- 1. MAIZE(Zea mays) sub sps mays L. known in some
English-speaking countries as corn(meaninggrain), is a large grain
plant domesticated by indigenouspeoples in Mesoamerica in
prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain the
grain, whichare seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain,
maize kernels are used in cookingas a starch.
2. Genetics Many forms of maize are used for food, sometimes
classified as varioussubspecies related to the amount of starch
each has: Flour corn Zea mays var. amylacea Popcorn Zea mays var.
everta Dent corn Zea mays var. indentata Flint corn Zea mays var.
indurata Sweet corn Zea mays var. saccharata and Zea mays var.
rugosa Waxy corn Zea mays var. ceratina Amylomaize Zea mays Pod
corn Zea mays var. tunicata Larraaga ex A. St. Hil. Striped maize
Zea mays var. japonica 3. (Source: Government of Andhra
Pradesh)Total Area and Production of maize / corn in AndhraPradesh:
YearArea in hectares Production in tonnes 2006-2007 7,25,881
24,61,994 2007-2008 7,85,768 41,35,576 2008-2009 8,51,960 41,51,802
2009-2010 7,82,632 27,61,198 2010-2011 7,43,446 39,53,015 4.
Productivity of maize / corn per hectare in Andhra Pradesh: In
2006-2007 total area under maize in Andhra Pradesh was around7,
25,881 ha and production was 24, 61,994 tonnes with aproductivity
of 3391 kg/ha. In 2007-2008 total area under maize in Andhra
Pradesh was around7, 85,768 ha and production was 41, 35,576 tonnes
with aproductivity of 5263 kg/ha. In 2008-2009 total area under
maize in Andhra Pradesh was around8, 51,960 ha and production was
41, 51,802 tonnes with aproductivity of 4873 kg/ha. In 2009-2010
total area under maize in Andhra Pradesh was around7, 82,632ha and
production was 27, 61,198 tonnes with aproductivity of 3528 kg/ha
In 2010-2011 total area under maize in Andhra Pradesh was around7,
43,446 ha and production was 39, 53,015 tonnes with aproductivity
of 5317 kg/ha. 5. District wise maize / corn production in
AndhraPradesh in 2010-11:Sl NoDistrict Area inProduction
ProductivityHactares (tonnes )(kg/ha)1Ranga reddy29,001 62,225 2145
kg/ha2Vishaka pattanam 6,77018,535 2737
kg/ha3Nalagonda1,8605,1782783 kg/ha4Mahabubnagar 88,261 2,84,842
3227 kg/ha5Medak1,00,132 3,54,247 3537 kg/ha6Warangal 66,939
2,60,841 3896 kg/ha7Adilabad 20,363 79,837 3920 kg/ha8Karim
nagar91,157 4,35,860 4781 kg/ha9Nizamabad77,256 3,69,393 4781
kg/ha10 Anantpur 15,476 94,480 6104 kg/ha 6. District wise maize /
corn productionin Andhra Pradesh in 2010-11:11Khammam 35,057
2,16,1376165 kg/ha12Kurnool 20,139 1,29,1066410
kg/ha13Chittoor1,5099,883 6549 kg/ha14Srikakulam7,38950,0406772
kg/ha15West Godavari 44,682 3,07,6566885 kg/ha16East Godavari
7,93256,1037072 kg/ha17Y.S.R Kadapa1,41311,1807912 kg/ha18Krishna
19,218 1,54,1088018 kg/ha`19 Prakasam8,99474,5998294 kg/ha20S.P.S
Nellore 5604,780 8535 kg/ha21Guntur80,352 9,05,17911265 kg/haTotal
Andhra7,43,446 39,53,015 5317 kg/haPradesh 7. Areas where maize is
majorly grownin Andhra Pradesh: Medak, Karimnagar, Mahabubnagar,
Guntur,Warangal, Nizamabad and West Godavari districtscontribute
major percentage of the total maizeproduction in Andhra Pradesh
state. These districtsform the maize belt of Andhra Pradesh state.
8. Challenges in milk production :a): lack of good quality animal
feed.b) Lack of animal health facilities.c) High production
costs.d) Lack of cold chain facilities and logistics. 9. Fodder
maize Among the cultivated non-legume fodder as well as grain
crops, maize is the most importantcrop which can be grown round the
year under irrigated conditions. Maize is a quick-growingand high
yielding crop in habitat with no hazard of prussic acid poisoning
and is considered asa valuable fodder crop. India possess enormous
livestock of 416 million heads and with such a huge population
oflivestock, the country should have been over flowing with milk.
Instead, we are sufferingfrom perpetual shortage of milk, meat and
wool. The reason for low production of livestockproduct is the
shortage of fodder. The estimated requirement being 822 million
tonnes asagainst the availability of 478 million tonnes. The
tremendous livestock population, the huge gap between the supply
and demand for alltypes of animal food, the pre-occupation of a
high percentage of land for food, the pre-occupation of a high
percentage of land for food, fibre and cash crops leaving only
about 4per cent of the total cultivated area for fodder production,
the highly deteriorated conditionsof the natural grasslands due to
overgrasing and faulty management for ages and general lackof
interest on forage and fodder crops from farmers arising out of
necessity for human foodall constituted a formidable and
challenging situation. The need to workout the possibility
ofimproving the fodder situation from a deficit to that of a
required status and of improving thenutritional value is therefore
an urgent need of the hour. 10. Fodder maize contd t may not be
possible to increase the area under fodder crop because of ever
increasingpressure on arable land from grain and commercial crops.
So, the only alternative to meet thefodder requirement is to
increase the yield of fodder per unit area per unit time. This can
beachieved by intercropping of high yielding varieties and hybrids
of cereal fodders as well asgrain with legumes. 11. Varities in
fodder maize Composite/hybrids: African TallGanga 5. High yielding
varieties from PHI(Dupont):I. 31Y45,II.P3580 12. What is Silage?
Fodder is packed in airtight condition topreserve its nutritional
value, improve itsquality and taste and to make it easilydigestible
This is called silage or pickle of thefodder. 13. Corn silage is
popular forage for Ruminant animals. It is foramed when farmer
takes the corn and stock andferments it as a high moisture feed.
Corn silage is high energy and digestability. Corn silage is easily
adopted to mechanization from the standcrop to time of feeding. 14.
Principle: In this process, green fodder isfermented through
special bacteriawhich can survive without oxygen The resulting
fodder is renderedtasty and easily digestible for animals 15.
Mechanism/Process: The preparation of good quality silage depends
on1-Timely harvesting of fodder,2-Quantity of air in it at the time
of packing3-Preservation method In this process useful bacteria
converts soluble starches into lactic acid It decreases its acidic
quality (pH) to 3.0-4.0, which stops the growth of harmful germs
Makes the fodder safe for animal consumption If moisture content is
high in fodder, wheat straw or crushed cobs of maize can be added
for silage making 16. Steps for Silage Making : Selection of fodder
Check moisture Harvesting Chopping Pressing Storage 17. Selection
of fodder: Silage can be made from all winter and summerfodders But
usually maize, oats, sorghum etc. are consideredbest for silage
making 18. ContNormally fodder with Broad leaves Thick stems
Leguminous fodder has less carbohydrates andprotein content, they
are usually mixed with nonleguminous fodder (like maize and
sorghum) to makethe best and nutritious silage 19. Harvesting &
Check moisture: It is important to determine the right time
forharvesting fodder to get the best nutritionalvalue from silage
The time to harvest can be determined from thefollowing
indications:1. When the plant is fully mature2. Half of the grain
in maize is milky3. The fruitful fodder has 50% flowers4. Moisture
content is 65-70 % 20. Chopping of fodder:CHOPPED FODDER 21.
Pressing of chopped fodder: 22. Harvester and Baler Machine 23.
Storage: 24. Advantages: A cheap substitute for fodder at the time
offodder shortage Silage makes the fodder more digestible Land is
available for the next crop without delay,because all of the fodder
is harvested and storedat once Animals get nutritious feed the
whole year Expenditure on labour force is decreasedconsiderably 25.
Properly made silage has several advantages over Hay:Advantages :
Lower probability of weather-related damage or delays during
harvest. Lower field, harvest, and storage losses. Greater
flexibility and fit for many livestock feeding programmes. 26.
Uses/Applications: The animals like eating silage, but the buffalo
may behesitant in the beginning. In this case, feed it with green
fodder or concentratemixed in the silage, so that it develops a
taste for thesilage. Then increase its quantity gradually. Give 15
to 20 kilogram silage along with concentratesdaily to the lactating
animals. Be careful when removing silage from the bunker.Cover it
with polythene so that mud or moisture doesnot spoil the silage.
27. Cont 28. Feed Additives: Their main functions are to either
increasenutritional value of silage or improvefermentation so that
storage losses arereduced. Silage additives include feedstuffs,
urea,ammonia, inoculants and acids. 29. Types Of Silage Additives:
NON-PROTEIN NITROGEN (NPN). Urea andanhydrous ammonia can be added
to silagesto increase their crude protein (CP) content FEEDSTUFFS.
Feeds such as corn, small grains,and molasses can be added to
forage MINERALS. Minerals such as calcium,phosphorous, sulfur and
magnesium havebeen added to forage 30. Cont ACIDS. Acids are added
to forages at ensilingto cause an immediate drop in pH MICROBIAL
INOCULANTS. Inoculants areadded to forage to increase the number
ofdesirable bacteria present at the time ofensiling. 31.
Remember:1. No additive can replace good silage makingtechniques,
but may improve fermentation andnutritional value of some silages.
The response isusually not large 32. What Makes a Good Corn Silage
Hybrid? 33. Good Corn Silage? Big Ear? Tall? Less than perfect
stalk integrity? 34. Good Corn Silage Big Ear: 40-50% of yield,
energy content Tall: 1 ton per foot (w/o ear) Less than perfect
stalk integrity Low lignin= lower NDF More digestible= more
milk
