Varieties

1. Girija (L-118) : It is suitable for high rainfall area of low and mid hills where water drainage is not proper. It matures timely (110 days). It gives an average yield of 40 q/ha. The plants are medium tall with thick stem and erect dark green leaves. The plants generally bear two cobs.


2. Sartaj Hybrid : It has medium tall plants with semi-erect, green to dark green leaves. The stem is thick with medium cob placement, medium branched compact tassel and compact husk cover. It is tolerant to Erwinia stalk rot under field conditions but susceptible under artificial inoculation. It is moderately resistant to H. turcicum; H. maydis leaf blights. It is resistant to lodging and give best response on per hectare basis at 80 N + 40 Kg P2O 5+20 kg K2O + FYM under rainfed conditions. It is tolerant to moisture stress and is suitable for low rainfall areas of the state and is suitable for cultivation upto 1200 m, asl in the districts of Sirmour, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and in lower mid hills of Kullu, Mandi, Solan, Shimla and Chamba. It has good chapati making qualities because of orange yellow flint grains and is also suitable for dairy cattle because the stems are green at harvest time. Its average yield on the basis of on-farm trails conducted in the state is 46 q/ha. However, being hybrid variety, its seed is to be purchased fresh every year.


3. Early Composite : It is a composite variety. It is suitable for cultivation in areas lying between 750 to 1,450m above mean sea level. The plants are medium tall with thick stem. The cobs are mediumly placed which make them less prone to loding and easy to harvest. The average yield of this variety is 33 q per hectare and matures in 105-110 days. It gives good performance even under low-fertility and unirrigated conditions. Under complete drought conditions, the variety when sown in last week of May gives outstanding performance and has been found to be particularly suitable for Kullu, Bilaspur, higher Chamba, drier areas of Kangra and Solan districts. Because of its early maturity, more residual moisture is left in the soil for proper germination of the following crop. The grains are light orange, flint to semi-flint having good chapati making quality. It is more resistant to Helminthosporium turcicum than the local. It requires well drained fields for best results. It should not be planted in the fields where water stands due to excessive rain.


4. Parvati : This composite is suitable for cultivation in low and mid hill areas of the State, particularly in areas where stalk rot is prevalent. The plants are medium tall with medium to slightly higher cob placement. The plants generally bear two cobs. The average yield is 35 q/ha and it matures in 110-115 days. The grains are orange to yellow and flint to semi-flint. The flour of this variety has very good chapati making qualities.


5. Navin Composite : It is an early maturing, medium tall and lodging resistant composite having yellow, bold, flint to semi-flint grains. It is recommended for low hills (Zone I) and because of its short duration it fits well in maize-toria-wheat rotation. It is highly resistant to brown stripe, downy mildew and other foliar diseases. Its average yield is 35 q/ha.


6. Him-123 : This is a hybrid variety of maize and as such, the farmers should get fresh seed for sowing every year. The average yield of this variety is recommended for lower areas of Himachal Pradesh and is particularly suited to irrigated and high fertility conditions.


7. Pop Corn : This a special type of maize and good for popping only. The variety U.P.A.U. pop corn is recommended. The average yield is 20 q/ha and matures in 100-105 days. The variety is fairly resistant to leaf blight. It sells at a premium in the market.