Maize - an alternative cereal for crop diversification in changing climate

Abstract

In India, the cereal consumption and hence, production patterns have changed with more rice and wheat and less coarse cereals such as millet, maize and sorghum, resulting in consistent decline in groundwater availability especially in the country’s northern states, raising concerns for cereal production and self-sufficiency. Kharif maize, with less water requirement than paddy, has been recognized as a candidate crop in crop diversification plan to break predominant wheat- paddy status quo. Moreover, maize - wheat cropping system lead to about 10 per cent higher productivity of wheat than paddy-wheat crop rotation. But poor competitiveness of maize v/s paddy, price instability, yield gaps and instability of performance, less mechanized, rice-wheat oriented infrastructure, market and processing are major issues for a large scale cultivation of maize. Maize yield enhancement, which is a major driver for its economic viability and farmer’s acceptance, need to be addressed on priority dovetail with mechanisation, nutritional enrichment and infrastructure development especially for specialty corns. Maize, being a multi-purpose crop and its strong emergence as industrial crop ensures its stable and perpetual demand. In India, as our major cereal consumption needs are met from domestic production, the country has an excellent opportunity for strengthening crops like maize as an alternate cereal with less water requirement, reduced environmental burden of agriculture and more nutrition.