Monitoring the Ripening Dynamics of Maize Crops during the Harvest Period

Citation: Dr. Reinhard Amler, "Monitoring the Ripening Dynamics of Maize Crops during the Harvest Period", Universal Library of Advances in Agriculture, Volume 01, Issue 01.

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Efficiency and product safety with simultaneous sustainability in environmentally friendly maize cultivation through periodic monitoring of the ripening dynamics in the period close to harvest is possible in a practical and future-oriented manner with three ripening methods developed for this purpose. The asynchronous ripening ratio of generative (grain) to vegetative plant parts (residual plant vitality) is the core of the systems biology DRA assistance system. From an economic and ecological point of view, a ripening ratio (SRI of 2.8) should be aimed for as a sign of the suitability of environmentally and ripening stable maize varieties for all types of cultivation. On the one hand, the aim is to specify the results of current variety tests with regard to ecophysiologically optimal maize ripeness, site suitability, phenotyping and reproducibility of performance and resistance. On the other hand in the future, autonomous forage harvesters will also use sensor technology to record the DM of intire plant and starch content while simultaneously using the total plant/starch (G/S) ripening method developed by the author, which, among other things, significantly improves the informative value of the DM content of the entire plant. It is then possible to precisely determine the start of harvesting and optimally coordinate the harvesting sequence of the fields by additionally displaying data on grain ripeness, the condition of the residual plants and the Silo maize Ripeness Index (SRI) on the monitor of the forage harvester. This information can then be sent wirelessly to mobile devices so that the maize farmer can ultimately make a situation-based decision on harvesting, even if he does not know the crop. This information is the direct basis, with simultaneous identity of genotype and phenotype, for the upcoming site-specific and use-specific variety selection as well as the consequent reduction in the area under maize cultivation, including its utilization, which can then also be seen as a contribution to the social environmental economy.

Keywords: DRA System, Harvesters with NIRS-Sensor, Optimal Environmental Factors, Reference Ripening Point, Silage Maize Ripening Index (SRI).

https://doi.org/10.70315/uloap.ulaag.2025.0101006