Phytomass and iron accumulation in green corn fertilized with ferrous sulfate
International Journal of Development Research
Phytomass and iron accumulation in green corn fertilized with ferrous sulfate
Received 14th February, 2020; Received in revised form 28th March, 2020; Accepted 11th April, 2020; Published online 30th May, 2020
Copyright © 2020, Flávio Sarmento de Oliveira et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The low availability of cationic micronutrients such as iron (Fe) in alkaline soils can limit the production of phytomass, the production of ears and the nutritional quality of green corn. The objective was to evaluate the influence of Fe concentration, via leaf, on phytomass, grain production and the Fe accumulations in the leaves and green grains of corn growing in alkaline soil. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design, with five Fe concentration (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 g L -1) and four blocks totaling 20 experimental plots. At 78 days after planting, the dry mass of leaves, stems, straw, ears and green grains, as well as Fe concentration and accumulation in leaf, green grains tissues were evaluated. The fertilization of corn with ferrous sulfate via leaf in alkaline soil increased the production of dry green corn phytomass, but did not interfere in the dry mass of grains. Iron doses increased Fe concentration and accumulation in leaves and grains of green corn with gains of up to 43.8 and 42.0%, respectively.
