Influence of sowing dates on yield and growth of maize in red soil drought-prone areas of Jiangxi Province

<bold>Objective</bold> This study aims to determine the suitable sowing date for the cultivation of ordinary maize in red soil dryland of Jiangxi Province. <bold>Method</bold> The experimental materials used in this study were Zhengdan 958 and Xianyu 335 maize varieties.The sowing date treatments were set between May and July in 2021 and 2022.The study investigated the changes of maize yield and its contributing factors under different sowing date.The aim of this study was to provide theoretical reference for high-yield maize cultivation in Jiangxi Province. <bold>Result</bold> The adjustment of the sowing date significantly impacted the growth process，pre- and post-silking material accumulation，and the final yield of maize.Planting maize in early May yielded the highest （5529.99 kg/hm²），with a downward trend observed with delayed sowing dates.Ear grain number emerged as the primary factor influencing production with changes in sowing dates.Furthermore，grain weight was notably affected by adjustments in the sowing date and exhibited a significant positive correlation with grain weight during the maximum grain filling rate.In terms of hybrid comparison，Zhengdan 958 showed a higher overall yield than that of Xianyu 335. <bold>Conclusion</bold> In order to achieve a higher yield in common maize cultivation in the red soil dryland of Jiangxi，it is recommended to select suitable varieties and sow them before early/mid-May，while ensuring that it does not interfere with the cultivation of winter crops such as rapeseed.