Do you like corn?

The Philippines is really an agricultural Country, so you would expect that you could find some good corn here.

Paddy corn field at day time in Bohol, Philippines.

The use of locally available and cheap organic fertilizers like chicken dung and rice hull ash which

have the ability to increase crop yield and at the same time improve soil quality is becoming popular

among farmers in many places in the Philippines. In addition, considering that the world demand for

corn as food and feed is projected to greatly increase in the coming decades, there is a need to

explore the use of such materials for corn production.

The inorganic fertilizer, chicken dung, and chicken dung plus rice hull ash significantly increased

the number of ears per plant, ear length, number of grains per ear, weight of 1000 seeds, grain

yield and harvest index. The use of chicken dung combined with rice hull ash for corn production

is a good substitute for the inorganic fertilizer in increasing corn grain yield.

Among the main factors. to be considered in corn production is the biophysical environment of a

place which includes rainfall, temperature, and type of soil. Temperature in a tropical country like

ours doesn¡¯t really fluctuate because of our latitudinal location. However, temperature can be

significantly lowered with altitude as in the case of elevated cities or provinces like Baguio or Bukidnon.

Yellow corn ready for harvest in Ilocos Province, Philippines.

Happy workers harvest sweet corn.

This was some of the BEST tasting corn. It's juicy and sweet.Don¡¯t miss that chance to enjoy the

field fresh corn!

Here are some tips to expound your wisdom in growing corn.

1. Don¡¯t plant if the field is too dry. Wait for some rain.
2. Keep your crops healthy; it will be better prepared than the neglected ones when drought

   or disease comes.
3. Set-up drainage canals if you think the heavy rains will pond in your field. Corn doesn¡¯t like

    too much water.
4. Irrigate when you notice your plants wilting at the middle of the day. Plant shorter maturing

   hybrids if water is going to be a challenge.
5. If you have a history of borer infestations, watch out for it and plan your preventive or

   control measures. Better yet, use BT corn seeds
6. If disease pressure is high, know what hybrid you¡¯re buying. Contact your local Pioneer agronomist.