Corn Cultivation

I. INTRODUCTION In Indonesia, maize is an important food crop commodities, but not optimal production levels. PT. Natural Nusantara working to improve maize production in quantity, quality and environmentally friendly / sustainable (Aspects of K-3).
II. GROWTH CONDITIONS Ideal rainfall of about 85-200 mm / month and must be evenly distributed. In the phase of flowering and seed filling need to get enough water. Should be planted before the beginning of the rainy season or dry season. Requires sunlight, plants are shaded, its growth will be retarded and give seed yield that is not optimal. The optimum temperature around 230 C - 300 C. Corn requires no special soil requirements, but the loose soil, humus rich soil will produce optimal. soil pH between 5.6 to 7.5. Aeration and good water availability, land slope of less than 8%. Areas with slopes of more than 8%, should be performed before the formation of terraces. Altitude between 1000-1800 m above sea level with optimum height of between 50-600 m above sea level
III. TECHNICAL GUIDELINES FOR RAISING A. Terms seed Seed should be of high quality both genetic, physical and physiology (seed hibryda). Ability to grow the seeds of more than 90%. + Seed needs 20-30 kg / ha. Before the seed is planted, should be soaked in NASA POC (dose 2-4 cc / lt of water overnight).
B. Land Treatment Land cleared of previous crop residues, crop residues that pretty much burned, ashes returned to the soil, then treated with hoe and plow. The land to be planted 15-20 cm deep hoeing, then flattened. Every 3 m along the drainage line is made of plants. Channel width 25-30 cm, depth 20 cm. These channels are made mainly on the ground that jelek.Di drainage areas with a pH of less than 5, limed soil (dose of 300 kg / ha) with lime spread evenly way / on row crops, + 1 month before planting. Before planting should disebari GLIO land that has been blended with ripe manure to prevent wilt disease in maize.
C. Fertilization

Left	Macro Fertilizer Dosage (per ha)			POC Dose NASA
	Urea (kg)	TSP (kg)	KCl (kg)
Soaking seeds	-	-	-	2-4 cc / lt of water
Basal fertilizer	120	80	25	20-40 cap / tank (flush evenly)
2 weeks	-	-	-	4-8 cap / tank (spray / flush)
Following on I (3 weeks)	115	-	55	-
4 weeks	-	-	-	4-8 cap / tank (spray / flush)
Following on II (6 minggu)	115	-	-	4-8 cap / tank (spray / flush)

Note: it would be better to use SUPER NASA basal fertilizer dose of ± 1 botol/1000 m2 by means of: - Alternative 1: 1 bottle SUPER NASA diluted in 3 liters of water (so the mother liquor). Then every 50 liters of water were given 200 cc of mother liquor had to flush the beds. - Alternative 2: 1 gembor (10-15 LT) give 1 tablespoon pressed NASA to flush eating SUPER + 10 m beds.
D. Planting Technique 1. Determination of Crop Patterns Some of the usual cropping pattern is applied: a. Intercropping (intercropping), planting more than 1 plant (same or different ages). Example: same age as intercropping maize and soybean intercropping apart in age, such as maize, cassava, upland rice.
b. Overlap shifts (Multiple Cropping), performed in succession throughout the year by considering other factors to get maximum benefit. Examples: corn, upland rice, soybean, peanut, etc..
c. Plants have an insert (Relay Cropping): cropping pattern by inserting one or several types of crops other than staple crops (planting within the same or different times). Example: corn inserted peanuts, corn before harvest time bean paste.
d. Plant Mixed (Mixed Cropping): planting comprises some plants and grow without the regulated spacing as well as larikannya, all mixed into one. Land efficient, but risky to the threat of pests and diseases. Example: a mixture of plants such as corn, soybean, cassava.
2. Planting Holes and How to Grow Ditugal planting hole, a depth of 3-5 cm, and each hole is filled only 1 grain seed. Spacing corn harvest adjusted for age, the longer the age of the wider spacing. Corn harvest was more than 100 days after planting, cropping distance 40x100 cm (2 plants / hole). Corn harvest 80-100 days old, using the earnings distance 25x75 cm (1 plant / hole). E. Crop Management 1. Spacing and stitching Plants that grow well at least, cut with a sharp knife or scissors just above the soil surface. Cancellation of the plant should not be made directly, because it would injure the roots of other plants that will be allowed to grow. Stitching aims to replace the seeds that do not grow / die, performed 7-10 days after transplanting (DAT). The number and type of seed and equal treatment in the stitching when planting.
2. Weeding Weeding is done in 2 weeks. Weeding on young corn plants can be by hand or small hoe, fork, etc.. Weeding should not interfere with plant roots are at that age is still not strong enough to grip the ground then carried out after 15-day-old plants.
3. Pembumbunan Pembumbunan performed in conjunction with the weeding to strengthen the position of stem for plants do not easily fall down and cover the roots emerging above ground level due to aeration. Done when the plants were 6 weeks, along with the time of fertilization. Land on the right and left rows diuruk plants with a hoe, then dumped in row crops. In this way will form an elongated guludan.
4. Irrigation and Watering Once the seeds are planted, watering done in moderation, except when the soil has been moist, aim to keep the plant does not wilt. But by flowering plants, of water needed is greater that it needs the water flowed in the trenches between bumbunan corn crop.
F. Pests and Diseases 1. Pest a. Flies seeds (Atherigona exigua Stein) Symptoms: The leaves change color to yellow, which attacked the decay, eventually wither plants, plants become stunted growth or death. Cause: The flies seedlings with the characteristics of fly ash-gray color, the color of greenish yellow striped back, abdomen yellowish brown color, the color of pearl white eggs, and flies from 3 to 3.5 mm long. Control: (1) simultaneous planting and application of crop rotation. (2) plants attacked immediately withdrawn and destroyed. (3) Sanitation garden. (4) spray with PESTONA.
b. Silkworm Cutting Symptoms: plants are cut off a few centimeters above the soil surface, marked with bite marks on the trunk, resulting in young plant collapsed. Cause: Some type of worm cutters: Agrotis ipsilon, Spodoptera litura, corn borer (Ostrinia furnacalis), corn and fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera). Control: (1) Planted in unison or crop rotation, (2) locate and kill the caterpillars are (usually found in the soil), (3) Spray PESTONA, VITURA or VIREXI.
2. Disease a. Downy mildew (Downy mildew) Cause: The fungus Peronosclerospora maydis and P. javanica and P. philippinensis, rampant at temperatures over 270 C and humid air conditions. Symptoms: (1) ages 2-3 weeks spiky leaves, small, rigid, inhibited stem growth, the color yellow, the underside of the leaf there is a layer of white fungus spores, (2) 3-5 weeks of age have stunted growth, leaves change color from the base of the leaf, cob changed the form and content, (3) on adult plants, there are brown lines on older leaves. Control: (1) before planting or the beginning of the rainy season, (2) cropping pattern and the pattern of crop rotation, planting resistant varieties, (3) remove and destroy infected plants, (4) Preventive early planting with GLIO
b. Leaf spot disease (Leaf Bligh) Cause: The fungus Helminthosporium turcicum. Symptoms: the leaves appear elongated and irregular spots of yellow and brown color surrounded the spots grow and spread from leaf tip to the base of the leaf, the original spots were wet, then changed the color to yellowish brown, then changed to dark brown. Eventually the entire surface of the leaves brown. Control: (1) crop rotation. (2) regulating the conditions of land is not damp, (3) Prenventif beginning with GLIO
c. Rust disease (Rust) Cause: The fungus Puccinia sorghi Schw and P.polypora Underw. Symptoms: in mature plants, old leaves are the points brownish red stains like rust and there are brownish yellow powder, powder of this fungus to grow and elongate. Control: (1) provides moisture, (2) plant varieties resistant to disease, (3) garden sanitation, (4) spray with GLIO.
d. Swollen charred disease (Corn smut / boil smut) Cause: The fungus Ustilago maydis (DC) CDA, Ustilago zeae (Schw) Ung, Uredo zeae Schw, Uredo maydis DC. Symptoms: This fungus entry into the grain on the cob, causing swelling and remove the gland (gall), this swelling causes the wrapping is damaged and the spores spread. Control: (1) provides moisture, (2) cut the plant and burned, (3) seeds to be planted mixed GLIO and NASA POC.
e. Cob rot and seed rot Cause: The fungus Fusarium or Gibberella include Gibberella zeae (Schw), Gibberella fujikuroi (Schw), Gibberella moniliforme. Symptoms: it can be seen after opening the wrapping cob, corn seeds, pink or brownish red and then turned into a chocolate brown color. Control: (1) corn planting resistant varieties, rotation cropping, adjust spacing, seed treatment, (2) GLIO at the beginning of planting.
Note: If a pest control using natural pesticides can not cope with the recommended use of chemical pesticides. To be more evenly spraying of chemical pesticides and are not easily lost by rainwater add Adhesives Straighten AERO 810, dose + 5 ml (1 / 2 cap) / tank.
G. Harvest and Post Harvest 1. Characteristics and Harvest Time Age harvest + 86-96 days after planting. Corn for vegetables (baby corn, baby corn) harvested before the seeds are fully charged (cob diameter 1-2 cm), corn on the cob / fuel, are harvested when ripe corn milk to rice and maize, fodder, seeds, flour etc are harvested when ripe physiological.
2. How to Harvest Rotate the cob follows kelobotnya / broken corn stalk pieces.
3. Paring Peeled while still attached to the rod or after picking is complete, for water content in the cobs can be lowered so that the fungus does not grow.
4. Drying Drying corn with sunshine (+7-8 days) until the water content + 9% -11% or with a dryer.
5. Pemipilan Once dry dipipil by hand or tool corn shellers.
6. Sorting and classification Corn seeds are separated from the dirt or anything that does not want (the remnants of cob, a small seed, broken seeds, empty seeds, etc.). Sorting to avoid fungal attack, pests during storage and increase the quality of crops.