HYDROGEL DOSES AND ASSESSMENT OF CORN DEVELOPMENT AND YIELD ON THE SECOND CROP

• Grant number: 23/04436-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: August 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Samuel Ferrari
• Grantee: Bárbara Stevanato Rodrigues Tomaz Marangoni
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Dracena. Dracena , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The yield of the corn crop can be affected by damage caused by several factors, mainly by water stress in the critical stages of the crop. The objective of this study is to evaluate the vegetative development and productivity of corn second crop, using the technology of superabsorbent gels (agricultural hydrogels). The experiment will be conducted in the experimental area at UNESP/FCAT - Faculty of Agricultural and Technological Sciences - Dracena - SP. The experimental design will be in randomized blocks, factorial scheme, with 2 granulometries of STOCKOSORB 660 hydrogel: medium (0.8 - 2.0 mm) and XL (2.0 - 4.0 mm) and 5 doses (0. 10, 20, 30 and 40 kg ha-1) with 4 replications, totaling 40 plots. The following characteristics will be evaluated: SPAD reading of chlorophyll (SPAD), plant height, ear insertion, stem diameter, total shoot fresh matter production, total shoot dry matter production, harvest index, grains and components of grain production. The data will be left to analysis of variance and later to polynomial regression analysis for the quantitative factor and Tukey test for the qualitative factor.