Can corn be grown in the southern hills? When will you plant it?

Corn can be planted in the southern hilly region, and the planting area is widely distributed, including all the provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Taiwan, the south of Jiangsu and Anhui, and the east of Guangxi, Hunan and Hubei. It is the main producing area of rice in China. The planting area of corn is very small, accounting for about 3.2% of the country, and the output accounts for 2.2%. Corn can be planted all the year round.

This area belongs to subtropical and tropical humid climate, with high temperature and abundant rainfall. The time suitable for crop growth is 220-360 days, and the effective accumulated temperature time for maize growth and development is more than 250 days. Annual rainfall of 1000-1800 mm, uniform distribution, 1600-2500 hours of sunshine throughout the year, corn can be planted all the year round. However, the climatic conditions in this region are more suitable for growing rice, so the area of corn is less and less stable. However, the conditions for the development of autumn and winter maize production in this area are good and have great potential.

1. Planting system

Multi-cropping system has always been implemented in this region, from double cropping to three or four cropping systems, corn can be planted all the year round, but it is mainly cultivated in autumn and winter. Typical planting methods are:

Wheat-Corn-Cotton (Jiangsu)

Wheat (or rape)-rice-autumn corn (Zhejiang, Hubei)

Spring Maize-late Rice (Jiangxi)

Early Rice-medium Rice-Maize (Hunan)

Spring Maize (interplanting Green manure)-late Rice (Guangxi)

Double cropping rice-winter corn (Hainan)

Autumn maize in this area is mainly distributed in Zhejiang, Jiangxi and some areas of Hunan and Guangxi. It is often used as the third season crop of triple cropping system and has the effect of flood-drought rotation. Winter corn is mainly distributed in the southern areas of Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian. After the 1960s, it developed into a southern breeding base for dryland crops such as corn and sorghum, and gradually became the production base of out-of-season melons and vegetables in China after the 1980s. Corn has become a fixed crop in multi-cropping system, and it is also an important component of flood-drought rotation.

This area has rich experience in raising seedlings and transplanting corn, such as autumn corn areas in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan and other provinces, generally using nutrition bowl to raise seedlings, and transplanting corn in time after harvesting medium rice can significantly increase corn yield.

two。 Main corn varieties planted

The area of maize in the southern hilly region is relatively small, and some subtropical maize varieties can be planted, but the varieties planted in winter are required to be resistant to low temperature and early maturity, as well as resistance to a variety of diseases and insect pests, such as stem rot, rust and sheath blight. The main varieties planted in this area are: Guiding 1, Yedan 13, Yayu 2, Yedan 12, Yundan 1 and so on.

3. Analysis of production conditions and measures to further increase output

The southern hilly corn region has a large population and little land, rich in water and heat resources, and a high level of production technology, so it is an important production base of commercial grain and many kinds of cash crops in our country. However, the soil texture is poor, the fertility of red and yellow soil is low, and the soil erosion is serious. In terms of land use, paddy field is more important than dry land. In the hilly dry land, the irrigation and water conservancy facilities are poor, the maize cultivation management is extensive, and the yield is low. Local farmers and technicians lack experience in planting corn and adapt to varieties, which also limits the improvement of corn yield.

The southern provinces are the main consumption areas of commercial corn, transporting or importing a large amount of corn from the north every year. Many farmers have to use rice to raise livestock and poultry, which is very uneconomical. The development of autumn and winter corn production in the south will alleviate part of the contradiction between supply and demand and help to establish a sustainable agricultural production structure. At the same time, with the development of irrigation and water conservancy construction, increasing fertilizer, expanding green manure and improving soil fertility will help to expand the production and development of autumn and winter corn. To develop autumn and winter corn production in the south, the following problems need to be solved:

(1) to develop winter fallow fields. 180 million mu of dry land in the southern rice-producing area has not been fully utilized, of which about 100 million mu is suitable for planting corn. Through the reform of farming system, the improvement of multiple cropping index and the development of intercropping and intercropping, corn production in southern China can be effectively promoted. At the same time, it is necessary to popularize advanced cultivation techniques, such as reasonable close planting, seedling transplanting and feeding cattle with corn stalks, and then apply more fertilizers to improve dry land and barren slopes.

(2) expand the rotation of flood and drought. Hunan and Hubei provinces have reformed the planting system and popularized the multiple cropping of spring corn-late rice or early rice-summer corn. The yield of corn per mu can reach 400-500 kg, the yield of rice per mu can reach 500-600 kg, and the yield per mu of the two crops will exceed one ton of grain. Guangdong, Jiangxi and Fujian are also demonstrating the technology to increase production.

The intercropping and interplanting technique based on maize was popularized in hilly dry land. Such as corn and sweet potato, peanut, beans and other intercropping intercropping, each mu can increase the income of 200-250 kg corn on the basis of the original crop.

Popularize the technology of plastic film mulching in high and cold mountain areas. Corn can increase production by 30-50%.

Select and breed improved varieties. There is a lack of adaptive hybrids in the south, and the varieties introduced from other regions can not fully meet the ecological requirements and natural conditions of multi-cropping system in the southern hilly region, and the disease resistance is not fully adapted, so the yield potential of these varieties can not be brought into full play. Breeding adaptive hybrids is an important measure to develop autumn and winter maize production in the south of China.

Increase the application of fertilizer, study and popularize the local high-yield cultivation techniques of maize.