Plant Density and Fertilizer Requirement for Sweet Corn

Specialty corns viz., sweet corn, pop corn, baby corn, high-oil corn etc. assume tremendous market potential not only in India but also in the international market. These specialty corns with their high market value are perfectly suitable to peri-urban agriculture. Thus they promise higher income to maize growers. Out of the various specialty corns, sweet corn (Zea mays L. var. saccharata Sturt) has a big market potential. Maximum yield can be expected only when plant density allows individual plant to achieve their maximum inherent potential. Judicious use of plant nutrients is a key to bumper maize crop production as they alone contribute 40-60 per cent of the crop yield. The recommended plant spacing and fertilizer dose for hybrids and composites varieties of normal maize may not be applicable to the sweet corn. Hence, the present work deals with spacing and fertilizer requirement for sweet corn.