Alex Oliveira Smaniotto
AUTHOR: Alex Oliveira Smaniotto
TITLE: AGRICULTURAL PERFORMANCE OF CORN SECOND IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANTECESSOR CULTURE AND INOCULATION METHODS WITH Azospirillum brasilense
ADVISOR: Prof. Dr. Simério Carlos Silva Cruz, Co-advisor: Prof. Dr. Claudio Hideo Martins da Costa
APPROVAL DATE: 07/10/2019
Abstract:
Experiment 1: The objective of this study was to evaluate the agronomic performance of second crop corn as a function of its predecessor culture and inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense. The experiment was conducted at the experimental field of the Federal University of Goiás / Jataí Regional. The experimental design was in randomized blocks in split plot design with four replications. The plots were composed by the predecessor crops sown in summer soybean, bean and brachiaria with and without inoculation (Azospirillum brasilense) and the subplots were constituted by second crop corn with and without inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense. Soybean preceding corn without inoculation provided larger stem diameter and corn with inoculation was superior to corn without inoculation only for bean treatments as a predecessor crop. Soybean preceding corn with inoculation provided higher activity of nitrate reductase enzyme. Inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense in maize resulted in higher activity of nitrate reductase enzyme compared to no inoculation on soybean and brachiaria straw. Soybeans and beans provided higher crude protein content in corn. Maize presented the highest mass of one thousand grains in the predecessor cultivation soybean and beans. The mass of one thousand grains of the inoculated maize was higher than the uninoculated one, only in the plots containing soybean as a predecessor crop. Predecessor crop residues provide changes in physiological, morphological and yield components without altering corn grain yield. Inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense in maize provides benefits to plant development, but it is not sufficient to provide grain yield gains. Experiment 2: The objective of this research was to evaluate the agronomic performance of second crop corn as a function of inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense. The experiment consisted of 6 treatments established in a randomized block design with four replications. The treatments corresponded to T1: no seed inoculation; T2: inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense in the seeds; T3: inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense via sowing furrow; T4: inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense via foliar application; T5: two foliar applications with Azospirillum brasilense; T6: combination of the three previous methods: seed inoculation, sowing furrow inoculation and leaf application inoculation. The physiological, morphological, yield and yield components of second crop corn were evaluated. The data were subjected to analysis of variance at 5% probability and when significance was found, the Scott-Knott test was applied at 5% probability, using the R-bio statistical program. Inoculation via seed treatment provided higher activity of nitrate reductase enzyme. The inoculation forms with Azospirillum brasilense in second crop corn does not yield grain yield gains. Inoculation in the sowing furrow and two leaf applications provided higher crude protein content in corn leaves.
