Performance of maize inoculated with Azospirillum brasilense associated with doses of nitrogen

Abstract

One of the alternatives to reduce the consumption of nitrogen fertilizers in corn production is seed inoculation with
diazotrophic bacteria that have the ability of fixing atmospheric N in the root zone. The aim of this study was to evaluate some
agronomic characteristics and grain yield of maize grown in an Oxisol with the presence and absence of seed´s inoculation
with Azospirillum brasilense associated with different nitrogen doses (0, 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125kg/ha). The experiments
were carried out in the municipalities of Papanduva and Campos Novos, in Santa Catarina State (Southern Brazil), during the
2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons. The experiments were ploted in a 2x6 factorial with the treatments assigned in a randomized
blocks with three replications, using the corn cultivar “SCS155 Catarina” as indicator. The inoculation of seeds with Azospirillum
brasilense does not increase the corn yield and does not alter the weight of the grains, plant height, ear height and main stem
diameter. Nitrogen application in corn influences positively the grain yield.