Inoculation with Azospirillum brasiliense increases maize yield

Background: Maize plants have a high nitrogen (N) demand, and thus, the fertilizers' sustainable management and the inoculation with N-2-fixing bacteria are the alternatives to reduce fertilization cost and the environmental impacts with N fertilizers. Under no tillage system, the N-2-fixing inoculant Azospirillum brasiliense effects were compared with mineral N fertilization for maize crop. Results: The N fertilization treatments influenced all variables in the 2014/2015 season and the cob insertion, plant height, yield, and N concentration in leaves in the 2015/2016 season, suggesting that the N supply, either N mineral from A. brasiliense increased growth and yield of maize plants.The maize cultivars influenced all variables in the two seasons. There was no interaction effect of cultivars x N fertilization on the variables. Thus, the maize cultivars had similar performance regardless treatments. Conclusions: The inoculation with A. brasiliense increased maize yield compared with non-N-fertilized plants and the inoculation with Azospirillum at sowing + mineral N at topdress provided similar grain yield as mineral N at sowing and topdress for both cultivars.