Disease management: State wise predominant diseases and their control measures

• Turcicum leaf blight: Seed treatment with Azospririllum (ACD 15 or ACD 20 Stran) @ 25 g and Trichoderma @ 6g per kg seeds or Thiram 75 WP @ 2 g or Capatn 50 WP @ 2 g per kg of seeds before sowing. Spray 2.5g Mancozeb 75 WP or 1 ml Hexaconazole 5 EC or 1 ml combiproduct fungicide Azoxystrobin 18.2% + Difinconazole 11.4% per liter of water immediately after appearance of the disease symptoms. Repeat the same after 15 days which helps to manage Curvularia leaf spot also.
• Charcoal Stalk Rot: Seed treatment with 25g PSB (Pseudomonas striata H-21) and 6 g Trichoderma harzianum or 5 ml Thiram Flo 40 FS per kg seeds before sowing. Apply balanced fertilizers, especially potash. Crop rotation with paddy or sesame will reduce the disease incidence. Irrigate the crop at the flowering and grain filling stage. Avoid mono cropping of maize.
• Common Rust: Early sowing of the crop (May-June). Spray 2g Mancozeb 75 WP per liter water and repeat the same spray after 10 days or 35-50 days after sowing spray the crop with 1 ml Hexaconazole 5 EC or 1 ml combiproduct fungicide Azoxystrobin 18.2% + Difinconazole 11.4% per liter of water.
• Downey Mildew: Seed treatment with systemic fungicide Metalaxly (4 @) + Mancozeb (64 %) @ 2 g per kg of seeds. Uproot and burn the infected plants. Spray Mancozeb 75 WP @ 2 g per litter of water at 40-45 days after sowing Avoid mono cropping of maize.

Pest Management: State-wise predominant pests and their control measures

• Stem borer: Spray Chlorantraniliprole insecticide at 0.2 ml per liter of water as foliar spray or apply 3 kg Carbofuron 3% gramules in leaf whorls per acre. Repeat the same after 2 weeks if infestation continues.
• Army worm: Manage the pest by using Poison bait technique mix the 250 ml Monocrotophos 36 SL in 5-8 liters of water along with 4 kg Jaggery and 50 kg rice or wheat bran and keep it for 2 days in plastic bag or air tight container. Spread the above said poison bait to the plant whorls and leaves during the evening time. Insects will be attracted by the poison bait & die.
• Cob borer: Spray the cobs with carbaryl 50% water soluble powder @ 4 g per liter of water. 150 liters of spray solution is required per acre or dust the cobs with Melathoions 5 % @ 12 kg/acre.

Agronomic recommendations:
Sowing time : The suitable time of sowing is May-June, Sept-Oct and Jan-Feb months. In case of downy mildew infected fields, September month sowing is not recommended. Maize is not suitable for the areas where temperature exceeds 40.5 0C and above because higher temperature during flowering affects pollination, grain filling and leads to low production.

Inputs for crop cultivation (Per acre)

Sowing seeds (Certified)	9-11 kg
Organic Manures: Farm yard manure (FYM) or Compost (Incorporated into soil 2-3 weeks before sowing) or	4000kg
Poultry manure	400kg

Fertilizers

Nitrogen	60 kg
Phosphorous	26 kg
Potassium	26 kg
Zinc sulphate	10 kg
Ferrous Sulphate	10 kg

Sowing: Sow seeds in 60 cm rows with 20 cm between plant to plant with depth of not more than 5 cm. Apply 6,26 and 26 kg NPK/acre fertilizers at the time of sowing. Top dress the crop at 20, 35, 50 and 65 days after sowing (4^th leaf, 8^th leaf, tasseling and seed setting stage) with 12, 18, 18 and 6 kg/acre nitrogen, respectively. Fertilizers should be applied 7.5-10 cm away from the rows.

Weed control: 1 kg/acre Atrazine 50 WP or 0.5 kg Atrazine 50 WP tank mixed with 1 kg of Pendimethanlin 30 EC dissolved in 300 liters of water should be sprayed on the day of sowing or next day. Soil should be wet and frible at the time of sowing. They control germinating weed seeds. Spray 2-4-D sodium salt 80 % at the rate of 0.5 kg/acre at 20 to 25 days after sowing on weeds to control broad leaved weeds. Note that there should not be cotton, pulses, potato, cucumber and grape plantation nearby maize crop while spraying 2-4-D weedicide. On the day or next day of sowing of maize, spray Atrazine 50 WP @ 0.8 kg/ac and at 20-25 days after sowing (when weeds at 2-3 leaf stage) spray Tebotrione @ 48 g/acre for control of weeds.