Abstract
While corn productivity has been increased by the adoption of high-yield hybrids, there are concerns that increased grain potential may be associated with diminished grain nutrient concentration. Ten corn (Zea maysL.) cultivars representing five technological levels (landrace variety, commercial variety, and double, triple, and single cross-hybrids) were cropped on a Rhodic Ferralsol Eutric soil with high fertility in 2006 (dry year) and 2007 (normal year) in Rolândia County, Brazil. At maturity, grain was evaluated for concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu. In general, differences among cultivars were noted for all nutrients in both years. Concentrations of P, K, Fe, and Mn were lower in the dry year, while Ca, Mg, Cu, and Zn were higher. Soil water availability appeared to exert more influence on grain nutrient concentration than did cultivar development; nutrient removal due to grain harvest was also greatly influenced by rainfall patterns and their impact on corn productivity. Even though genetic differences were noted, which may be useful to breeding programs, long-term testing in subtropical environments will be required to clarify the interaction between genetics and climate events on grain nutrient quality and exportation.
Highlights
Grain nutrient concentration plays a key role in seed quality as it relates to seed reserves required to germination and nutritional feed value [1]
Grain nutrient concentration can provide information related to nutrient exportation and the necessity for soil nutrient replenishment through fertilization [2, 3]
Evaluation of various corn cultivars commonly used in Brazilian cropping systems did not indicate an obvious association between grain quality and cultivar development
Summary
Grain nutrient concentration plays a key role in seed quality as it relates to seed reserves required to germination and nutritional feed value [1]. Grain nutrient concentration can provide information related to nutrient exportation (i.e., removal from the field) and the necessity for soil nutrient replenishment through fertilization [2, 3]. Despite these important issues, tissue analysis has traditionally focused on leaf, rather than grain, nutrient levels to diagnose wholeplant nutritional status. A study of four tropical corn cultivars released between 1970 and 1990 noted some differences among cultivars; it was not clear whether new cultivars designed for higher yields would result in decreased grain nutrient concentration [5]. Similar variation in grain nutrient concentrations among corn hybrids have been reported in different field studies [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
