Agronomic Performance of Summer Maize in Crop Rotation Systems

Abstract

Maize grown in the summer can be an important option for crop rotation with soybean. The objective of this work was to study the agronomic performance of maize in different crop rotation systems. The experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm belonging to the College of Agricultural Sciences of the Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), located in the municipality of Dourados, MS, in the agricultural year of 2014/15. Randomized block design was used, with ten treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of precedent crops: white oat (Avena sativa), forage radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. oleifera), showy rattlebox (Crotalaria spectabilis), fodder vetch (Vicia villosa), crambe (Crambe abyssinica), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), niger (Guizothia abyssinica), canola (Brassica napus L. var. oleifera), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and fallow. These crops were planted in the fall/winter season of each agricultural year, while maize was sown in October of each year. Plant height, ear insertion height, ear length and diameter, grains per ear, thousand grain weight and yield were evaluated. There was significant difference only for yield, which presented the highest values in the rotation with safflower, canola, forage radish, wheat, white oat and niger.