Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the agronomic efficiency in the field of the inoculant Fluid and Turfoso containing the bacterium Azospirillum brasiliense, strains AbV5 and AbV6 applied by treatment of seeds in the corn crop associated with nitrogen fertilization in different localities. Four experiments were carried out in different sites involving two in Paraná and one each from Mato Grosso do sul and Santa Catarina. The design was randomized blocks with 6 treatments: T1- 0 kg ha^-1  of nitrogen (N), without inoculation (control); T2 - 80 kg ha^-1  of N, without inoculation; T3 - 160 kg ha^-1  of N, without inoculation; T4 - 80 kg ha^-1  of N + seed inoculation AzoTotal® 'Liquid'; T5 - 80 kg ha^-1  of N + seed inoculation Nitro 1000 Gramines 'Liquid'; T6 - 80 kg ha^-1  of N + seed inoculation Nitro 1000 'Peat' grasses. The evaluations were composed of nutrient content in leaves and grains, and at the end of the cycle length and ear diameter, number of rows of grains and grains per row, mass of one thousand grains and productivity. The results showed that the inoculation of the seeds, regardless of the physical nature of the inoculant, was efficient for the maize crop, reducing the use of mineral nitrogen in all evaluated sites. It is concluded that the use of inoculation with A. brasilense regardless of the physical nature of the inoculant reduces the need for nitrogen fertilization of the corn crop by 50%, without reducing the final yield of the crop.

Key words: Zea mays, biological nitrogen fixation, productivity, Azospirillum brasilense, sustainable agriculture.