Productivity and profitability of maize as affected by nitrogen sources and rates

• Autor(a) principal: Mergener, Rafael André
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Sangoi, Luis, Coelho, Antonio Eduardo
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Semina. Ciências Agrárias (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://ojs.uel.br/revistas/uel/index.php/semagrarias/article/view/44823
• topic: Zea mays; Economic analysis; Nitrogen fertilizers; Grain yield.; Análise econômica; Fertilizantes nitrogenados; Rendimento de grãos; Zea mays.

The use of nitrogen sources that reduce N losses can be an adequate management strategy to increase the economic and environmental sustainability of maize. This study was carried out aiming to evaluate the effects of nitrogen sources and rates on grain productivity and profitability of the maize crop.  The study was carried out in the field, on a Nitossolo Vermelho clayed soil, during the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 growing seasons. The experimental design was a randomized block, with treatments arranged in split plots. Four nitrogen sources were tested in the main plots: conventional urea, protected urea, urea with nitrification inhibitor and urea with urease inhibitor. Four nitrogen rates were tested in the split plots: 0, 140, 280 and 420 kg of N ha-1. The four nitrogen sources did not present differences in grain productivity. Grain yield ranged from 3,2 a 15,9 Mg ha-1. It presented a quadratic response to nitrogen rates at both growing seasons. Maximum yields were obtained at the theoretical rates of 405 and 411 kg N ha-1, in 2016/2017 and 2017/2018, respectively.  Maximum profitability indexes were gathered by the combination of 378 kg N ha-1 with conventional urea and 278 kg N ha-1 of urea with urease inhibitor, in 2016/2017 and 2017/2018, respectively.