The adaptability of maize genotypes to environments where nutrients are not readily available may be related to an adaptation to the predominance of the soil nitric and ammoniacal forms of N and to the association with beneficial microorganisms such as diazotrohpic bacteria and/or plant growth promoters. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of two maize intervarietal hybrids to different nitrogen doses and forms as well as the effect of inoculation with A. amazonense. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse with pots filled with vermiculite and Hoagland nutrient solution. A three-factor randomized complete block design was used with treatments arranged in a factorial scheme represented by: H1 (Carioca x Eldorado) and H2 (Palha Roxa ES x Sol da Manhã) intervarietal hybrids; plants inoculated or not with A. amazonense; and three nitrogen proportions and doses: 126 mg week-1 of N (75 % NH4+ : 25 % NO3-); 126 mg week-1 of N (25 % NH4+ : 75 % NO3-); and 12.6 mg week-1 of N (50 % NH4+ : 50 % NO3-). After 25 days of growth the plant roots and shoots were separated for the determination of dry matter production, total N and P content, nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase activity and total soluble sugars. The H1 hybrid, considered more efficient in preliminary field evaluations, produced greater dry matter and was more efficient in N and P utilization. In plants that received the highest N dose, independently of the predominance of the ammoniacal or nitric forms, the N (roots and shoots) and P (shoots) accumulation as well as the P utilization index were higher. Under the predominance of the ammonium-N plants grew more and the glutamine synthetase activity was increased, while the concentration of root total soluble sugars was lowered. The inoculation with A. amazonense resulted in higher root dry matter production and N accumulation.
diazotrophic bacteria; plant growth-promoting bacteria; Zea mays
