Economic nitrogen rate for fertigation of green corn crop in the Brazilian semiarid

Souza, Ênio Gomes Flôr; Cruz, Ellen Abreu da; França, Rafaela Felix da; Silva, José Madson da; Barros Júnior, Aurélio Paes; Bezerra Neto, Francisco

doi:10.1590/S1678-3921.pab2019.v54.00556

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ECONOMICS • Pesq. agropec. bras. 54 • 2019 • https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-3921.pab2019.v54.00556 copy

Economic nitrogen rate for fertigation of green corn crop in the Brazilian semiarid

Dose econômica de nitrogênio para fertirrigação da cultura do milho verde no semiárido brasileiro

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract:

The objective of this work was to determine the nitrogen rate for fertigation associated with the maximum productivity of green corn (Zea mays) with a lower production cost, in two harvest seasons in the Brazilian semiarid region. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replicates, and the treatments consisted of four N rates (0, 80, 160, and 240 kg ha^-1) in form of urea, applied via drip irrigation. The used cultivar was the Bt Feroz hybrid. The evaluated characteristics were: number and mass of marketable ears, gross income, net income, and rate of return. The greatest amounts of marketable ears were reached with 152.52 kg ha^-1 N in summer (41,183.84 ears per hectare) and 190.31 kg ha^-1 N in winter (53,291.25 ears per hectare). In the two harvests, there was a variation in production costs between R$ 2,422.12 ha^-1 and R$ 3,320.95 ha^-1 without N and with 240 kg ha^-1 N, respectively. The winter harvest showed higher productivity and profitability of green ears with fertigation with 160 kg ha^-1 N. In the Brazilian semiarid, the maximum productivity of green corn with the lowest production cost is reached with fertigation with 90 kg ha^-1 N, in both harvests.

Index terms:
Zea mays; production costs; rate of return

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[1] *Corresponding author: enio.souza@ifal.edu.br

Crop	N rate (kg ha^-1)
Crop	0	80	160	240
	Number of marketable ears (ears per hectare)
Summer	23,456.79b	38,271.60b	40,123.46b	35,802.47b
Winter	43,827.16a	46,913.58a	52,469.14a	50,000.00a
	Marketable ear mass (kg ha^-1)
Summer	3,771.17b	8,685.18b	8,144.44b	6,384.26b
Winter	9,655.86a	12,431.05a	12,628.77a	12,582.41a
	Gross income (R$ ha^-1)
Summer	9,382.72b	15,308.64b	16,049.38b	14,320.99b
Winter	17,530.86a	18,765.43a	20,987.65a	20,000.00a
	Net income (R$ ha^-1)
Summer	6,913.27b	12,555.36b	13,012.27b	11,000.04b
Winter	15,108.74a	16,097.09a	18,073.08a	16,839.20a

Discrimination		Unit	Summer		Winter
I. Expenditure on crop cultivation costs			Amount	R$	Amount	R$
1. Machine rental: tractor with plow grid		Hour	2.00	220.00	2.00	220.00
2. Labor
	Distribution of drip tapes	Daily	2.00	80.00	2.00	80.00
	Manual planting with hoe	Daily	1.00	40.00	1.00	40.00
	Irrigation or fertigation	Hour	34.00	170.00	18.00	90.00
	Herbicide spraying	Daily	1.00	40.00	1.00	40.00
	Manual harvests of green ears	Daily	6.00	240.00	6.00	240.00
3. Seeds of the Bt Feroz corn hybrid		Kilogram	15.00	417.40	15.00	391.40
4. Fertilizers
	Urea (45% N) - 240 kg ha^-1 N	Kilogram	533.34	800.01	533.34	693.34
	Zinc sulphate (21% Zn)	Kilogram	9.53	34.69	9.53	34.69
5. Pesticides: herbicide Atrazine		Liter	4.00	112.00	4.00	100.00
6. Others: soil analysis		Unit	1.00	52.00	1.00	59.00
II. Other expenses
7. Administrative expenses (3% of the cost of the crop)				66.18		59.65
8. Technical assistance (2% of the cost of the crop)				44.12		39.77
9. Rural land tax (R$ 10.00 per year)				1.92		2.05
III. Financial expenses
10. Interest on financing (7.49% per year)				31.69		30.60
Variable cost (I+II+III)				2,350.01		2,120.50
IV. Depreciation
11. Depreciation of facilities				306.28		328.16
V. Other fixed costs
12. Maintenance of facilities (1% per year)				12.76		13.67
Fixed cost (IV+V)				319.04		341.83
Operational cost (variable and fixed costs)				2,669.05		2,462.33
VI. Income from factors
13. Remuneration on fixed capital (6% per year)				76.55		82.02
14. Rent (R$ 3,000.00 ha^-1 per year)				575.35		616.44
Total cost (operational cost and income from factors)
240 kg ha^-1 N				3,320.95		3,160.79
160 kg ha^-1 N				3,037.11		2,914.57
80 kg ha^-1 N				2,753.28		2,668.34
0 kg ha^-1 N				2,469.45		2,422.12