Organic fertilization and salt stress on the agronomic performance of maize crop¹

Adubação orgânica e estresse salino no desempenho agronômico da cultura do milho

HIGHLIGHTS:

The maize crop was negatively affected by the combination of organic fertilizer and salinity water of 3.0 dS m^-1.

Saline stress was more obvious in the maize crop in the combination of goat biofertilizer and a salinity of 3.0 dS m^-1.

Under a salinity of 3.0 dS m^-1, cattle manure and poultry biofertilizer was the com-bination that increased maize yield.

ABSTRACT

Irrigation water salinity can cause serious problems in crop production, while organic fertilizer sources potentially mitigate saline stress. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the productivity of maize crops under irrigation with saline water and organic fertilization. The study was conducted in the field from August to November 2020 at the experimental farm of the Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira (UNILAB), Redenção-CE. A randomized block design was used, in subdivided plots, in which the plots consisted of two levels of irrigation water salinity (0.8 and 3.0 dS m^-1). Four combinations of organic fertilizer sources were applied in the subplots, composed of 10 plants each, with four replications: C1, cattle manure + poultry biofertilizer + goat biofertilizer; C2, cattle manure + goat biofertilizer; C3, cattle manure + poultry biofertilizer; and C4, control treatment. The combination of organic fertilizer sources did not influence the accumulation of assimilates and productivity of maize crops under the irrigation water salinity of 3.0 dS m^-1, except for C3, which attenuated the saline effect.

Key words:
Zea mays L.; organic material; nutrition; salinity