Sources and times of nitrogen application on irrigated corn crop

Abstract

The mineral nutrition, mainly to concern to nitrogen, is essential to obtain high productivity in the corn crop. This work was accomplished at experimental station of State University of São Paulo - UNESP - Ilha Solteira Campus, UNESP/FEIS, in Selvíria-MS, in a Red dystrophic Latosol (Oxisol), in the agricultural year 2004/05. The objective of this study was to evaluate sources and times of nitrogen application on corn yield. A randomized blocks design was used with four replications, in a 3x5 factorial scheme. The treatments were three sources of nitrogen (Entec - Ammonium sulfonitrate with nitrification inhibitor, Ammonium sulfate and Urea) applied at sowing and/or at covering, stadium of 6-8 leaves completely unfolded, in 5 combinations (0 + 120; 30 + 90; 60 + 60; 90 + 30 and 120 + 0 kg of N ha-1). The nitrogen sources as Entec and the combination of 60 kg ha-1 at sowing and at 6-8 leaf stadium provided the larger N leaf content. The higher grain yield was reached in the treatment that received the higher N doses at covering.