Baby Corn Farming: Padmashree farmer Kanwal Singh Chouhan has joined thousands of farmers in the cultivation of baby corn, know the formula of earning more profit and yield in less time

From the point of view of farmers, baby corn starts yielding in a very short span of time. While the Kharif baby corn is available in two-and-a-half months, the Rabi crop is available after about four months. The cost of caring for baby corns is also not high. Baby corn crop is considered completely pure, because being wrapped in leaves, they are free from the side effects of insecticides. By the way, there is no disease or pest in baby corn. Its earrings are free from deadly pests and diseases due to the sheathing of the leaves. That is why its price is also good in the market. Overall, baby corn cultivation is excellent in terms of giving more income in less time.

Baby corn is in great demand in big cities, so baby corn farming can be a source of good income for the farmers who live near them. Potato, peas, kidney beans, fenugreek, coriander, cabbage, turnip, radish, carrot etc. are taken as intercropping along with baby corn as Rabi crops. The yield obtained from intercropping adds to the growth of baby corn as it brings additional benefits to the farmers.

Baby corn is a delicious and nutritious food 

There is great demand for healthy and nutritious food items in the urban population of the country. That is why the consumption of baby corn is increasing steadily and rapidly. Many products are made from baby corn. Therefore, there is a lot of potential being seen in its cultivation. Being a delicious and nutritious food, baby corn has been found to be excellent and safe for health. Baby corns are used in the form of salads, soups, vegetables, pickles, candy, dumplings, koftas, tikkis, barfis, laddoos, halwa, kheer etc.

Baby corn Nutrients 

Baby corn is obtained from unfertilized plants of maize. It is plucked within 2-3 days of the emergence of silky hair i.e. ‘silk’ in maize crop. Hence, it is very soft. If there is a delay in plucking baby corn, its quality also starts deteriorating with the passage of time. Baby corn, being cholesterol free and very low calorie food, is therefore very beneficial for heart patients. It is rich in phosphorus and is also rich in carbohydrates, proteins, calcium, iron and vitamins. They are also rich in fibrous elements, that is why they are digestible.

How to Cultivate Baby corn? 

Germy loam soil is best for baby corn cultivation. Under the preparation of the field before its sowing, first plowing should be done with soil turning plow and after doing the rest with desi plow or rotavator or cultivator, after plowing it should be done by plowing. At the time of sowing, along with sufficient moisture in the field, the field should be prepared by palwa. Short maturing and medium height single cross hybrid varieties are more preferable for baby corn cultivation, because the period of silk coming in them is 70 to 75 days in Rabi crop and it occurs in 45 to 50 days in Kharif. By cultivating baby corn in this way, the yield starts between two and a half months.

Improved Varieties of Babycorn Seeds  (Baby Corn Farming)

Sowing Season, Method and Seed Rate for Babycorn 

In North India, baby corn can be sown any time between February to November. From the point of view of sowing method, it is beneficial to sow baby corn on the bunds. For this, the distance from one weed to another weed should be kept about 2 feet and the distance between one plant to another about 6 inches. For improved varieties of baby corn, the seed rate will depend on the size of the seed, but generally a seed rate of 22-25 kg per hectare is suitable.

Also Read: Saffron: How the world’s most expensive spice is disappearing?

Fertilizer use in Baby Corn Farming 

The use of manure has been described as useful and necessary by the agricultural experts of Banaras Hindu University to get a good yield of baby corn. For this, one-third of Phosphorus, Potash, Zinc Sulphate and Nitrogen should be applied at the time of sowing. Of the remaining two-thirds, one-third should be applied after 25 days of sowing and the remaining one-third should be applied after 40 days of harvest. If baby corn is a Rabi season crop, then the above fertilizer should be given in four parts instead of three parts. Out of this fourth part, first part should be given at the time of sowing, second part after 25 days of sowing, third part between 60 to 80 days and fourth part at 80 to 110 days. 

Fertilizer for Baby Corn Farming 

Weed control and crop protection

Weeding should be done for the first time 15-20 days after sowing and second time after 30-35 days. This allows air to circulate in the roots and spreads them far and wide and helps in gathering nutrients for the plants. For weed control, the spray should be done before the germination of baby corn seeds in the field. Due to this, where weeds do not settle, there the crop grows faster. Baby corn cultivation does not face any special challenges in terms of crop protection, as it is not easily attacked by any diseases or pests. In this sense, the baby corn crop remains very safe due to being wrapped in leaves.

Harvesting and Sale of Baby corns

The gulli of baby corn must be broken at the time when the length of its silk i.e. cumin seeds becomes 3-4 cm. The top leaves should not be removed at the time of harvesting of Gulli. Otherwise, the soft baby corns will spoil very quickly. Gulli should be plucked at an interval of one to two days during Rabi season. In single cross hybrid maize it is necessary to pluck 3 to 4 times. The process so far will yield peeled baby corn. After this, the work of peeling the baby corns and placing them in a plastic basket, bag or container should be done separately. Then the produce should be sold at the earliest by reaching the market. In this way, 15 to 20 quintals of baby corn per hectare yields a peel-free yield. Apart from this, green fodder is also available for animals at the rate of 200 to 250 quintals per hectare.

Achievement of ‘Padma Shri’ Kanwal Singh Chauhan 

Kanwal Singh Chauhan, a resident of Aterna village in Sonepat district of Haryana, who is fond of innovations in farming and honoured with ‘Padma Shri’, first started the cultivation of baby corn in his village. After sowing the HM-4 hybrid variety of Baby corn on his farm, he did all the other related work related to crop care at the right time. The cost of cultivating baby corn to them was about Rs 10,000 per acre. But when he sold his produce in Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi, he made a profit of 30 thousand rupees.

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