Maize Sowing
Forage Maize at Greenmount Campus
By Mark Scott, Dairying Technologist and Malachy Mason Crops Technologist Greenmount Campus, CAFRE
Forage maize was recently planted at Greenmount Campus for a second year to form part of the ration fed to the dairy cows. The inclusion of forage maize in the 2007/08 ration helped to increase milk yield and protein concentration. Overall comparisons of performance with winter 2006/07 showed an increase in herd yield of 1.9 litres per cow per day and an improvement in milk protein concentration of 0.12 percent. Use of the crop also allows final year agriculture HND students to evaluate the growing costs of forage maize against grass silage as part of the CREAM project within the Enterprise Management module of the course.
The crop of 11 hectares was planted on April 15 as part of the arable rotation. The varieties Justina and PR39G12 which have similar silking dates were sown as a mixture to assist with pollination and PR39D60 was sown as a single variety stand. These are very high yielding varieties capable of delivering a target yield of 20 tonnes of dry matter per Hectare in ideal conditions.
Weed control
To allow earlier sowing and harvesting and minimise damage to the fields in the autumn, the maize was established under plastic mulch. A mixture of isoxaflutole and flufenacet (for example Cadou Star) was applied as a pre-emergence herbicide under the plastic to control broad-leafed weeds and annual meadow grass.
Fertiliser application
The fertiliser programme was based on field history to determine the Soil Nitrogen Status with soil analysis to determine P and K status. Based on RB209 recommendations and field history a up to a total of 166 KG per Hectare of nitrogen, 141 KG per Hectare of phosphate and 299 KG per Hectare of potash was applied from organic and inorganic sources. Farm yard manure was ploughed into the seedbed to minimise organic nitrogen losses, with remaining nutrition from chemical fertiliser.
For further information on maize agronomy contact your local Dairying Development Adviser or Malachy Mason at Greenmount Campus.
