Abstract
Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the nutritional content and grain yield of three corn (Zea mays) crops in response to phosphate fertilization with an organomineral fertilizer based on poultry litter or a mineral fertilizer, when cultivated on a Rhodic Khandiudox with a high initial phosphorus content. The experiment was carried out in the field in a randomized complete block design in a 2×4+1 factorial arrangement (organomineral or mineral fertilizer × 20, 40, 60, or 80 kg ha-1 P + control treatment with no phosphate fertilization), with four replicates each. Available P and total organic carbon (TOC) contents in the soil at the end of the crop cycle, plant tissue P contents, and grain yield were determined. The agronomic efficiency index (AEI) was estimated based on corn grain yield. After three harvests, soil available P and TOC contents did not increase significantly due to fertilizer use, but were directly related to P doses. In a Rhodic Khandiudox with a high initial P content, the use of an organomineral fertilizer based on poultry litter promotes higher corn crop yield, with an AEI 20% higher than that of the mineral fertilizer.
Highlights
New inputs for soil amendment and crop fertilization are strategic for the Brazilian agribusiness because approximately 75% of the used fertilizers are imported and composed of inorganic mineral sources (ANDA, 2016)
In a Rhodic Khandiudox with a high initial P content, the use of an organomineral fertilizer based on poultry litter promotes higher corn crop yield, with an agronomic efficiency index (AEI) 20% higher than that of the mineral fertilizer
The objective of this work was to evaluate the nutritional content and grain yield of three corn crops in response to phosphate fertilization with an organomineral fertilizer based on poultry litter or a mineral fertilizer, when cultivated on a Rhodic Khandiudox with a high initial phosphorus content
Summary
New inputs for soil amendment and crop fertilization are strategic for the Brazilian agribusiness because approximately 75% of the used fertilizers are imported and composed of inorganic mineral sources (ANDA, 2016). Only a small proportion of phosphate ions form soluble complexes (Shuai & Zinati, 2009; Bolan et al, 2013). In those soils, adsorption and precipitation reactions control the fate of P from fertilizers (Mclaughlin et al, 2011; Montalvo et al, 2015), which explains the frequent applications of high P doses. In some Brazilian regions, such as in the west of the state of Santa Catarina, due to the intensive soil use during the last decades and the high fertilizer doses applied, soils have become highly fertile and may present varying response patterns to the different types of fertilizers. Considering the constant increase in the yield potential of new cultivars, increasing the efficiency of fertilizer use is challenging and requires the establishment of fertilization criteria to supply the crop’s nutritional requirements, taking into account their high nutrient output, while maintaining high soil fertility (Lacerda et al, 2015; Corrêa et al, 2018)
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