Methods of adding micronutrients to a NPK formulation and maize development |
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| Authors: | Gustavo Alves Santos Gaspar Henrique Korndörfer Hamilton Seron Pereira |
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| Institution: | 1. Agricultural Engineer, Instituto de Ciências Agrárias da Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, Uberlandia, Brazil;2. Instituto de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Uberlandia, Uberlandia, Brazil |
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| Abstract: | Micronutrients are essential for plant development; however, micronutrient content in soil often is not sufficient. This study compared availability of boron (B), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) in the soil and their effect in developing maize plants, supplied from a physical mixture of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) granules and micronutrients or from a granulated mixture of NPK coated with these micronutrients. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, with a Rhodic Acrustox soil and the formulation 4-30-10 nitrogen-phosphorus pentoxide-potassium oxide (N-P2O5-K2O)] with 0.1% B, 0.2% Cu, 0.2% Mn, and 0.3% Zn. A randomized block design with four replicates was used and the NPK formula doses used were 0, 150, 300, 600, 1200, and 2400 kg/ha. Coated NPK increased Zn levels in soil in 0.5 mg/dm3 in relation to its initial content, also causing an increase in plant dry matter. Compared with mixture, this increase was more than three times greater. Cu and Zn accumulation and Zn absorption were greater when their supply was made via coated granules. The larger dose of B via coated granules resulted in a greater B accumulation in comparison to the mixture. No differences were observed for the other variables when comparing both sources. Coating NPK granules with micronutrients was better than the mixture when comparing B, Cu, and Zn concentrations in the soil. Dry matter production of maize shoots and the accumulation of B, Mn, Cu, and Zn in it was greater when the fertilizer was coated with micronutrients. |
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| Keywords: | Boron copper manganese zinc granule coated granules |
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