Influence of seeding speed and spacing between corn crop lines in the Amazon

Abstract

The sowing stage in the crop implantation process is directly related to its productivity due to factors such as adequacy of the speed of operation of the seeder-fertilizer and the spacing between lines adopted according to each region of Brazil. Thus, the objective of the study was to evaluate the agronomic characteristics of corn in relation to the spacing between rows and speeds of operation of the seeder-fertilizer in the sowing process in the eastern Amazon region. The experiment was carried out in the experimental area of the Technological Center for Support of Family Farming, located in the municipality of Parauapebas, in the southeastern region of Pará. The experimental design used was in continuous bands (subdivided into five plots) of four treatments, resulting in the factorial arrangement 2 x 2, consisting of two operating speeds (5.5 and 6.5 km h-1) and two spacings between rows of the seeder-fertilizer (0.75 and 0.55 m), totaling 20 experimental plots to evaluate the crop. The evaluations carried out after sowing were: SD (seed depth), TS (total seeds), IP (initial population), PH (plant height), EH (ear height), SD (stem diameter), FP (final population) and SI (survival index). The use of spacing between lines of 0.75 m promoted an increase in stem diameter (2.10 cm), plant height (2.29 cm) and seed depth (4.97 cm). It was found that the increase in operating speed (6.5 km h-1) and the use of 0.55 m line spacing provides an increase in the final plant population (60,000 plants ha-1).