Undersowing Maize
Thinking about undersowing your maize this year? Here’s a few handy tips and reasons why to try it!
Image courtesy of the MGA.
Benefits:
It may seem like an extra cost to drill a grass mix alongside your maize crop, but here are 10 reasons why it can provide the worthwhile benefits!
Better travelling conditions at harvest
Soil retention
Nutrient retention
Increasing soil fertility & biomass
Additional grazing
Available outlet for slurry / digestate use in the spring.
No significant effect on maize crop
Enhances and stabilises soil structure.
Winter ground cover
The feel good factor of helping the environment around you!
What to sow and when?
The key to an undersown crop with maize, is to remember that the focus is still on the primary crop – the Maize. The undersown crop is secondary and should remain so.
As maize is sensitive to competition, the herbicide programme should stay in place and give the crop the best chance. The chemicals used may influence the species and timing of sowing. Ideally 2 weeks are needed between the post emergence spray and the sowing.
Maize variety choice
Whilst any variety of maize can be undersown, there are some choices that can be made to increase success. An earlier variety that requires less sunlight hours to reach maturity or a variety that has excellent early vigour will be beneficial.
Target sowing should be between the 4 and 8 leaf stage.
For early sowings (4-5 leaf stage), use a less competitive species such as a Fescue, or even a Perennial Ryegrass.
For the later sowing (7-8 leaf stage) use a more robust and fast growing species such as an Italian Ryegrass or Westerwolds.
Sowing rates should not be too high, around 8-15kg/ha. This will be dependent on conditions, species choice and maize growth stage.
These options are not exhaustive, and as more trials and data is received, the understanding and opportunities increase.
Establishing an undersown crop should ideally be done using specialist machinery – using an interrow drill. This gives the best chance of establishment and can effectively place the seed in the right place. Broadcasting is not the most effective method, as establishment rates are low and the spacing away from the maize plant is not regulated. Drilling too early with the undersown crop can have a negative effect on yield but waiting until the 4-5 leaf stage will not.