Abstract:

Achieving competitive, high-quality and low-cost production requires a thorough knowledge of culture technologies, optimized management of existing material resources, and the use of certified, high-quality seed cultures that guarantee higher and high quality crops. In Romania, maize is the second most cultivated cereal, occupying in 2018 an agricultural area of 2,415 thousand ha. Choosing the maize seeds used to set up a culture on a farm is an essential aspect in obtaining a superior crop and requires a good understanding of the hybrids for commercial sale on the market and their behavior on climatic and technological factors. The paper proposes an analysis of maize seeds purchased by farmers from North Bărăgan, Brăila County, and the criteria that determine agricultural producers to make these choices. The study included a survey, which questioned 20 farmers with over 300 ha of agricultural land and 20 farms with smaller farms (5-10 ha). The applied questionnaire concerned: the approved seed-producing company, the maturity group of the hybrids used, the analysis of the seed costs per ha. The results highlighted the fact that large-scale farms where high-performance technologies are used and large-scale irrigation are used, are generally cultivated semi-late hybrids that are suited to high densities and mechanized grain crop (the maturity group over 400 FAO), while in the small farms, the Romanian and semi-early hybrids (Olt, F376) are preferable, which make better use of the spring and early summer rainfall, and are suitable for harvested, which can be kept for a while longer. The results of the research are original, substantiated and can be useful to farmers and distributors of certified seed in the Bărăgan area and at the national level.