Milho inoculado com Azospirillum brasilense consorciado com feijão-caupi inoculado com Rhizobium sp.

Abstract

Corn (Zea mays L.) is the most cultivated cereal in the world, with Brazil as the third largest producer in the world. In view of the environmental cost associated with the use of nitrogenous mineral fertilizers, the importance of corn for family farming and the high demand for N in this crop, it is necessary to search for sustainable alternatives that reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizers used by the crop. In this context, the biological fixation of N emerges as an alternative of use in productive systems, supplying totally or partially the use of nitrogen fertilizer, through the inoculation of corn with A. brasilense. However, this inoculation still needs to be supplemented with 50% mineral N. Therefore, an alternative that may prove interesting is the intercropping of corn inoculated with A. brasilense + cowpea inoculated with Rhizobium sp., Which can be a transferor of 50% of N. Therefore, the objective of this work was evaluate growth, N accumulation, dry matter production and productivity of corn inoculated with A. brasilense intercropped with cowpea inoculated with Rhizobium sp. The experiment was conducted in the field at the Espinho Preto farm in Passira, PE and consisted of growing corn combined with inoculation or not with the bacterium A. brasilense and intercropped or not with cowpea inoculated with Rhizobium sp., In addition to application or not At 38, 47, 62, 75 and 90 days after planting (DAP), plant growth, shoot dry matter production and N. accumulation were evaluated. At 90 DAP, maize productivity was evaluated green. The inoculation of corn with A. brasilense increased the promotion of plant growth, the production of dry matter and the accumulation of N, as well as promoting greater productivity of green corn. Cowpea inoculated with Rhizobium sp. in a consortium with corn inoculated with A. brasilense did not affect the development and productivity of the corn. Corn inoculated with A. brasilense does not depend on the consortium with cowpea inoculated with Rhizobium sp. or supplemented with 50% N, grew and was as productive as corn fertilized with 100% of the recommended dose of N.