Comparative analysis of maize cultivation practices in the subtropics of the Jammu region and Punjab, India

Abstract

Maize is the third most important cereal crop of India, yet national productivity remains well below the world average. The subtropics of the Jammu region and Punjab grow the same crop under broadly similar recommended packages and face similar output prices, but differ sharply in irrigation assurance, holding size, mechanization and extension density. Comparative field evidence on these two contrasting agro-ecologies within a common analytical framework remains scarce. This study, conducted during 2023-24, therefore compared the adoption of recommended maize production technologies, input use and productivity between the two regions and identified region-specific gaps in resource-use efficiency. A descriptive research design was employed. A multistage sampling technique combining purposive and random selection was used to draw 360 maize growers (180 from each region) from 24 villages across four districts. Data were collected through pre-tested semi-structured personal interviews (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82) and analysed using descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests and Z-tests for the difference between two proportions. The results revealed significant inter-regional differences in maize production practices. The average seed rate was marginally higher in Punjab (24.19 kg ha −1 ) than in Jammu (22.83 kg ha −1 ), yet adoption of the recommended seed rate was almost four times higher in Punjab (56 per cent) than in Jammu (15 per cent, p<0.01) and a similar pattern was observed for recommended irrigation practice (20 vs 1 per cent, p<0.01). Fertilizer use also differed between regions across urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MOP), the recommended chemical-fertilizer doses being followed by more growers in Jammu and the recommended farmyard manure dose by more growers in Punjab. Thinning was almost absent in Punjab, where line sowing predominated, but was widely practised in Jammu, where broadcasting remained common. Maize cultivation in Punjab was characterised by higher mechanization, better irrigation facilities and more intensive input use and was associated with significantly higher grain yield (50.31 vs 30.42 q ha −1 , p<0.01) and stover yield (75.47 vs 44.13 q ha −1 , p<0.01), whereas continued reliance on traditional practices in Jammu was associated with comparatively lower yields. As the study is based on cross-sectional survey data, these regional differences are described as associations rather than direct causal effects. The findings indicate that targeted promotion of recommended seed and fertilizer doses, improved irrigation access and mechanization in Jammu, together with more balanced input use in Punjab, could narrow the regional productivity gap and support more resource-efficient and sustainable maize-based food systems.