Effects of sowing by stages on growth and yield of winter maize in Hainan Province

In order to study the effects of sowing date on the growth and yield of winter maize in Hainan，the effects of temperature on the growth and yield and the best sowing date for winter maize were discussed by using the winter maize sowing experiment and combining with the meteorological data in Wanning in 2015. The results showed that the earlier sowing date induced shorter growing period of maize，the higher plant height，the higher number of leaves and the higher yield. The heat conditions would be poor and the accumulated temperature would be insufficient due to the delayed sowing time. Moreover，this would induce the higher risk of cold injury and reduce production or even no yield. There was a good correlation between 10℃ effective accumulated temperature and maize yield and its composition elements. When the 10℃ effective accumulated temperature was 1230℃·d，the yield was the largest. The optimal planting date for winter maize should be before the end of November in Hainan Province. These results in the study would be important to ensure stable and high yield of winter maize in Hainan.