Our company's work on corn seeds started in 1999. Our Company, which met the hybrid corn seed needs of Tarım Kredi Kooperatif Partners by importing until 2002, started to produce hybrid corn variety seeds in our country after 2002. In 2010, the Seed Processing and Packaging Facility was established on a total area of 11,823 m², including 7,823 m² open and 5,000 m² closed area. The drying and graining capacity of our facility, where the latest technology is used, is 70 tons per day, and the seed processing and packaging capacity is 10 tons per hour. With this investment, our Company has gained the ability to produce, process and package all hybrid corn production in our country since 2011. Plant breeding studies at Altınova Hibrit Mısır Tohumluğu Araştırma ve Islah İstasyonu (Altınova Hybrid Corn Seed Research and Breeding Station) started in 2009. As of today, the hybrid corn varieties ALBAYRAK, LİLA, TK 6060, TK 6063, BULUT, LİDER, TK DORUK, TK KUM and TK ALTUN, developed at the breeding station, have been registered.

CLIMATE REQUESTS

Temperature requirement: Corn, as a hot climate plant, shows rapid growth and development on sunny days. Although the lowest germination temperature is 10-11°C, a rapid and regular emergence is achieved above 18°C. During the initial development period, it requires temperatures not falling below 19°C during the day and 13°C at night. The appropriate growth temperature for corn is 24-32°C, and the total temperature requirement during the development period varies between 2000-4000°C depending on regions and varieties.

Humidity requirement: In general, the relative humidity of the air should not fall below 60%. The corn plant is negatively affected by low air humidity, especially during the pollination period, which disrupts grain binding and increases water losses through transpiration.

SOIL REQUIREMENTS

Corn is a plant that is not very selective in soil. Corn can be grown successfully in different types of soil that are processed appropriately and in a timely manner and provided with the necessary plant nutrients. However, the corn plant shows the best development and highest yield in deep soils that are rich in organic matter and plant nutrients and have good drainage and aeration. Extremely acidic and extremely alkaline soils are not suitable for corn cultivation. The most suitable pH level is 6-7.

SOIL PREPARATION

The purpose of soil preparation is to prepare the seed bed, control weeds, break down the stubble and mix it into the soil, mix fertilizer and other organic substances into the soil, and regulate the water status in the soil. In first crop corn cultivation, the soil is plowed at a depth of 15-20 cm with a mouldboard plow in the autumn while it is tempered. In the spring, the soil is prepared for planting by using goose foot, rake and tapan.

II. In crop corn farming, the plow should be deactivated during soil cultivation and the seed bed should be prepared with tools such as goble, disc harrow, rotary and rotavator.

Note: It should not be forgotten that every 4-5 years, the plough base layer should be broken by pulling a subsoil at a depth of 40-50 cm.

SOWING: Sufficient moisture in the soil where the seed will be planted and a temperature of at least 10-12°C are essential for germination to begin. Corn planting should generally begin after the last spring frosts are over. In our coastal and Southeastern Anatolia regions, the appropriate planting date should be chosen to ensure that the plant's pollination period does not coincide with high temperatures. Seeds should be planted at a depth of 5-6 cm for 1st crop sowing and 6-8 cm for 2nd crop sowing.

SEED AMOUNT AND PLANT DENSITY: Except for suitability for machine harvesting, in grain plantings there should be 70 cm between rows and 20-24 cm over rows. In planting corn for silage, the row spacing should be 70 cm and the row spacing should be 16-18 cm for OSSK 644 and TK 6063 varieties. Planting at recommended row-to-row and row-to-row distances for grain corn planting will increase yield.

Recommended row distances and plant numbers:

For good fertilization, the best method is to have a soil analysis and fertilize accordingly. The amount of fertilizer to be applied to corn varies depending on soil structure, climatic conditions, planting density and variety. The amounts of pure fertilizer needed in corn farming in our country are as follows;

All phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be applied with planting, 1/3 of the nitrogen fertilizer should be applied with planting, the remaining part should be applied in two parts if possible, and if not possible, with the second hoe when the plant is 40 cm. This fertilizer should never be used as a spreader, it should be applied to the band between the machine and the row.

MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES IN CORN: Corn requires good care in the first period of its development. If care is not taken, weeds can easily retard the development of the corn plant.

1st Hoe: It is done when the corn is 10-15 cm tall (when it has 4-5 leaves). Weeds that will emerge during this period should be hoeed and the soil surface should be slightly ventilated. When hoeing, care should be taken not to damage the roots of young plants and not to cover them with soil. Middle-Hoe and Throat Filling: When the corn has 8-10 leaves (30-40cm), with the second nitrogen application, throat filling is done with a hoe or lister that can be used in the throat filling process. This process must be done to ensure that the support roots come into contact with the soil. Because it is known that support roots play an important role in the intake of phosphorus and other nutrients and in providing support against lying down.

IRRIGATION: The corn plant needs to receive approximately 500 mm of water from the soil during the growing period. This amount of water must be met either by rainfall or irrigation water. The total amount of water consumed by a 125-day old corn varies between 400-800 mm depending on the climate.

Periods to Meet the Water Needs of Corn: Immediately after the second fertilization and throat filling process (in the period when the plant is 30-40cm tall or has 8-10 leaves), just before the top tassel emerges, between the end of fertilization and the milking period, during the milking period (10-15 days after the cob tassel formation) the corn plant must be watered. It is possible to determine the water need of corn according to some methods:

• Looking at the corn plant: If the leaves are curled (like onion leaves) in the morning, it is necessary to water.
• By manually checking the soil temper: If the soil taken from the root depth disperses when squeezed by hand, it should be watered. If it does not disperse and leaves traces on the hand, it means there is no need for water.
• It is done with the help of electrical resistance meters.
• It is done with a tensiometer.

WEED CONTROL: Weeds in corn cause low productivity, decrease in product quality and difficulty in harvesting. Corn's competition with weeds is very weak during the emergence and early development stages. This competition occurs in terms of water, light and nutrients. Therefore, weed control should be done as soon as possible. Weed control is done in two ways;

Mechanical Struggle: It can be done with a hoeing machine or a hand hoe.

Chemical control: It can be done using herbicides.

Herbicides are divided into three groups: those used before planting, those used before emergence and those used after emergence.

Weeds seen in the corn field: Vetch grass, Canyaş, Vinegar, Wild mustard, Purslane, Dog grape, Bozot, Field ivy, Fork grass, Pig vetch, Black millet, Koygöçüren.

DISEASES: Root and stem rots, corn smut (Ustilago maydis), Helminthosporium leaf blight (H.tutcicum, H.maydis).

PESTS: handworm (Agriotes spp.), Gray wolf (Agrotis spp.), Corn earworm (Sesamia spp.), Corn borer (Ostrinia spp.), Greenworm (Heliothis armigera), Striped leafworm (Spodoptera exiqua), Corn aphid (Aphid maidis Fitch.), Red spider (Tetranychus spp.).

FIGHT AGAINST PESTS: Fighting against underground pests Gray Wolf and Wire Worm can be done effectively by seed spraying. It is important to combat underground pests during the seedling period, especially in regions where spring is rainy. Pests such as gray wolf, wireworm, and calf's nose, which appear during the germination period, should be combated by sprinkling medicines mixed with bran at the base of the plants in the evening.

HARVEST

The best way to decide whether corn is ready for harvest is by measuring the moisture content in the grains. However, if it is not possible to measure moisture, it is possible to make a decision by looking at the change of the grain. In a corn plant at harvest time, a black layer forms where the grain meets the cob (at the bottom). The black layer first begins at the point where the grain meets the cob and at the cob, and then forms at the bottom of the grain. The black layer can be easily seen when the bottom part of the grain is lightly scraped with a knife. A cob matures; It is accepted when at least 75% of the grains in the middle of the cob have a black layer. Corn grains that have reached physiological maturity contain approximately 35% moisture, although it varies according to region and variety. During this period, the grain has completed its normal development and can be harvested by hand. However, machine harvesting at such high humidity increases harvest loss due to the softness of the grains. The most suitable humidity rate for machine harvesting corn is between 21-28%. The most ideal harvest time (in terms of minimum loss and preservation of quality) is when the moisture content in the grain is around 25%. Early harvest of grain corn is generally desired if it reaches the appropriate moisture. If the harvest is done early, there will be less lodging due to stem rot and storms. With early harvest, the chance of getting caught in autumn rains or any negative situation that would prevent the harvest will be prevented and cob shedding will be reduced.

SILAGE CORN: Silage is a feed storage method based on the principle of storing green feed by leaving it in an airless environment and fermenting it.

BENEFITS OF SILAGE

•             It meets the lubricated feed needs of animals in winter seasons when there is a shortage of green fodder.
•             It reduces the cost of mixed feed by 50-60%.
•             It allows storing more feed per unit area (550-900 kg per 1m3).
•             It increases meat and milk yield.
•             Silage matures in an average of 45-60 days and can be stored for up to 2 years if preserved well.

SILAGE CORN FARMING

            There are four important points to consider in silage corn farming;

            Transplant frequency: Transplantation is performed 15-20% more frequently than normal. (The recommended row distance for our OSSK 644 silage and TK 6063 corn varieties is 70 cm and the row distance is 16-17 cm.)

            Fertilization: Since the number of plants per decare will be high, the amount of fertilizer to be given should be increased by at least 10%.

            Throat filling process: The throat filling process should be done carefully to ensure that the support roots remain under the soil.

            Harvest time: For silage with high nutritional value, corn should be harvested at the most appropriate time. The most suitable harvest time for corn is when the moisture content drops to 65-70%. This period; It is the period when the dry matter rate in the plant is around 30% and the grain completes milk formation and moves into the dough formation period and there is a slight depression on the upper part of the grain. If corn is reaped, leakage losses in the silo increase and fermentation (souring) does not continue regularly. When mowed late, full compaction cannot be achieved and the amount of air in the silo will be high, which will reduce the quality of the silage.

            Factors affecting the quality of corn silage; Shaping time, cob ratio, piece size, shape of the silo, filling time and degree.