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Seed inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense and nitrogen fertilization for no‐till cereal production
Author(s) -
Caires Eduardo Fávero,
Bini Angelo Rafael,
Barão Leonardo Felipe Camargo,
Haliski Adriano,
Duart Vanderson Modolon,
Ricardo Kaynnã da Silva
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.1002/agj2.20488
Subject(s) - azospirillum brasilense , inoculation , agronomy , biology , human fertilization , microbial inoculant , poaceae , crop , crop rotation , horticulture
Cereal crops have a high N requirement in a high‐yield environment. However, N use efficiency is still low in agricultural production systems and little is known about the effects of inoculation with Azospirillum brasilense in a high‐yield environment. A field experiment was conducted from 2012 to 2018 with a maize ( Zea mays L.)–wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) rotation under a continuous no‐till in southern Brazil. Seeds were inoculated with A. brasilense (strains Ab‐V5 and Ab‐V6) and different levels of N fertilization were used in top dressing. Seed inoculation provided slight changes in N, P, and K concentrations in leaves and grains of maize and wheat. Increasing N input increased the leaf and grain N concentration and the maize and wheat grain yields. Seed inoculation caused varied responses on cereals in different cropping seasons. Wheat was more affected by inoculation in response to N application than maize. Rainfall distribution during the growing seasons possibly interfered on crop responses with inoculation between years and N fertilization levels. Under a similar N input, inoculation resulted in an average increase of 454 kg ha −1 yr −1 of maize and 242 kg ha −1 yr −1 of wheat by applying a higher N rate to the maize and a lower N rate to the wheat. An additional gain of US$409.72 ha −1 (2012–2018) was also achieved using this strategy. Although the possibility of inoculation causing economy with N fertilization in wheat was evident, for maize in rotation with wheat, A. brasilense inoculation was apparently more viable under higher N fertilizer input.