Curriculum (PDF) - Biovision

Week 18
Topic Duration What you need for this lesson
1 Harvesting maize 2 hours Tape measure, weighing balance, panga, wheelbarrows or
sacks for carrying the maize cobs, poles, string.
2 Storing maize stover 45 minutes
Introduction
This is the time you have been waiting for.
Your maize is now ready for harvesting and
storing. This lesson discusses when and
how to harvest and store maize.
You have two plots: The Push-pull and the
Check plot. Make sure that you harvest
each plot separately and keep the maize
from each plot separately. This will help
you to know the difference in yields between
the two plots.
Topic 1: Harvesting maize
Learning objective
On completion of this topic participants will
be able to:
Explain the right time to harvest maize
Demonstrate how to harvest maize
Learning activities
Facilitator-led introduction on timing of
maize harvesting
Practical exercise:
• Measuring the height of the maize
• Harvesting
• Dissecting some stalks to check for
stemborers
Discussions (Lead questions: What
is the relationship between maize
height and yield? What happens to the
stemborers that are in the stover?)
When to harvest maize
The grain crop can be harvested when
cob-sheath turns brownish and grains
become hard and shiny
In high altitude areas, maize may take
up to a month longer to mature
The difference in length of growing
season between early and late hybrids
is more in the number of days from
planting to silking than in the days from
silking to maturity
How to harvest maize
There are two methods of maize harvesting:
1. Plucking of cobs: The maize cobs are
removed from the standing plants and
placed in the open to dry in the sun.
The maize stalks are later cut and fed to
animals.
2. Stalk cutting: The plants are cut and
piled up in the field and the cobs are
removed when they are dry. The dried
stalks are fed to animals.
Sorting and drying of maize cobs
After harvest, sort out all off-type
maize cobs, particularly those showing
different colours and texture, and the
diseased cobs, before placing them in
bins to dry
A good sorting at this time considerably
reduces the task of sorting after the
maize cobs have been dried to the
desired extent (10 to 15 percent
moisture content)
Step 1: Starting from one corner of a plot walk
to the opposite corner (diagonally). As you
walk stop at every fifth plant, measure
and record its height and then cut it at the
base. Carry all the plants you have cut out
of the plot and dissect them. Observe and
record the number of stemborer larvae and
pupae.
Push-pull curriculum | 83