Effects of Varietal Selection and Plant Spacing Patterns on the Growth of Maize (Zea mays L.) in Irrigated Agro-Eco-Systems of Punjab

Maize (Zea mays L; 2n=20) is one among the major cereal crops grown in the humid tropics. It has high yield potential, immense potentiality, and that is why it is also known as ‘queen of cereals’. Though it is mainly used as a food crop in India by the rural population in the form of bread and gruel, it has vast industrial potentialities as well having as many as 50 different uses. The world's corn production in 2020-2021 is 1216.87 million tons. The estimated production of maize in 2022-2023 was to reach 1,161.86 million tonnes in. The predicted global maize production for this year is the same period was 1,161.86 million tonnes, and a decrease of 55.00 million tonnes or 4.52%. The total area of maize (for dry grain) in the world is 197 M hectares, with significant regions in Asia, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) (FAOStat, 2021). In India, Kharif maize accounts for about 83% of the country's total maize area, while Rabi maize accounts for 17%. The most widely used products made from maize are meal and flour, though there are many regional variations in how maize is processed and consumed.