Maize (Corn) Cultivation Guide: Planting, Fertiliser & Fall Armyworm

Updated 2026-07-10 · Crop guides

Maize is one of the most versatile and widely grown crops in the world — grain, fodder, feed and food. It is a hungry, fast-growing crop that pays back good management, and in recent years fall armyworm has become the pest to watch. Here is how to grow it well.

Planting and spacing

• Plant certified hybrid seed suited to your season (maize is grown in kharif, rabi and spring depending on region).
• Aim for the right plant population — roughly 60–75 cm between rows and 20–25 cm between plants, adjusted to the hybrid. Correct stand is a big driver of yield.
• Sow into moist soil at about 4–5 cm depth for even emergence.

Nutrition and water

Maize is a heavy nitrogen feeder — apply N in splits (basal, knee-high and tasseling) so it is available when the crop is growing fastest. Zinc deficiency is common and cheap to correct. Water is most critical at tasseling, silking and grain-filling; stress at silking causes poor cob set and directly cuts yield.

Fall armyworm — scout early

Fall armyworm larvae feed inside the whorl and can strip a young crop fast. Scout from the seedling stage — look for ragged "windowpane" leaf damage and moist sawdust-like frass in the whorl. Manage with early monitoring (pheromone traps), hand-picking in small fields, encouraging natural enemies, and a timely recommended insecticide directed into the whorl when damage crosses the threshold.

Harvest

For grain, harvest when the cobs are mature and the grain is hard with a black layer at the kernel base; dry the grain down to safe storage moisture to avoid mould and storage pests.