CARACTERÍSTICAS MORFOFISIOLÓGICAS DE PLANTAS DE MILHO EM FUNÇÃO DA SUPLEMENTAÇÃO LUMINOSA DURANTE PERÍODO NOTURNO

Abstract

Corn is the agricultural crop with the highest global production, with 64.5% of the total produced being destined for animal consumption. Brazil is the third largest producer in the world and is in constant search for increased productivity. The present study was conducted to verify the effects of light supplementation at night on the growth and development characteristics of maize plants. The research was conducted in a greenhouse, at the Federal Institute of Goiano - Morrinhos Campus, applying the following treatments: T1 – 001 (control), which did not receive treatment with light; T2 – 007; T3 – 122 and T4 – 252. The proportion of blue light was higher at T4 than at T3. Light supplementation was provided three hours after sunset, for a period of 40 minutes. To evaluate the agronomic performance of maize, evaluations were carried out: stem diameter (DC); plant height (AP); spike insertion height (AE); number of live leaves in grain filling (NF); number of grains per ear (G/E); number of nodes (NN); distance between us (DN); weight of a thousand grains (PMG); productivity (PTV); Chlorophyll a (CLA) and b (CLB) and total chlorophyll (CLT). The parameters evaluated were submitted to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the means were compared to the Scott-Knott test, at 5% probability. The treatments with light had higher PMG, BP, AE, and lower G/E, and T2 and T4 showed higher NF and CLA and CLB, however, there was no difference in PTV, NN and ND in the treatments. Therefore, light supplementation in the corn crop influenced the characteristics studied, however, no difference was found in crop yield, making it unfeasible to invest in the crop supplemented with light at night for the conditions of the experiment.