DOSES DE NITROGÊNIO PARA MAXIMIZAR A PRODUTIVIDADE E RENDIMENTO DE GRÃOS NA CULTURA DO MILHO

Abstract

Corn (Zea mays L.) has a high nutritional requirement for nitrogen (N), a fundamental element for photosynthesis and responsible for several physiological processes that support plant growth and development. In this context, nitrogen fertilization plays a crucial role in increasing productivity, although excessive doses can compromise vegetative balance and reduce final yield. This study aimed to evaluate nitrogen doses to maximize productivity and grain yield in corn crops. The experiment was carried out at the UFMS experimental station in Chapadão do Sul (MS), adopting a randomized block design with five treatments (0, 60, 120, 180 and 240 kg ha⁻¹ of N) and four replicates. Vegetation indices were obtained via remote sensing with UAV, at 65 days after emergence, and agronomic data were collected at 149 DAE. It was found that increasing doses of N provided better correlation between spectral and agronomic variables, with higher productivity observed at doses of 120 and 180 kg ha⁻¹. The color variation in the different treatments was done using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Each color represents a specific wavelength. This explains why treatments with more intense green indicate a higher photosynthetic rate.

Keywords: Zea mays L., nitrogen fertilization, UAV, remote sensing.