Select Your Maize Seed Carefully and Insure Against a Against a Poor Crop

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 61, Issue 1, 15 July 1940, Page 39

Select Your Maize Seed Carefully and Insure Against a Against a Poor Crop

- By -

C. R. TAYLOR,

Fields Instructor, Whakatane

A maize plant of considerably less vigour than those illustrated above, showing evidence of storm damage and late development of cob. It is worthy of note that all three photographs of individual plants were secured almost adjacent to one another, thus illustrating the differences that are evident within the one variety. ■ ............. .

outcome of this haphazard method of producing and purchasing seed was not infrequently one of keen disappointment, involving not only a financial loss for one year (as in the case of a potato crop), but much extra expense and loss of valuable time when a pasture has failed to establish or thrive as it normally should. Uncertainty Removed Nowadays, however, a great deal of the former uncertainty of seed purchase has been removed by the scientific study of plant characteristics, whereby it has been possible to evolve gradually a system of seed production which definitely insures farmers against the risks of the past.. Such an innovation has naturally meant a great deal to the farmer, in much the same way as the herd-testing scheme has offered him an opportunity of increasing his herd production by “knowing” his cows. As time goes on, no doubt the certification scheme will be extended to seed of most of the economic species, but in the meantime growers of seed

for crops such as maize can do much either to make or to mar their own or other growers’ crops by the degree of care given to the selection of seed. It is therefore the duty of the grower to do his utmost to save seed in such a manner as will ensure the best possible return for his outlay and labour; for carelessness will not accomplish this end any more than will the use of a grade bull of doubtful ancestry increase the productiveness of a dairy herd. Let us remember, therefore, that “like begets like,” or, in other words, poor-quality seeds will produce pooryielding crops. Points in Selection In the selection of maize for seed purposes it is customary to pick likelylooking cobs from the crib at the time of shelling. While it is admitted that this practice can, if conscientiously carried out, give very fair results, it is safe to say that it cannot produce the best results, for when it is selected in this way important details concerning the plant itself cannot be taken into consideration. One might just as well try to assess the virtues of a bunch of calves without seeing or knowing anything of their parentage as to assess the true value of seed maize without any knowledge of the plant that bore it. Consequently, there is only one possible way of saving seed as it should be saved, and that is by selecting from the field and not from the crib.

Many growers will complain that field selection is too laborious, but when one recalls that only from 101 b. to 141 b of seed are required to plant an acre of maize for grain it is surely not too much of an undertaking to gather this comparatively small quantity of seed from the most promising plants when the reward for so doing can be so great.

As an illustration of the possibilities in this direction, it is worth mentioning that over the past ten years the average yield of maize per acre in the Eastern Bay of Plenty (Whakatane and Opotiki Counties) has been a little in excess of 40 bushels, and yet, over the same period and within the same territory, it has not been an uncommon experience to meet numerous growers who have consistently doubled their average yield and more. Surely, such results tell their

own tale and point definitely to the possibilities in maize-growing where care and attention have been paid to the essential factors governing the growing of this valuable crop. And not least among these factors has been the careful selection of seed. Principal Requirements How, then, should seed be selected? There are two principal requirements which must be satisfied:—

(1) Attention to variety characteristics. and .(2) Attention to ’ strain within the variety. The first requirement is very important because of the fact that maize crosses readily, and consequently, where two or more varieties are grown in close proximity, it is only a relatively short time before certain definite and desirable variety characteristics are almost obliterated. To save such maize for seed can have disastrous results at times, especially in what might be termed marginal maize-grow-ing districts where, for instance, the average season is just sufficiently long to mature only the early varieties. If, therefore, early and late types are cross-fertilised to the point of, say, practically removing the early characteristics of the early variety, then it is conceivable, that no matter by what name this maize is called it will not mature fast enough to save the crop from early frost, etc., and ultimate destruction. On the other hand, maize growers in districts enjoying a long growing

season- can well afford to grow varieties which require a longer period in which to mature, as such varieties almost' invariably produce the highest yields. If, however, their long-maturing features have been masked by serious crossing with the early types, it is evident that yield is reduced, and once more the grower suffers. Similarly, certain maize varieties are suited to soils of high fertility, while others will produce good crops under less fertile conditions. For these reasons, under this one heading alone severe penalties can easily be the reward of carelessness in seed selection. Importance Of Strain Dealing with the second requirement (strain within the variety) it may be pointed out as an illustration that not all cows or pigs within a certain breed are necessarily good because the breed as a whole is generally regarded as an excellent one. In other words, there are good families' or strains within that breed, and there

are also poor ones. If we concentrate on the good strains we usually achieve success, but if through ignorance or carelessness we work with less efficient strains of the same breed we are rewarded accordingly. Every farmer knows that this is the case with animals, but it is not so .universally appreciated that the same natural laws apply equally to both animal and plant life. Hence, there are good and bad strains of the various varieties of apples, clovers, and maize, etc., and it is only by being able to differentiate between the desirable and undesirable characteristics of each that we can “sift the grain from the chaff” and really select seed of high merit. How To Select In selecting maize for seed, therefore, first make certain that the crop is reasonably typical of the variety grown— is, if the crop is, say, Early Butler, see that both the plant and cob possess the distinctive charactertistics of that variety. If satisfied on this point, select only those particular plants which show extreme vigour

of growth and which have their cobs drooping downwards so that the tips distinctly point to the ground. (See Figure 1.)

These two qualifications are most important, as vigour enables the plant to resist disease to the utmost, to withstand in a large measure adverse climatic conditions, such as wind . and storms, and to develop heavy yields of grain, while the pronounced droop of the cob, plus good protective coverage, prevents serious wastage of grain through the water gaining access to the cob.

As all maize varieties produce both strong and weak plantssome with their cobs pointing upwards, and others downwards—such caracteristics obviously cannot be associated with particular varieties; rather must they be regarded as strain features, and seed should be selected accordingly. Naturally, crib selection has its limitations, and growers would be well advised to undertake this important task in the field before general plucking.

Disease-free Cobs

In addition to the strain characteristics of plant vigour and cob droop, it is also essential to see that plants and

cobs are free from disease and that the cobs are not malformed in any way. The rows of grain should be evenly spaced around the pithy core running the entire length of the cob, and with as little loss of space between the rows as possible. Open-spaced rows mean the loss of several rows of grain per cob, which in turn greatly reduces the crop yield. Some varieties are offenders in this respect more than others, but, generally speaking, it’ is nearly always possible to secure a strain which is infinitely better than the average if

growers are prepared to spend a little extra time in the selection of their seed. The length of grain is also an important yield factor, and therefore should always be as long as possible consistent with variety characteristics. In conclusion one may safely say that if maize growers conscientiously selected their seed according to the foregoing recommendations it would not be very long before the general average of yields would be greatly increased, while varieties would be more distinct than they are today.