Description
Corn is the second most important cereal worldwide, after wheat. The plant differs from the other Cereals by its vegetative system, highly developed when compared to other cereals. Its root system is fasciculate and has a system of adventitious roots that are born above ground level. This system allows to hold the plant to the ground, allowing it to reach a height of up to 3m high, with a stem of 3 to 4cm in diameter. It is a monoecious plant, with male flowers located at the end of the stem and female flowers located in the axils of the lower leaves. The fruit that develops is a globose caryopsis commonly named cob, when color depends on the variety of the crop.
In Spain, approximately 320,000 hectares of corn are grown, with an annual production of 3.7 tons. A third of the corn production in Spain occurs in Castilla and León, and almost another third in the province of Aragón (especially Huesca). Extremadura and Catalonia are the following corn producers in Spain
Corn is the second most important cereal worldwide, after wheat. The plant differs from the other cereals by its vegetative system, highly developed when compared to other cereals. Its root system is fasciculate and has a system of adventitious roots that are born above ground level. This system allows to hold the plant to the ground, allowing it to reach a height of up to 3m high, with a stem of 3 to 4cm in diameter. It is a monoecious plant, with male flowers located at the end of the stem and female flowers located in the axils of the lower leaves. The fruit that develops is a globose caryopsis commonly named cob, when color depends on the variety of the crop.
In Spain, approximately 320,000 hectares of corn are grown, with an annual production of 3.7 tons. A third of the corn production in Spain occurs in Castilla and León, and almost another third in the province of Aragón (especially Huesca). Extremadura and Catalonia are the following corn producers in Spain
Soil
Corn prefers deep, fine-textured soils with organic matter. Although it can grow in all types of soils, it prefers soils with a slightly acidic or alkaline pH, but between 5.5 and 7.5. Being a short cycle and great growth plant, it needs a fertile soil without moisture deficit for its optimal growth.
PH
Salinity
Quality
Temperature
Corn is a plant that grows optimally in hot and humid climates. It requires temperatures of 25 to 30ºC and a high incidence of light for an optimal growth.
Irrigation
Their water requirements are higher than the other cereals because they require to produce a lot of plant matter for their correct development, being their needs of about 7000m3 / ha per year.
Irrigation properties
Varieties
The varieties grown in Spain are mainly hybrid corn. These varieties are divided into 10 groups, ranging from group I with a crop cycle of 80 days to X, with a crop cycle of 145 days. In Spain the varieties of cycle VI and VII are usually cultivated, with a crop cycle of 110 to 125 days.
Other similar crops