DESEMPENHO DO MILHO DOCE EM DIFERENTES CONDIÇÕES DE CORREÇÃO DE SOLO

Abstract

Soil acidity correction and fertility management are fundamental practices for the proper deve-lopment of agricultural crops, especially those with short cycles and high nutritional require-ments, such as sweet corn (Zea mays L.). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate different stra-tegies for correcting and managing soil fertility in sweet corn cultivation, considering agrono-mic, productive, and qualitative parameters. The experiment was conducted at the Instituto Fe-deral Goiano - Campus Morrinhos, in a Red Latosol. The experimental design was a randomi-zed block design, with 11 treatments evaluated: T1 – Control, without fertilization application; T2 – application of Isofertil (120 kg ha⁻¹ in the sowing line) associated with NPK fertilization; T3 – application of Force S (120 kg ha⁻¹ in the sowing line) associated with NPK fertilization; T4 – application of Isofertil (200 kg ha⁻¹ broadcast); T5 – application of Force S (250 kg ha⁻¹ broadcast); T6 – application of Force S (150 kg ha⁻¹) combined with lime application; T7 – lime application at a dose of 1.8 t ha⁻¹; T8 – application of Isofertil (300 kg ha⁻¹); T9 – application of Isofertil (400 kg ha⁻¹); T10 – application of Isofertil (500 kg ha⁻¹); and T11 – combined applica-tion of lime (1 t ha⁻¹) and agricultural gypsum (1 t ha⁻¹). The analyzed characteristics were: stem diameter (SD), ear height (EH), plant height (PH), ear length (EL), ear diameter (ED), ear weight with husk (EW), ear weight without husk (EW), number of grains per row (NGF), number of rows per ear (NF), milky grain production per ear (PGL), milky grain industrial yield (RIGL), and total soluble solids content (BR, expressed in °Brix). The results indicated that treatment T10 Isofertil (500 kg ha⁻¹) produces the highest industrial grain yield. It is concluded that the proper management of soil acidity and fertility correction is crucial for maximizing the agronomic, productive, and qualitative performance of sweet corn, reinforcing the importance of adopting well-planned corrective practices for sustainable agricultural systems.