Seed inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense and N fertilization of corn in the Cerrado biome

ABSTRACT There is a great interest to reduce doses and increase efficiency of inputs in agriculture. One alternative to lower doses of N fertilizers in corn is seed inoculation with diazotrophic bacteria, which can fix atmospheric N in soil. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of N doses-in the absence and presence of Azospirillum brasilense-on plant nutritional status at different growth stages and on seed yield of corn. The experiment was conducted during the 2011/2012 production season on a typical cerrado soil in Uberlândia, Triângulo Mineiro. The experimental design was randomized blocks with six repetitions. The treatments consisted of five N doses and the absence or presence of Azospirillum brasilense (100 mL ha-1) as a seed inoculant. A commercial product with minimum concentration of 2x108 CFU mL-1 100 mL ha-1 was used. Inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense did not significantly affect corn macronutrient content and yield, except for foliar calcium and potassium at 200 kg N ha-1 at the V8 stage. Corn yield increased with N doses up to 150 kg N ha-1