FERTILIZATION LEVELS AND WATER EFFICIENCY IN THE PRODUCTION OF CORNCOB MAIZE (Zea mays L.)

Abstract

An evaluation of five levels of fertilization applied to corncob maize (Zea mays L.) through fertirrigation was performed, taking into consideration the adequate availability of nutrients in the plants’ development, savings and better exploitation of water. Results indicated that the best fertilization formula for height and diameter of the corncob was 200N-80P-250K of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium,
respectively, while for fresh weight of corncob and yield, it was 180N-75P-225K. It was found that
there is water savings of up to 94.8 % with the use of drip irrigation, while the highest index of
water productivity was obtained with treatment two (180N-75P-225P), with 143 kg of corncobs
produced for every m³ of water applied.