Abstract
Nitrogen is available in insufficient quantities in Brazilian soils, and is the nutrient that raises the most cost of production of maize. Nowadays there is a more interest in the use of alternative nitrogen sources, such as biological nitrogen fixation, to supply plant demand. Among the most used bacteria in association with grasses is Azospirillum brasilense. In this way this study aimed to establish a relationship between the genetic bases of corn and the forms of A. brasilense application and the effects on the plant morphological components, grain yield, and relative nitrogen contribution. Experiments were conducted during the 2013/14 and 2014/15 crop seasons. The experiments included two single hybrids, two double hybrids, and two triple hybrids inoculated with A. brasilense via seed treatment; foliar application during phenological stages V2, V2 + V4, and V4; and a control treatment without bacteria. The response varied with the hybrid and the year. In the 2013/14 crop, a significant difference was observed in the grain yield for the single hybrid AG9045 inoculated with A. brasilense via seed and foliar application in V2. In the 2014/15 crop, inoculation with A. brasilense via seed application resulted in significant increases in the grain yield for the triple hybrid BG7051. Foliar application of A. brasilense is an efficient alternative for the improvement of plant morphological traits, and inoculation via seed and with foliar application in V2 increases the relative contribution of N.
Highlights
Nitrogen (N) is the most important mineral element and a limiting element of the corn crop yield (Zea mays L.)
The hybrids were inoculated with A. brasilense via seed treatment (ST) for a dose of 2.50 mL kg-1 of seed and via foliar application in phenological stages V2 and V4 or as a combination application in V2 and V4 (V2 + V4) (Ritchie, Hanway, & Benson, 1993), for 300 mL ha-1 dose; the experiment included a control treatment.The hybrids used in the 2013/14 crop were single hybrid (SH) AG9045, SH AG8025, double hybrid (DH) AG2040, DH
No significant association was detected between the bacterium and the genetic basis of the evaluated hybrids, which was similar to the results of other studies (Bertolini, Gamero, Salata, & Piffer, 2008)
Summary
Nitrogen (N) is the most important mineral element and a limiting element of the corn crop yield (Zea mays L.). The management of N is complex due to its dynamics in the soil, which makes it the most expensive element of the production system (Bastos, Cardoso, Melo, Ribeiro, & de Andrade Júnior, 2008); for instance, 28 kg of N are estimated to be required for the production of a ton of corn grain. The economic and environmental costs related to nitrogen fertilization have stimulated the search for alternatives that can decrease the use of this fertilizer without reducing grain production (Dotto, Lana, Steiner, & Frandoloso, 2010). One possible method to enable production with a lower cost and less environmental impact is to use the genetic potential of plants in combination with soil biological resources, such as diazotrophic bacteria (Fukami, Cerezini, & Hungria, 2018). Yield increases in the field have been obtained with these bacteria, which are found in association with grasses and contribute to biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) (Verma, Yadav, Tiwari, & Lavakush, 2012)
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