ABSTRACT: Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] grain yield is closely associated with the level of optimal nitrogen (N) supply, especially during the reproductive stages. Foliar fertilization with low rates of N have been considered as a strategy for furnishing additional N and enhancing grain yields. Field studies using 15N tracer were conducted over two growing seasons to investigate the impact of foliar N fertilization on grain yield, plant N content, the amount of N derived from fertilizer (NDFF) and N recovery efficiency (NRE). Four foliar N rates (0, 1300, 2600 and 3900 g ha−1) were supplied by two equal split applications at the R1 and R3 stages. Foliar N fertilization of soybean canopies did not affect grain yield, grain N content, shoot N content nor plant N content. Total NDFF was increased from 0.7 to 2.0 kg ha−1 across the N rates. Nonetheless, NRE was unaffected by foliar N fertilization, which averaged 53 %. Soybean plants allocated the same amount of N fertilizer to both grains and shoots. No significant effects of low rate foliar N fertilization were registered on soybean grain yield nor plant N content, despite considerable N fertilizer recovery by plant organs.

Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as perdas causadas pelas podridões da base do colmo em híbridos de milho (Zea mays), bem como identificar os principais patógenos causadores da doença, durante a safrinha, no Estado do Tocantins, Brasil. Foram realizados dois ensaios, um com cinco híbridos, em 2015, e outro com quatro, em 2016. Espigas de plantas sadias e doentes foram colhidas em cada parcela, por ocasião da colheita. Foram medidos tamanho de espigas, peso de grãos e espigas, e umidade dos grãos. De cada planta doente, foi retirado um fragmento do colmo com dois a três entrenós, utilizado para identificação e quantificação dos patógenos. Os patógenos mais comuns foram: Fusarium graminearum, Stenocarpella maydis e Macrophomina phaseolina. Todas as variáveis de produtividade foram significativamente menores nas plantas doentes, com perdas médias de 30,6%, em 2015, e de 34,3% em 2016. As maiores perdas são observadas em híbridos com maior relação entre pesos de grãos e espigas.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to assess yield losses due to stalk rot in corn (Zea mays) hybrids, as well as to identify the main pathogenic fungi responsible for the disease during the off-season, in the state of Tocantins, Brazil. Two field experiments were carried out, one with five hybrids, in 2015, and another with four, in 2016. Ears of healthy and stalk rot-infected plants were collected from each plot, at harvest. Ear size, grain and ear weights, and grain moisture content were measured. From each diseased plant, a stalk piece with two to three nodes was removed for pathogen identification and quantification. The most common pathogens were: Fusarium graminearum, Stenocarpella maydis, and Macrophomina phaseolina. All yield parameters were significantly lower in stalk rot-infected plants, with average losses of 30.6%, in 2015, and of 34.3% in 2016. The highest yield losses are observed in hybrids with the highest grain/ear weight ratio.

Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar métodos de implantação do consórcio milho e espécies forrageiras de Panicum spp. e os efeitos na produtividade do milho e no desenvolvimento das forragens. Dois experimentos com Panicum spp. foram conduzidos, um com 'Tanzania' e outro com 'Massai' em Piracicaba, SP, na safra 2012/2013. Em ambos os experimentos, os tratamentos foram: Panicum spp. semeado a lanço no momento da semeadura do milho; milho com Panicum spp. nas entrelinhas; Panicum spp. semeado com fertilizante; Panicum spp. semeado nas entrelinhas depois do estabelecimento do milho; Panicum spp. semeado a lanço depois do estabelecimento do milho; e milho solteiro. Para o milho, avaliaram-se a concentração de nitrogênio foliar, a altura de espigas e a produtividade de grãos. Para as cultivares de Panicum spp., avaliaram-se altura, massa seca, número de perfilhos e relação folha:colmo. Os métodos de implantação do consórcio avaliados não afetam o crescimento, a produtividade de grãos e a concentração foliar de N do milho. A implantação das cultivares de Panicum spp., quando o milho apresenta quatro folhas expandidas, reduz a massa seca e aumenta a relação folha:colmo das plantas forrageiras. A semeadura a lanço de Panicum spp., depois do estabelecimento do milho, não permite o estabelecimento adequado, com poucas plantas na área.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate methods of intercropping corn and Panicum spp. forages and their effects on corn yield and forage development. Two experiments with Panicum spp. were conducted, one with 'Tanzania' and other with 'Massai' in the municipality of Piracicaba, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in the 2012/2013 growing season. In both experiments, the treatments were: broadcast seeding of Panicum spp. at the same time of corn sowing; corn with Panicum spp. between rows; Panicum spp. sown with fertilizer; Panicum spp. sown between corn rows after corn establishment; broadcast seeding of Panicum spp. after corn establishment; and sole corn sowing. For corn, leaf nitrogen content, ear height, and grain yield were evaluated. For Panicum spp. cultivars, height, dry mass, tiller density, and leaf:stem ratio were evaluated. The intercropping establishment methods used do not affect corn growth, grain yield, and N leaf content. The seeding of both cultivars of Panicum spp. when corn plants had four expanded leaves reduces forage dry mass production and increases the leaf:stem ratio. The Panicum spp. broadcast method, performed after corn was established, does not allow appropriate establishment, with few plants in the area.