CALIBRATION OF NITROGEN DOSES IN THE CULTIVATION OF GRAIN MILLET HYBRID IN SOILS WITH SANDY AND CLAY TEXTURES

• Grant number: 24/10637-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2024
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho
• Grantee: Eduarda de Almeida Abrahão
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Ilha Solteira. Ilha Solteira , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Grain millet is cultivated in different parts of the world, whose grains are used for human or animal nutrition. Currently, it is the sixth most consumed cereal in the world, and with the development of grain hybrids with high productive potential and good agronomic performance for soil and climatic conditions, it has been gaining ground among Brazilian crops, as it has a low production cost, being an alternative for planting diversification in areas at risk of corn sowing, thanks to its greater drought tolerance characteristic. We believed that adequate supply of N will result in better plant nutrition, greater growth and increased productivity of millet grains, especially in sandy soil. In this sense, the study of N doses in the cultivation of grain millet hybrids aims to estimate the amount of nutrient that will provide greater grain productivity for the crop, thus avoiding the application of doses below or beyond the optimum for the crop (economy). Furthermore, it will be beneficial for maintaining straw in the direct planting system, will encourage farmers to cultivate more grain millet and will contribute to more sustainable and diversified agriculture. Therefore, for the purposes of recommending nitrogen fertilization, the objective of this study will be to evaluate the effect of N doses on nutrition, extraction and removal of nutrients and productivity of grains and straw of grain millet hybrids in sandy textured soil with low fertility. and clayey in texture with high fertility (constructed fertility). The experiment will be installed in two locations, at the UNESP Extension and Research Farm - Ilha Solteira Campus in Selvíria - MS, in Dystrophic Oxisol with a clayey texture. The experimental site has a history of more than 30 years of cultivation with annual rotation of cereals and legumes. Furthermore, the site has been under a no-tillage system for the last 16 years (high fertility, "constructed fertility"). The second location will be in an experimental area of UNESP - Dracena Campus, in Dracena -SP, in Dystrophic RED ARGISSOLO with a sandy texture). The experimental site has a recent history of cultivation with annual rotation of cereals and legumes under a no-tillage system (low fertility). At both locations, the experiments will be conducted in a randomized block design with four replications, with treatments consisting of doses of N (0.0; 25.0; 50.0; 100.0 and 200 kg ha-1 of N, in the form of urea). the doses of N will be applied in the sowing furrow and in coverage (35 days after seedling emergence - DASE in clay soil and at 35 and 50 DASE in sandy soil, divided into equal doses) between the rows, with amounts of 37, 5% and 62.5% (of the total applied), respectively. The following will be evaluated: leaf concentration, extraction and removal of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn; leaf chlorophyll index; plant height, panicle length, mass of grains per panicle, mass of 100 grains, grain and straw productivity; crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) content.