Method for cultivating corn and similar crops

The invention relates to a method of cultivating corn (maize) and analogous crops of similar morphology, the method being of the type in which grains are sown in parallel rows. Along each row, groups of two grains (10-11, 12-13, 14-15) that are spaced apart by a small distance are sown at regular intervals, thereby improving the yield and the early ripening of the harvest.

The present invention relates to a novel method of cultivating corn (maize)
 and analogous plants.
 In general corn is sown in parallel rows that are sufficiently spaced apart
 to allow cultivation implements to pass, and one grain of corn is planted
 every 25 centimeters, for example.
 Corn is conventionally sown using seed drills with rotary distributors that
 plant the grains individually in the vicinity of a tool that causes them
 to be buried a little way into the ground.
 The invention relates to a method of cultivating corn in which a particular
 disposition of the grains at the moment of planting enables the corn to
 develop under better conditions, thereby leading to earlier maturity and
 to greater yield.
 The present invention provides a novel method of cultivating corn and
 analogous plants, the method being of the type in which the grains are
 planted in parallel rows, and being characterized by the fact that along
 each row, groups of two closely-spaced grains are planted at regular
 intervals, e.g. groups of grains about 7 cm to 12 cm apart.
 Thus, although the rows of corn are spaced apart by 50 cm to 100 cm, for
 example, each group of grains comprises two grains that are spaced apart
 by about 7 cm to 12 cm and preferably by 8 cm to 9 cm, whereas successive
 groups are planted at intervals of 25 cm to 45 cm, for example, and
 preferably at intervals of 30 cm to 35 cm.
 Surprisingly, it has been found that planting corn in this manner has a
 significant influence on the quality of the harvest both in terms of early
 ripening and in terms of yield.
 When, in the state of the art, corn grains are planted at regular intervals
 of about 15 cm to 20 cm, the corn plants develop with their leaves
 disposed in substantially regular manner all around the vertical stalk.
 In contrast, when the method of the invention, the two corn plants in a
 given group develop while hindering each other, and as a result the leaves
 of the two plants remain parallel to each other and develop
 perpendicularly to the row.
 This has the effect of ensuring they receive more sunshine, and are better
 aired, and as a result they grow under better conditions leading to
 earlier ripening and increased yield.
 Experiments have been performed using the above-described method and they
 show that a given variety of corn, cultivated using the method of the
 invention, reaches maturity about one to two weeks earlier than the same
 variety cultivated in conventional manner, and that the grain yield of the
 corn was better by about 5% to 10%. This corresponds to an improvement of
 about 30 points to 40 points on the FAO index.
 It is already known to plant corn in bunches of two or three grains placed
 in random manner with the distances between bunches being about 25 cm to
 40 cm, however the random positioning of the grains within any one bunch
 means that the corn plants grow in disorganized manner in all directions
 which makes it impossible to obtain the inherent advantages of the present
 invention whereby the grains are sown on the same row in groups of two
 while being spaced apart by about 7 cm to 12 cm.
 The method as described above is not limited to corn, and is equally
 applicable to cultivating all plants of the same type, such as sugar cane,
 for example.
 The present invention also provides a single-grain seed drill for
 implementing the above-described method, the seed drill being
 characterized by the fact that it plants groups of two grains in the
 ground, in line at a spacing of about 7 cm to 12 cm, with successive
 groups being sown about once every 25 cm to 45 cm.
 In accordance with the invention, the grains are sown closer together for
 earlier varieties of corn.
 Thus, with early or irrigated varieties, it is possible to sow the two
 grains of a group about 7 cm apart and to sow one group every 25 cm
 approximately, thereby giving a row in which the corn grains are spaced
 apart from one another alternately by about 7 cm and by about 18 cm.
 In contrast, with late varieties, the grains can be sown alternately at
 spacings of about 12 cm and 30 cm, corresponding to one group of grains
 being planted every 42 cm, approximately.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of two rows of corn (maize) obtained
 using the conventional method whereby grains are sown at regular intervals
 of about 15 cm.
 By operating in that manner, it is known that the various corn plants 1, 2,
 3, 4, 5, etc. develop vertically with their leaves regularly distributed
 around their periphery so as to form a kind of continuous hedge leaving
 practically no gaps between two adjacent corn plants.
 FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of two rows of corn sown, in accordance
 with the invention, in groups of two grains that are spaced apart from
 each other by 8 cm, for example, with one group every 30 cm,
 approximately, which corresponds to the same density of grains per hectare
 as in the conventional method of FIG. 1.
 As can be seen diagrammatically in FIG. 2, corn plants of the invention
 grow with their leaves developing perpendicularly to the row so that the
 midplane of the leaves of any one plant extends perpendicularly to the row
 in which they were sown.
 The way in which the corn plants develop vertically with leaves regularly
 distributed around them in the known method is shown in plan view in FIG.
 3.
 In contrast, in the plan view of FIG. 4, it can be seen how corn plants 12
 and 13 belonging to the same group of two grains develop with their leaves
 situated essentially in planes that are perpendicular to the row of corn,
 thereby enabling them to receive more sunshine and providing better
 circulation of air between the maize stalks, which as a result ripen
 earlier and produce more abundantly.
 This novel method of cultivation can be applied not only to corn but also
 to other plants, such as sugar cane for example, which have similar
 morphology and which are cultivated in rows, while being sufficiently
 stiff to avoid the use of supports.
 The invention can easily be implemented with a seed drill for sowing one
 grain at a time that has been modified in accordance with the invention so
 as to sow two grains that are spaced apart by about 7 cm to 12 cm once
 very 25 cm to 45 cm.