Traditional and protected urea in the development and production of corn forage

Abstract

Brazil stands out among the world corn production scene, however the use of cultivars poorly adapted to producing regions, in addition to the low use of nitrogen fertilizers in cover, reduces the productive potential of areas cultivated with corn in Brazil. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the growth and production of corn (Zea mays L.) hybrid RefúgioMax®, according to sources of nitrogen fertilizers (N) (traditional urea, protected urea). The experiment was conducted in the field, in the experimental area of the CCAE (Center for Agricultural Sciences and Engineering at UFES), located in the city of Alegre-ES. Five treatments arranged in 5 blocks were evaluated in a randomized block design, where treatment 1 was the control (No dose of N). The nitrogen sources tested were: traditional urea (45% N) in doses 10 and 20g and protected urea (Nitro Mais® 44.6% N; B 0.4% and Cu 0.15%) 10 and 20g per cover plant . The conventional urea fertilization provided an increase of 19,790 kg ha-1 and Nitro Mais® 25,500 kg ha-1 of forage. For leaf chlorophyll indexes, the traditional and protected urea fertilization provided aincrease b and total in all concentrations, however chlorophyll a was the only one that obtained a fertilization response at the dosage of 10g of Nitro Mais. Based on the results, it appears that traditional and protected urea influenced the production of forage and the levels of leaf chlorophyll.