DYNAMICS OF DRY MATTER YIELD IN CORN HYBRIDS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF MACRO- AND MICROFERTILIZERS

Optimizing agricultural practices through the precise application of nutrients is essential for maximizing crop productivity. The accumulation of dry matter in corn is a key indicator of yield potential and is significantly influenced by genotype, growth stage, and fertilization strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of varying doses of mineral macrofertilizers and specific microfertilizer treatments on the dry matter yield of mid-early and mid-season corn hybrids. A field experiment was conducted in 2022 using Amaros, Bogatyr, KWS 381, and Carifols hybrids subjected to different NPK regimes, specifically without fertilizers, N90P60K60, and N120P90K90, alongside foliar microfertilizer applications. The findings reveal detailed numerical variations across developmental stages and treatments. In the unfertilized control variants, the mid-early hybrids Amaros and Bogatyr produced a dry matter yield of 11.1 to 12.1 t/ha at the milk ripeness stage, which peaked at 13.0 to 14.1 t/ha during milk-waxy ripeness, and slightly decreased to 12.6 to 13.9 t/ha at wax ripeness. The mid-season hybrids KWS 381 and Karifols consistently demonstrated higher productivity in the control group, yielding 12.7 to 13.0 t/ha at milk ripeness, peaking at 14.8 to 14.9 t/ha at milk-waxy ripeness, and recording 14.6 to 14.5 t/ha at wax ripeness. The application of mineral fertilizers significantly enhanced dry matter production across all variants. Specifically, applying N90P60K60 increased the dry matter yield by an average of 1.3 to 2.0 t/ha, representing an 11.4 to 15.5 percent increase, while the higher N120P90K90 dose resulted in more substantial increases of 1.7 to 2.9 t/ha, equating to a 12.8 to 17.0 percent rise compared to the unfertilized controls. The integration of microfertilizer treatments provided an additional, albeit smaller, yield increment. Seed treatment with YaraVita Teprosyn NP+Zn combined with YaraVita Maize Boost spraying increased the dry matter yield by 1.2 to 2.9 percent. Alternatively, using YaraTera Tenso Cocktail for seed treatment along with YaraVita Kombiphos spraying resulted in a 2.2 to 3.9 percent increase compared to plots without microfertilizers, though no statistically significant difference was found between these two microfertilizer options. Ultimately, the absolute maximum dry matter yield recorded in the experiment was 17.7 t/ha. This peak value was achieved using the mid-season Karifols hybrid during the milky-waxy ripeness stage, cultivated with the highest N120P90K90 mineral fertilizer dose and treated with the YaraTera Tenso Cocktail and YaraVita Kombiphos combination. These results emphasize that combining appropriate hybrid selection with targeted, high-dose macro- and micro-nutrition is critical for maximizing dry matter accumulation and advancing innovative technologies in plant growing.