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BISCO-1 baby corn variety Photo: placeholder pending image-fill pass

BISCO-1 baby corn variety

BISCO-1 is a single-cross baby-corn hybrid developed and marketed by Bisco Bio Sciences Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad, and registered for commercial sale under Section 23 of the Seeds Act, 1966. It is one of the leading private-sector baby-corn hybrids in India, positioned for round-the-year cultivation under irrigation in peri-urban belts feeding hotels, salad chains and the export trade.

Why it matters

Indian baby-corn cultivation expanded from <2000 ha in the early 2000s to roughly 25,000 ha by 2023, driven by salad-segment demand and four-five crops per year on the same field (Baby Corn Cultivation India). The market needs uniform, cylindrical, cream-yellow cobs of 8-10 cm at de-husked stage with a tight, snowy silk that holds shape after blanching. BISCO-1 was bred specifically against these grading attributes rather than for grain yield.

Key facts

  • Marketer: Bisco Bio Sciences Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad
  • Type: single-cross baby-corn hybrid
  • Duration: 50-55 days to first cob harvest
  • Plant height: 1.8-2.0 m; suitable for 60 × 20 cm spacing
  • Cob length (de-husked): 8-11 cm; diameter 1.0-1.3 cm
  • Cobs per plant: 2-3 with timely detasseling
  • De-husked yield: 1.8-2.2 t/ha per crop; green fodder 30-40 t/ha
  • Cob colour: cream-yellow with silvery silk; uniform tip

Agronomy

Year-round sowing in plains except peak summer. Seed rate 22-25 kg/ha at 60 × 20 cm. Fertiliser 150:75:60 NPK + 25 kg ZnSO4/ha, N split into three doses; foliar urea 2% at silk emergence improves cob fill. Pre-emergence atrazine 1.0 kg a.i./ha controls broadleaf weeds; one mechanical inter-cultivation around 25 DAS. Critical operation: detasseling at boot-leaf stage from every plant before any pollen-shed.

Pests and diseases

Susceptible to fall armyworm (Maize Faw Spodoptera Frugiperda National) — only labelled insecticides at strict pre-harvest intervals are permitted because cobs are eaten raw. Shoot fly (Atherigona soccata) causes seedling dead-hearts in summer sowings; imidacloprid seed treatment is standard. Banded leaf and sheath blight and turcicum leaf blight are minor at the densities and short duration of baby-corn cultivation.

Adoption and use

Contract-farmed for institutional buyers in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune and the Delhi-NCR salad supply chain; some volume goes to canning processors making vacuum-packed and brined baby corn for retail and export. The cob shorn off is graded into ≤7 cm (export petite), 7-10 cm (premium fresh) and 10-13 cm (canning). Refrigerated logistics from farm gate to processor within 12 hours of plucking is the determining factor for realised price.

See also: Baby Corn Cultivation India, Maize Crop Overview, Sweet Corn, Dhm 117 Iimr Maize, Hqpm 1 Iari Quality Protein Maize, Maize Faw Spodoptera Frugiperda National.

Sources

  1. Notified maize hybrids catalogue. ICAR-IIMR, Ludhiana. https://iimr.icar.gov.in/?page_id=2247
  2. Baby corn production technology. ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana. https://iimr.icar.gov.in/?page_id=2400