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Cereals · Grain

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.

West coast: Kerala, Goa, Konkan, coastal Karnataka, south Gujarat

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Includes AI suggestions where no published guide covers a detail
A ripe, dry maize ear in its husk on the plant in a field
Photo: Huw Williams (Huwmanbeing) · PDM

At a glance

Maize in the West coast

  • Season

    Rainfed in June to July or August to September; irrigated in January to February.4

  • Sowing to last picking

    Around 4 months to harvest.8

    Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

  • Sow

    June to July (rainfed)4

Across India

When to sow it

Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.

Too late this season

The window here was August to September (rainfed). The next one opens in January.

Sowing now in:Gangetic plainsDeccan plateau
  • Sow
  • Harvest
  • Today
  • Not suited here
West coastKerala, Goa, KonkanSouth interiorBengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil NaduEast coastcoastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra
Compare all 12 regions
Temperate HimalayaKashmir valley, Shimla, KulluCold desertLadakh, Lahaul and SpitiNot suited hereSub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, DehradunNorth-west plainsPunjab, Haryana, DelhiGangetic plainseastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plainsNorth-east hills and valleysAssam, Meghalaya, SikkimArid westRajasthan, Kutch, north GujaratCentral plateauMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, VidarbhaDeccan plateauinterior Maharashtra, Telangana, north KarnatakaSouth interiorBengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil NaduEast coastcoastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra
Today
See the dates as a table
RegionSowNurseryTransplantHarvest
West coastJune to July (rainfed)August to September (rainfed)January to February (irrigated)
Temperate HimalayaApril to mid-May (up to about 1500 m)April only (above about 1500 m)September to October
Cold desertNot suited here
Sub-tropical foothillsFirst 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 plainsLast week of May to end of June (irrigated)20 June to 7 July (rainfed)September to early October
Gangetic plains25 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 valleysFebruary to March (pre-kharif, rainfed)June to July
Arid west4th week of June to 2nd week of July (rainfed)Late September to early October
Central plateauSecond half of June to first half of JulyLate September to mid-October
Deccan plateau2nd 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 interiorJuly to August (Adipattam)September to October (Purattasipattam)January to February (Thaipattam)
East coastJuly to August (Adipattam)September to October (Purattasipattam)January to February (Thaipattam)

From seed to harvest

One season, day by day

Days from sowing

  1. Before sowing

    Farmyard manure6

    25 t per hectare · Work into the soil while preparing the land · Land preparation

  2. Day 0

    Sow

  3. Day 5 to 8

    Seeds come up1,3,5,12,15Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

  4. Day 100 to 120

    Last picking8Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

For an irrigated crop, water at sowing and 3 days later, then every 10 to 15 days.9

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 West coast, 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 West coast aren't in the library yet.

Water and feeding

Watering9

For an irrigated crop, water at sowing and 3 days later, then every 10 to 15 days.

Weeding9

Hoe and hand-weed on about day 21 and day 45 after sowing.

WhenWhatHow muchHow
Land preparationFarmyard manure25 t per hectareWork into the soil while preparing the land

Sources6

Varieties and yield

Typical rangeNo published guide covers this for the West coast, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

30 to 50 quintals a hectare

Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.

Varieties grown here7

  • Ganga Hybrid-1, Ganga Hybrid-101, Deccan Hybrid, Renjit, Hi-starch

    Hybrids listed by Kerala Agricultural University

  • Kissan Composite, Amber, Vijay, Vikram, Sona, Jawahar

    Composites listed by Kerala Agricultural University

Good neighbours1,3

Grows well with

Pests and diseasesNo published guide covers this for the West coast, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Organic and cultural controls only.

  • Pest

    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

  • Pest

    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

  • Disease

    Leaf blight

    Signs

    Long grey-brown lesions on the leaves.

    Prevention

    • Remove and destroy crop debris
    • Keep the field drained

  • Disease

    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 West coast, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Cut the stalks for fodder or compost after picking the cobs, and follow with a pulse or vegetable crop.

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.

  1. 1Package of Practices for Kharif Crops 2016: MaizeDirectorate of Extension, SKUAST-JammuRead the source
  2. 10Maize: season and varietiesTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
  3. 11Irrigated maize: field preparationTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
  4. 12Irrigated maize: seed and sowingTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
  5. 13Irrigated maize: water managementTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
  6. 14Irrigated maize: harvestingTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
  7. 15Irrigated maize: after cultivationTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
  8. 4Maize: climate and soilCentre for e-Learning, Kerala Agricultural UniversityRead the source
  9. 5Maize: seed rate and spacingCentre for e-Learning, Kerala Agricultural UniversityRead the source
  10. 6Maize: manuringCentre for e-Learning, Kerala Agricultural UniversityRead the source
  11. 7Maize: varietiesCentre for e-Learning, Kerala Agricultural UniversityRead the source
  12. 8Maize: harvestingCentre for e-Learning, Kerala Agricultural UniversityRead the source
  13. 9Maize: after cultivation (weeding and irrigation)Centre for e-Learning, Kerala Agricultural UniversityRead the source

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