information about the training programmes by contacting the admin today.
Maize farming is an activity in Nigeria that produces maize cobs and grains; it is one of the most important food crops in the country. Maize is a popular crop and it can be cultivated anytime of the year in the country.
Maize is not only used to prepare meals for human beings in Nigeria but also for animals and poultry. Maize constitutes the most important component of the poultry feed formulation. It constitutes about 70% of the total feed formulation for chicken.
Most baby foods and other foods are made of maize; therefore it is impossible not to farm maize in the country as Nigeria uses maize a lot in their meals.
Maize and corn is the same thing, only that corn is used by the Americans and maize is used by the British. Sometimes, people tend to be confused, but there is no need for that as both are the same.
Apart from the fact that the commodity is used heavily in the country, the yield per hectare is unacceptably low in Nigeria. How can you increase the yield in your farm? Follow us as we show you how in this guide.
Increasing maize yield per hectare in Nigeria is not a difficult thing to do if you follow the required steps.
Do The Following To Increase The Yield Of Maize In Your Farm
1. The first thing to do is to use the correct maize variety.
There are many maize varieties in the country and indeed Africa and all over the world. However, they are mainly grouped into two: Hybrid and Open Pollinated varieties.
We advise you to use mainly improved varieties that combine drought striga resistance. Striga is commonly known as witchweed by farmers, it is a genus of parasitic plants that occur in parts of Africa, Asia and Australia.
Please make sure that the variety of maize you are planting is striga-free seed.
You should use seeds with high-yield potential and adaptable to you geographical zone. As a farmer, you should know your zone very well so that you can always choose seeds that can be cultivated with high yield there.
You must also obtain your seeds from official or recommended seed companies or their agents. Try as much as possible to avoid using left over grains from your last harvest.
2. Leaf eating caterpillars insecta (Lepidoptera).
There are many insects that tend to attack maize leaf, but the commonest pests are Faw Army Worm (FAW) and grasshoppers. Honestly, FAW is destructive; you should do everything possible to do away with them when- ever they attack. They not only destroy maize leaves, but other plants too. It is reported that the larvae can destroy more than 340 plant species with maize being the most susceptible.
Report has it that about 17.7 million tonnes of maize are lost yearly by many African countries due to the effects of FAW.
The activities of Faw have been detected in the following states in Nigeria: Abuja, Oyo, and Ogun.
The prevention of this deadly pest usually involves the combination and usage of multiple chemical formulations.
How do you prevent them from damaging your maize?
*When you do deep ploughing before planting, you expose and kill the pupae present in the soil, and this will avoid future infestation.
*You need to maintain good spacing and hygiene in the field.
*Avoid water logging and water stress during the flowering stage. Water stress in plants is caused by the water deficit, which can be caused by drought or high soil salinity.
*Please set up light traps to kill the moths during night.
*Grow castor along the border as a trap crop.
*Destroy all egg masses you can find in the castor and tomatoes.
*Kill all grown up larvae you can find in your farm.
*Intercrop your maize farm with Cowpea, Onions, Coriander and Cassava.
*Grow basil leaves which will act as repellant to them.
*You can erect bird perches for birds to come and perch as predators against them.
*Attack should be controlled by applying 1.68kg active ingredient of Vetox 85/ha i.e. 3 standard matchbox filled to the level per 4.5 litres (1 gal) of water. This has to be done in two applications, the first at two weeks after planting, and the second two weeks after.
You need to show interest in maize cultivation in Nigeria, due to the availability of irrigation maize can be planted all-round the year.
Because maize takes averagely between 60 – 100 days to reach harvest stage, you can now plant maize for minimum of three (3) times in a year.
Stay with us as we are still continuing with more articles in this very important series of how to increase maize yield in Nigeria.
We have looked the various diseases that can attack your maize and the various solutions to control the pests.
Don’t forget that our company trains individuals and companies in agro-export business, get more information about the training programmes by contacting the admin today.
