Maize

Maize

Scientific name: Zea mays L.

Bangla/local name: ‘Bhutta’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxonomic position According to Cronquist (1988)

Kingdom:Plantae
Division:Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Subclass: Commelinidae
Order: Poales
Family:Poaceae
Genus: Zea
Species: Z. mays

 

 

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Botanical Description of Maize

 Habit : Annual large monoecious herb

 Root: Fiberous root system, originating from the stem tissue is called adventitious roots.  Roots grow laterally in the upper soil and then turn vertically downwards. As the plant grows, individual roots may reach a depth of 2.5 m in good soil.

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Stem: Cylindrical, erect having distinct node and internodes.

Leaves:  Simple, sessile, long divided into two parts e.g. leaf sheath and leaf blade, multicostate parallel veined. Each leaf consists of leaf sheath, leaf blade, and collar. The collar is a distinct joint which marks the point of extension of leaf blade from the stem. The appearance of the collar indicates that a leaf is fully extended. The leaf is connected to the stem below the collar, where the leaf sheath is attached to the node. Leaf sheaths support the plant before and during elongation of internodes.

Inflorescence:  The maize plant is monoecious, bearing male flowers in the tassel and female flowers on the lateral ear shoots of the same plant. The male spikelets are arranged in terminal panicled like spike like racemose. The female spikelets are arranged in row on a thickened rachis envelope by many green spathes like bract; male spikelets has two flowers one of which is pedicillate and other is sessile.

Male flower (staminate flower)

Tassel- Approximately 30 days after sowing, when the stem is only 2 cm long and the plant just knee-high, the tassel is initiated. At this stage, the growing point switches from producing leaves to producing the terminal reproductive structure, the tassel.

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Perianth: calyx and corolla are converted into lodicules.

Female flower (Pistillate flower): each spikelet has two flowers covered by palea. Female flower is zygomorphic, hypogynous and irregular.

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Perianth: the calyx and corolla are converted into lodicules which is look like as scale.

Gynoecium: carpel one, placentation basal, ovary superior, style long silky, stigma feathery.

Fruit: caryopsis image8

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Seed: endospermic

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Figure: Grain of Corn

 

 

Economic Importance: Maize is used as a staple human food, as feed for live-stock and as a raw material for many industrial products. The foliaceous bracts are used as a wrapping for cigarettes and cheroots. The cob, stems and leaves can be fed to cattle.

Table1. Maize varieties developed by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI)

 

Sl. No.Name of variety Developed byGrowing seasonAverage yield (t ha-1)
1ShuvraPlant Breeding Division, BARIRabi4.5-5.5
2KhoibhuttaPlant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, kharifRabi-5.5, Kharif-4.0-4.5
3BarnaliPlant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, kharifRabi-5.5-6.0, kharif-4.0-4.5
4MohorPlant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, kharifRabi-5.0-5.5, Kharif-3.5-4.5
5BARI Bhutta-5Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, KharifRabi-6.5-7.5, Kharif-5.0-6.0
6BARI Bhutta-6Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, KharifRabi-6.5-7.5, Kharif-5.0-6.0
7BARI Bhutta-7Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, KharifRabi-6.5-7.5, Kharif-5.0-6.0
8BARI Misty Bhutta -1Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi14.0

 

9BARI Hybrid Bhutta -1Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, KharifRabi-7.5-8.5, Kharif-6.5-7.0
10BARI Hybrid Bhutta -2Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, KharifRabi-9.0-9.5, Kharif-7.0-7.5
11BARI Hybrid Bhutta  -3Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, KharifRabi- 10-10.5, Kharif-7.0-7.5
12BARI Top Cross Hybrid Bhutta -1Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, KharifRabi- 9.0-9.5, Kharif-7-7.5
13BARI Hybrid Bhutta  -5Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, KharifRabi- 10-10.5, Kharif-7.0-7.5
14BARI Hybrid Bhutta  – 6Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, KharifRabi- 9.0-9.5, Kharif-7-7.5
15BARI Hybrid Bhutta-7Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, KharifRabi- 10.0-11.0, Kharif-7-7.5
16BARI Hybrid Bhutta – 8Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, KharifRabi- 10.0-11.0, Kharif-7-7.5
17BARI Hybrid Bhutta – 9Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, KharifRabi- 10.0-11.0, Kharif-7-7.5
18BARI Hybrid Bhutta – 10Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, Kharif9.0-12.48
19BARI Hybrid Bhutta  -11Plant Breeding Division, BARIRabi, Kharif9.5-12.5
20BARI Hybrid Bhutta-12Plant Breeding Division , BARI
21BARI Hybrid Bhutta-13Plant Breeding Division
22BARI Hybrid Bhutta-14Plant Breeding DivisionRabi, Kharif10.84, 10.52
23BARI Hybrid Bhutta-15Plant Breeding DivisionRabi, Kharif12.07-12.75
24BARI Hybrid Bhutta-16Plant Breeding DivisionRabi7.06

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