Comparative performance of direct seeding and transplanting green maize under farmer management in small scale irrigation: a case study of Zanyokwe, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Abstract

An on-farm experiment was conducted at Zanyokwe irrigation scheme (ZIS) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa (SA) to evaluate comparative performance of direct seeded and transplanted green maize under farmer management. Results indicated that the mean labour requirements for establishment were 212 h ha -1 with transplanting and 1.9 h ha -1 with direct seeding. Crop stand significantly increased from 48 to 97% when maize was transplanted rather than directly seeded. Variable costs were R5 462 and R1 896 ha -1 for transplanted and directly seeded maize, respectively. The