Effect of different levels of foliar fertilization with NPK micronutrients more in the productivity of winter maize in Dourados Region, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the effect of foliar fertilization on the agronomic characteristics of corn plants, irrigated by a system of irrigation by sprinkler. The experiment was conducted at the Faculty of Agrarian Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), from 23 September 2008 to February 20, 2009 using a multinutrient liquid fertilizer NPK plus micronutrients. The experimental design was randomized blocks with nine doses of liquid fertilizer (0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75 and 2.0 L ha -1) and four replications. The corn plants were evaluated during the experiment between growth stages R3 to R6 characterized by the state of the dough and physiological maturity, respectively. The variables studied were plant height, height of ear insertion, number of grains per ear and yield. The foliar provided to increase the height of corn plants, reducing the height of insertion of the ears, increasing the number of grains per ear and yield. The estimated dose of 1.15 L ha-1 provided the best results on the variables analyzed.