Abstract
Effects of non-leguminous cover crops and their times of chopping on the yield and quality of no-till baby corn (Zea mays L.) were evaluated during two kharif seasons (May-August in 2014 and 2015) under subtropical climatic conditions of Punjab, India. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with four replications at Punjab Agricultural University’s Research Farm. Three cover crops (pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), fodder maize (Zea mays L.), and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)) and the control (no cover crop) were in the main plots and chopping time treatments (25, 35, 45 days after planting (DAP)) in the subplots. During both kharif seasons, the yield (cob and fodder yield) and dry matter accumulation of baby corn following cover crop treatments, especially pearl millet, were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher than the control, and improved with increments in chopping time from 25 to 45 DAP. The effect of cover crops on baby corn quality (i.e., protein, starch, total soluble solids, crude fiber, total solid, and sugar content) did not differ among treatments, while increasing increments in chopping time had a significant effect on the protein and sugar content of baby corn. The use of cover crops and increment in chopping time helped in enhancing topsoil quality, especially available nitrogen; yet, the effect of cover crops and their times of chopping on topsoil organic carbon, phosphorus, and potassium did not differ among treatments. During both seasons, there was no significant interaction between cover crop and time of chopping among treatments with respect to baby corn yield and quality, as well as topsoil quality parameters.
Highlights
Maize (Zea mays L.), called corn, is the third most important cereal crop in the world after rice and wheat as a source of calories and in terms of the value of production [1,2,3]
The results suggested that chopping all non-leguminous cover crops, pearl millet, at 45 days after planting (DAP) could enhance dry mass accumulation and cob and fodder yield of succeeding kharif baby corn under no-till practices
Effects of three non-leguminous cover crops and their times of chopping on the yield and quality of no-till baby corn were evaluated during two kharif seasons under subtropical climatic conditions of Punjab, India
Summary
Maize (Zea mays L.), called corn, is the third most important cereal crop in the world after rice and wheat as a source of calories and in terms of the value of production [1,2,3]. The importance of maize worldwide is driven by its multiple uses as human food, livestock feed, a variety of food and industrial products, and seed [4]. In 2014, India produced about 23.7 million tons of maize on 9.3 million ha [5]. The average maize yield in India was. As a C4 plant, maize has a higher grain yield potential than other major cereal grains (i.e., wheat and rice) [7]. Maize can be directly consumed as food at different stages of crop development, from
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