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.
South interior: Bengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil Nadu
At a glance
Maize in the South interior
Three sowing seasons: Adipattam (July to August), Purattasipattam (September to October) and Thaipattam (January to February).10
About 95 to 110 days. TNAU's water schedule runs the maturity phase to about day 95.
No published guide covers this for the South interior, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.July to August (Adipattam)10
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
Too late this season
The window here was September to October (Purattasipattam). The next one opens in January.
- Sow
- Harvest
- Today
- Not suited here
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See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South interior | July to August (Adipattam)September to October (Purattasipattam)January to February (Thaipattam) | |||
| 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 | ||
| North-west plains | Last week of May to end of June (irrigated)20 June to 7 July (rainfed) | 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) | ||
| 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
Field preparation
Farmyard manure, compost or composted coir pith
12.5 t per hectare
Spread evenly on the unploughed field and plough in
Field preparation
Azospirillum
10 packets (2000 g) per hectare
Spread with the manure and work into the soil
Day 0
Sow
Day 95 to 110
Last picking
No published guide covers this for the South interior, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Before sowing
Farmyard manure, compost or composted coir pith
12.5 t per hectare · Spread evenly on the unploughed field and plough in · Field preparation
Azospirillum11
10 packets (2000 g) per hectare · Spread with the manure and work into the soil · Field preparation
Day 0
Sow
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 95 to 110
Last pickingNo published guide covers this for the South interior, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Water right after sowing, a life irrigation on day 4, then by stage: on heavy soils about days 12, 25, 36, 48, 60, 72 and 85. Light soils need a few more. Water freely at flowering; ease off as the crop matures. Maize suffers from both drought and too much water.13
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 South interior, 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 South interior aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
Watering13
Water right after sowing, a life irrigation on day 4, then by stage: on heavy soils about days 12, 25, 36, 48, 60, 72 and 85. Light soils need a few more. Water freely at flowering; ease off as the crop matures. Maize suffers from both drought and too much water.
Weeding15
Thin to one seedling a hole at 12 to 15 days. Hoe and hand-weed on about day 30, then earth up into new ridges so the plants sit on top.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field preparation | Farmyard manure, compost or composted coir pith | 12.5 t per hectare | Spread evenly on the unploughed field and plough in |
| Field preparation | Azospirillum | 10 packets (2000 g) per hectare | Spread with the manure and work into the soil |
Varieties and yield
50 to 70 quintals a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
TNAU Maize Hybrid Co 6
For all three seasons (TNAU)
Co 1
Variety named in TNAU's seed rate advice
Pests and diseasesNo published guide covers this for the South interior, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Organic and cultural controls only.
Stem borer
Signs
Holes in the young leaves and a dead central shoot in young plants.
What to do
- Pull out and destroy badly hit plants
- Destroy stubble after harvest
Fall armyworm
Signs
Ragged holes and sawdust-like droppings in the whorl.
What to do
- Look for egg masses and young larvae in the whorl and crush them
Prevention
- Sow on time and avoid staggered sowing in neighbouring fields
Leaf blight
Signs
Long grey-brown lesions on the leaves.
Prevention
- Remove and destroy crop debris
- Keep the field drained
Stalk rot
Signs
Plants wilt and the base of the stem goes soft and breaks.
Prevention
- Drain the field well
- Avoid overcrowding
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 pickingNo published guide covers this for the South interior, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Plough in or compost the stover after the cobs are picked, and follow maize with a pulse such as blackgram or greengram to rest the soil.
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
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