Growing maize
Zea mays · also called makka, makaai (Kashmiri)Maize is sown straight into well-drained fields, mostly in the monsoon, and harvested once the husk dries and the grain hardens. In the hills it is sown in spring; in the south it is also grown in winter.
North-west plains: Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, western Uttar Pradesh
At a glance
Maize in the North-west plains
Kharif. Sown from the last week of May to the end of June; rainfed maize with the rains in late June and early July.3
Punjab's recommended grain varieties mature in about 83 to 99 days; most long-duration hybrids take 95 to 99 days.3
Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.Last week of May to end of June (irrigated)3
Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
Wait until May
The next sowing here is Last week of May to end of June (irrigated).
- Sow
- Harvest
- Today
- Not suited here
Compare all 12 regionsShow fewer regions
See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North-west plains | Last week of May to end of June (irrigated)20 June to 7 July (rainfed) | September to early October | ||
| Temperate Himalaya | April to mid-May (up to about 1500 m)April only (above about 1500 m) | September to October | ||
| Cold desert | Not suited here | |||
| Sub-tropical foothills | First half of June (irrigated plains)With the monsoon, not after 10 July (rainfed plains)With the monsoon, not after 30 June (intermediate hills) | September to early October | ||
| Gangetic plains | 25 October to 7 November (winter maize)Late June to early July (kharif maize, AI suggestion) | April to early May (winter maize, AI suggestion) | ||
| North-east hills and valleys | February to March (pre-kharif, rainfed) | June to July | ||
| Arid west | 4th week of June to 2nd week of July (rainfed) | Late September to early October | ||
| Central plateau | Second half of June to first half of July | Late September to mid-October | ||
| Deccan plateau | 2nd week of June to 2nd week of July (kharif, irrigated)2nd week of October to 1st week of December (rabi, irrigated) | Late September to October (kharif crop, AI suggestion)Late February to March (rabi crop, AI suggestion) | ||
| South interior | July to August (Adipattam)September to October (Purattasipattam)January to February (Thaipattam) | |||
| West coast | June to July (rainfed)August to September (rainfed)January to February (irrigated) | |||
| East coast | July to August (Adipattam)September to October (Purattasipattam)January to February (Thaipattam) | |||
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
Days from sowing
Before sowing
Green manure crop
Dhaincha or sunhemp sown as green manure
20 kg seed per acre
Sow in the second half of April or right after wheat; bury the 40 to 50 day old crop and let it rot 5 to 10 days before sowing maize
Field preparation (organic system)
Well-rotted farmyard manure
8 tonnes per acre on dry weight basis for the first five years, then half that
Work into the soil before sowing
Day 0
Sow
Sowing
Consortium biofertiliser
Half kg packet per acre of seed, mixed in 1 litre of water
Coat the seed on a clean floor, dry in shade and sow at once
Before sowing
Dhaincha or sunhemp sown as green manure
20 kg seed per acre · Sow in the second half of April or right after wheat; bury the 40 to 50 day old crop and let it rot 5 to 10 days before sowing maize · Green manure crop
Well-rotted farmyard manure3
8 tonnes per acre on dry weight basis for the first five years, then half that · Work into the soil before sowing · Field preparation (organic system)
Day 0
Sow
Consortium biofertiliser
Half kg packet per acre of seed, mixed in 1 litre of water · Coat the seed on a clean floor, dry in shade and sow at once
Day 5 to 8
Seeds come up1,3,5,12,15Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Day 85 to 100
Last picking3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Usually 4 to 6 irrigations, depending on rain. Keep water steady before tasselling, at silking and through grain filling. Drain off excess water: flooding at the young stage does great damage.3
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1,3,4
6 to 7
Fertile, well-drained loams and silt loams; sandy loam to silty loam also suits. Maize cannot stand waterlogging, so pick level fields that drain well.
SunlightNo published guide covers this for the North-west plains, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
At least 6 hours a day
Full sun in an open field. Shade from trees or tall bunds thins the cobs.
Temperature3Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Grows best at 21 to 37 °C
Frost: none tolerated.
Monthly temperatures for the North-west plains aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
Watering3
Usually 4 to 6 irrigations, depending on rain. Keep water steady before tasselling, at silking and through grain filling. Drain off excess water: flooding at the young stage does great damage.
Weeding3
Hoe twice, between about 15 and 30 days after sowing, with a khurpa, wheel hoe or tractor cultivator. Instead, a paddy straw mulch of 30 quintals an acre at sowing, or one or two rows of cowpea between the maize rows cut for fodder at 35 to 45 days, keeps weeds down.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green manure crop | Dhaincha or sunhemp sown as green manure | 20 kg seed per acre | Sow in the second half of April or right after wheat; bury the 40 to 50 day old crop and let it rot 5 to 10 days before sowing maize |
| Field preparation (organic system) | Well-rotted farmyard manure | 8 tonnes per acre on dry weight basis for the first five years, then half that | Work into the soil before sowing |
| Sowing | Consortium biofertiliser | Half kg packet per acre of seed, mixed in 1 litre of water | Coat the seed on a clean floor, dry in shade and sow at once |
Varieties and yield
40 to 60 quintals a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
PMH 17, PMH 14, PMH 13, PMH 11, PMH 1
Long-duration PAU hybrids for irrigated maize; PMH 17 is dual purpose (grain and silage)
JC 12
Composite for the kandi (foothill) areas of Punjab (PAU)
JC 4
Medium-duration composite for irrigated and kandi areas; PAU also recommends it for organic farming
PMH 2, Parkash
Short-duration hybrids; PAU's choices for rainfed maize
Pests and diseases3
Organic and cultural controls only.
Maize borer
Signs
From June to September larvae scrape the leaves, then bore into the stem; young plants get a dead heart.
What to do
- Plough after harvest and destroy stubble, stalks and cobs where the larvae overwinter
- Pull out badly bored plants while hoeing
- Release Trichogramma chilonis cards twice, on 10 and 17 day old crop
- Spray a neem-based preparation (PAU organic package)
Fall armyworm
Signs
Young larvae scrape papery windows in leaves; bigger ones chew holes in the whorl and leave lots of droppings. A white inverted Y on the head.
What to do
- Collect and destroy the hairy egg masses on the leaves
Prevention
- Sow at the recommended time
- Avoid staggered sowing in neighbouring fields
Hairy caterpillars
Signs
Caterpillars strip the leaves and tender stems, often in large numbers.
What to do
- Use light traps for the moths
- Pluck and bury leaves crowded with young larvae
- Pick grown caterpillars and drop them in water with a little kerosene
Bacterial stalk rot
Signs
The base of the stem looks boiled, rots and smells of fermentation; plants wilt and break.
What to do
- Destroy diseased plant debris
Prevention
- Keep the field well drained
Brown stripe downy mildew
Signs
Long, narrow brown stripes between the leaf veins, with whitish down underneath.
Prevention
- Clear takri grass (Digitaria) from the field
- Keep the field well drained
Maydis leaf blight
Signs
Spindle-shaped brown lesions on the leaves that merge into large patches; favoured by late sowing and humid weather.
Prevention
- Destroy infected crop residue
- Grow improved varieties
Post-flowering stalk rot
Signs
Plants wilt after flowering; the inside of the lower stem is discoloured.
Prevention
- Grow improved varieties such as PMH 13, PMH 11 or PMH 1
Seed rot and seedling blight
Signs
Poor germination and weak seedlings that die.
Prevention
- Sow healthy seed
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed1,3
Buy fresh hybrid seed every year: grain from a hybrid crop gives clearly lower yields when sown again. Seed of composite varieties can be kept for 2 to 3 years. Choose 3000 to 5000 good cobs from the middle of the field, leaving about 9 m all round, and only cobs free from borer damage.
When the seed is ready
Cobs are ready when the husk has dried and turned brown and the grain is hard.
Shell the cobs and dry the grain well in the sun before storing.
After the last picking3
Common Punjab rotations: maize then wheat, barley, potato or berseem; maize then potato then summer moong; maize then gobhi sarson then summer moong. Where wheat follows, harvest the stalks with the cobs and stack them to clear the field.
After harvest, plough the field and collect and destroy the stubble, which carries borer larvae through the winter. Use up stalks, cobs and cores as fodder or fuel by the end of February.
Rotation
Maize is usually followed by wheat, barley, potato, toria, gobhi sarson, peas or berseem, often with summer moong before the next maize.
Sources
Where this comes from
Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.
These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.
- Package of Practices for Kharif Crops 2016: MaizeDirectorate of Extension, SKUAST-JammuRead the source
- Maize: season and varietiesTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
- Irrigated maize: field preparationTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
- Irrigated maize: seed and sowingTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
- Irrigated maize: water managementTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
- Irrigated maize: harvestingTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
- Irrigated maize: after cultivationTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
- Package of Practices for Kharif Crops 2025: Maize; Organic farming (maize/soybean-wheat)Punjab Agricultural University, LudhianaRead the source
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