Introduction

Maize (zea mays) is a tall annual crop of the grass family. It grows to a height of between 1.5 m
and 3 m. From the stalk grows the conical cob on which the grains are found. The cobs are
harvested either by hand or by mechanised harvesters such as in the USAs extensive farms. The
grains from the cobs are consumed or milled for maize flour.
Maize or corn is a cereal crop that is grown widely throughout the world in a range of agro
ecological environments. More maize is produced annually than any other grain.
Maize is a large grain plant first domesticated by indigenous people in Mexico (Indians) about
10,000 years ago. An influential 2002 study by Matsuoka et al, has demonstrated that, rather than
the multiple independent domestications model, all maize arose from a single domestication in
southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago. Before they were domesticated, maize plants only grew
small, 25 millimeters (1 in) long corn cobs, and only one per plant. Many centuries of artificial
selection by the indigenous people of the Americas resulted in the development of maize plants
capable of growing several cobs per plant that were usually several centimetres/inches long each.
Maize was introduced into Africa in the 1500s and has since become one of Africa's dominant
food crops. In Kenya it was rst introduced by the Portuguese at the coast in the 15th Century. The
six major types of corn are dent corn, flint corn, pod corn, popcorn, flour corn, and sweet corn.
After European contact with the Americas in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, explorers and
traders carried maize back to Europe and introduced it to other countries. Maize spread to the rest
of the world because of its ability to grow in diverse climates.
Importance
Maize is the most important cereal crop in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and an important staple food
for more than 1.2 billion people in SSA and Latin America. Large as well as small-scale farmers
produce the crop and a large percentage of the population depends on Maize farming as an incomegenerating crop.
All parts of the crop can be used for food and non-food products. In industrialized countries, maize
is largely used as livestock feed and as a raw material for industrial products. Maize accounts for
3050% of low-income household expenditures in Eastern and Southern Africa. A heavy reliance

on maize in the diet, however, can lead to malnutrition and vitamin deficiency diseases such as
night blindness and kwashiorkor.
Sugar-rich varieties called sweet corn are usually grown for human consumption as kernels,
while field corn varieties are used for animal feed, various corn-based human food uses (including
grinding into cornmeal or masa, pressing into corn oil, and fermentation and distillation into
alcoholic beverages like bourbon whiskey), and as chemical feed stocks. Like many other regions,
it is consumed as a vegetable although it is a grain crop. The grains are rich in vitamins A, C and
E, carbohydrates, and essential minerals, and contain 9% protein. They are also rich in dietary fiber
and calories which are a good source of energy.
Maize production in Kenya
The chief growing areas are Trans Nzoia, Nakuru, Bungoma, and Uasin Gishu counties. In South
Nyanza, other parts of the Rift Valley and Western Province, maize is grown alongside other
subsistence crops like beans, potatoes and bananas.
Maize is harvested in the dry season to avoid incidents of grain rotting in the field. On small farms
the maize is left to dry while on the stalks. The cobs are then removed from their husks by hand
and taken to the stores. Maize is periodically dried in the sun until the grains are completely dry.
On large farms, the plants are cut and piled in several places in the eld in straight heaps. This
enables the grains to dry for some period. The cobs are then removed and shelling done usually by
machines. The grain is winnowed and packed in sacks.
Farmers in Kenya usually realize yields of between 20 to 50 bags per acre under good agronomic
practices. However, Kenyan farmer have even a greater potential of producing more than this given
improved agronomic practices.
Maize is widely cultivated throughout the world, and a greater weight of maize is produced each
year than any other grain. The United States produces 40% of the world's harvest; other top
producing countries include China, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, India, France and Argentina. There
is conflicting evidence to support the hypothesis that maize yield potential has increased over the
past few decades. This suggests that changes in yield potential are associated with leaf angle,

lodging resistance, tolerance of high plant density, disease/pest tolerance, and other agronomic
traits rather than increase of yield potential per individual plant.
Production constraints
Pests and diseases are one of the major constraints in maize production. There are various species
of stem borers ranked as the most devastating maize pests in SSA. They can cause 20-40% losses
during cultivation and 30-90% losses postharvest and during storage. Other pests in SSA include
ear borers, armyworms, cutworms, grain moths, beetles, weevils, grain borers, rootworms, and
white grubs. The parasitic Striga weed is another maize pest. Striga is ranked as the number one
production constraint in maize production and is severe. Maize diseases in SSA include downy
mildew, rust, leaf blight, stalk and ear rots, leaf spot, and maize streak virus (MSV).
Maize does not tolerate drought well and the grain can rot during storage in tropical climates. A
lack of sunshine and nitrogen can reduce the production potential of the crop. High cost of
production is also a constraint as poor farmers cant afford expensive farm inputs e. g. fertilizers
which reduce the farmers prots. Additionally, unstable market prices makes it hard for the famer
to plan or at times to even recover their inputs.
Flooding of the local markets by cheap imports from COMESA countries and heavily subsidized
farmers from the European Union or even from genetically modified grains leads to unhealthy
competitions thereby lowering market prices and causing farmers immense losses. Furthermore,
poor marketing strategies has resulted in farmers selling their crop at throw away prices. In addition
to these, there are potential life threatening weeds that affect maize.
These are the most common weeds that affect maize crop
Scientific name

common name

Striga asiatica

witchweed

Amaranthus spp

common pigweed

Bidens pilosa

blackjack

Chenopodium album

goosefoot

Chloris virgate

feather fingergrass

Commelina benghalensis

wandering jew

Conyza spp

fleabane

datura ferox

large thorn apple

Ipomoea purpurae

morning glory

Sorghum halepense

grass sorghum

Cyperus escsulentus

yellow nutsedge

Striga, commonly known as witch weed or witchers weed, is a genus of parasitic plants that occur
naturally in parts of Africa, Asia, and Australia. It is in the family Orobanchaceae. Some species
are serious pathogens of crop cereals, with the greatest effects being in savanna agriculture in
Africa.
Witch weeds are characterized by bright-green stems and leaves and small, brightly colored and
attractive flowers. They are obligate hemiparasites of roots and require a living host for
germination and initial development, though they can then survive on their own. The number of
species is not certain, but exceeds 40 by some counts.

Three species cause the most

damage: Striga asiatica, S. gesnerioides, and S. hermonthica. Witch weed parasitizes maize,
millet, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, legumes, and a range of weedy grasses. It is capable of
significantly reducing yields, in some cases wiping out the entire crop. Host plant symptoms
include stunting, wilting, and chlorosis.
In fact, witchweed affects 40% of Africas arable savanna region, resulting in up to $13 billion
loss every year. Striga affects 40 million hectares (98,842,153 acres) of crops in sub-Saharan
Africa alone. The witchweed infestation is so bad in parts of Africa, some farmers have to relocate
every few years. Furthermore, the majority of crops in Africa are grown by subsistence farmers
who cannot afford expensive witchweed controls, who therefore suffer much as a result of this
pathogen.
Management of witchweed is difficult because the majority of its life cycle takes place below
ground. If it is not detected before emergence, it is too late to reduce crop loss. To prevent
witchweed from spreading it is necessary to plant uncontaminated seeds and clean soil and plant
debris off of machinery, shoes, clothing, and tools before entering fields. If populations are low,
hand weeding before seeds are produced is an option.

Striga has been controlled through the use of several management strategies, including quarantines
imposed on affected areas, control of movement of farm equipment between infected and
uninfected areas, herbicide application, and imposed "suicidal germination". In some cases in
fields not yet planted in crops, seeds present in the soil are induced to germinate by
injecting ethylene gas, which mimics the natural physiological response tied to host recognition.
Because no host roots are available, the seedlings die. Unfortunately, each Striga plant can produce
tens of thousands of tiny seeds, which can remain dormant in the soil for many years. Thus, such
treatments do not remove all seeds from the soil. Moreover, this method is expensive and not
generally available to many farmers in developing nations of Africa and Asia.
Another method called trap cropping involves planting a species in an infested field that will
induce the Striga seeds to germinate but will not support attachment of the parasite. This method
has been used by planting silver leaf (Desmodium uncinatum) which inhibits striga seed
germination and has worked effectively when intercropped with maize. Witch weed-resistant
maize are also effective trap crops. Some corn varieties show partial resistance to witch weed,
including 'Katumani' in Kenya. Some crop cultivars, especially corn, are resistant to herbicides
that kill witch weed when the haustoria attach to the crop. 'Strigaway' maize has been shown to
reduce the seed bank of striga by 30% in two seasons.
Increasing nitrogen levels in the soil and planting susceptible crops harvested before witch weed
seed is produced, can also be used. Coating maize seeds with fungi or a herbicide also appears to
be a promising approach.
Methods of weed control
Maize is most sensitive to weed competition during its early growth period. The growth of maize
plants in the first week is rather slow and it is during this period that weeds establish rapidly and
become competitive. Maximum weed competition in maize occurs between the periods of 2-6
weeks after sowing. This suggests the importance of maintaining the field weeds free during this
critical period of weed competition. The integrated weed control measures are to be followed for
efficient weed control.
1. Weed control through efficient seedbed preparation. Two to three ploughings by mould board
plough or disc followed by 2 to 3 harrowings not only brings desired tilth but makes weed free
seedbed preparation. Ridge and furrows further layout reduces weed intensity.

2. Weed control through seed management

Soaking the maize seed for 24 hours in water and sowing after shade drying makes the seed to
germinate early as compared to weed seed and gives upper hand to maize crop over weeds .This
practice besides proving optimum plant stands reduces crop duration.
3. Weed control through improved fertilizer practices
Chemical fertilizer application in bands 5 to 10 cm from the seed instead of broadcasting makes it
available more to the crop and less to the weeds and hence more dominance of crop over weeds.
Top dressing of fertilizer at knee high stage after inter culture 15-20 cm from crop rows, with
holding irrigation for a week and covering the fertilizer by operation of ridger also reduces crop
competition from weeds.
4. Chemical weed control
Preplant, preemergent herbicides are applied to the soil surface and mechanically mixed in the soil
before the crop is planted. Herbicides applied before the corn emerges offer the advantages of
controlling weeds before they compete with the corn when it is in the seedling stage; this is the
most critical time in regard to yield reduction.
5. Weed control by mechanical and manual means
When maize crop attains knee high stage (30 days after sowing), weeds can be controlled by
working cultivator or blade harrow in between the rows of the crop. Withholding irrigation for a
week after the operation controls most of the weeds. Manual weeding only within the crop rows
(between plants) makes weed control efficient and economical.
6. Weed control by intercropping and crop rotation
Intercropping of compatible noncompetitive crops like pulses and oil seeds prevent growth of
weeds due to reduced inter row spacing which reduces congenital conditions for growth of weeds.
Maize followed by red gram, groundnut and sunflower in rotation not only controls the weeds but
improves productivity of the maize.
7. Weed control by harvesting at physiological maturity
Harvesting of maize at a physiological maturity leaves the soil with moisture content sufficient
enough to take up post harvesting ploughings and duration of crops reduced by 8-10 days.

Exposure of soil to solar radiation by post-harvest ploughing kills most of the deep-rooted weeds
and a good seedbed is prepared by natural means.
To obtain weed free plot, proper attention should be paid towards intergration of cultural practices,
mechanical methods and proper intergration of herbicides.

References
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