Field Preparation and Planting Corn (Zea mays)
- Melissa A. Draves1,
- Zachary B. Traylor2,
- Miriam Nancy Salazar-Vidal1,
- Sarah L. Fitzsimmons2 and
- Sherry Flint-Garcia3,4
- 1Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
- 2Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
- 3Plant Genetics Research Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
- ↵4Correspondence: sherry.flint-garcia{at}usda.gov
Abstract
Corn (Zea mays) is an essential global crop, producing billions of bushels per year for food, feed, fiber, and fuel production. Field preparation and planning for planting maize are essential to the success of spring planting and an equally successful summer growing season. This protocol is aimed to help the researcher with field preparation, organizing the field before planting, hand planting, machine planting, and early season field assessments (i.e., scouting). When growing corn in the greenhouse or growth chamber, procedures may differ, especially regarding pest control, watering, and fertilization practices. This protocol serves as a guide based on organizing a maize nursery for research purposes and may slightly differ based on available machinery and weather conditions.
Footnotes
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From the Maize collection, edited by Candice N. Hirsch and Marna D. Yandeau-Nelson. The entire Maize collection is available online at Cold Spring Harbor Protocols and can be accessed at https://cshprotocols.cshlp.org/.
