ANTICIPATION OF STARTER FERTILIZER APPLICATION FOR CORN UNDER TWO SOIL TILLAGE SYSTEMS

Each soil tillage system has its proper characteristics, which have distinct effects on the chemical, physical and biological soil properties, and may require adaptations of fertilization recommendations and management. This study was conducted to evaluated the performance of three maize cultivars with fertilizer application before and at sowing in two soil tillage systems. The experiment was carried out at the "Faculdade de Ciencias Agronomicas", UNESP, Botucatu-SP campus, from November 2003 to May 2004, in a Dystric Nitosol (FAO). The experimental design was in randomized blocks with split-split plots and four repetitions. The main plots consisted of two soil tillage systems (no-tillage and reduced tillage with chisel plow), the split-plots of fertilizer application time (surface fertilizer application 22 days before maize sowing and fertilizer application incorporated to soil simultaneously to maize sowing) and split-split-plots of maize cultivars (DKB 333B, CO 32 and AL Bandeirante), totalizing 12 treatments. The data of productivity, yield components and N, P and K contents in the leaf tissue were submitted to analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of Grouping and Principal Components. The soil tillage systems did not influence the performance of the maize crop, neither the timing of starter fertilizer application. The differences observed in the yield components and the maize crop performance were mainly due to genetic divergences among the maize cultivars.