Micronutrient application and residual effect on corn production in a no-tillage system

Abstract

Applying micronutrients to the soilhas a residual effect, reducing the fertilizer applications that are needed under a no-tillage system. The present study determined the residual effect of applying micronutrient-containing fertilizer to soil used for corn production under a no-tillage system. The field study was conducted in Red Latosol in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. The experiment was a conducted in a randomized block design with five treatments and four replicates. The fertilizer used in the study contained the micronutrients Mn, Zn, Fe, Cu, and B in powder form and was applied atfour doses (33.33 kg ha -1 , 66.66 kg ha -1 , 133.32 kg ha -1 , and 66.66 kgha -1 plus 1.4 t ha -1 of calcium oxide); a control to which this fertilizer was not applied was used as a reference.The grain yield was measured, and leaf analysis and soil chemical analysis were conducted to evaluate the fertilizer efficiency and residual effect. The soil Zn content remained higherthan pre-experiment levels. Leaf analysis indicatedhigher absorption at the sites with high soil Zn content. The highest yield was obtained when applying 69.08 kg ha -1 of micronutrient-containing fertilizer. The micronutrients Mn, Fe, Cu, and B exhibited no significant effect on corn yield, leaf nutrition, or soil residue.