GREEN MASS YIELD OF CORN HYBRIDS DEPENDING ON THE APPLICATION OF MACRO- AND MICROFERTILIZERS DURING THE MILK RIPENESS STAGE OF THE GRAIN

Growing corn for green mass requires a clear understanding of the interaction between plant genotype, climatic conditions, and nutrition systems. Optimizing these components is critical for unlocking maximum yield potential and ensuring stable forage production. A study conducted during 2021-2023 aimed to investigate the effect of different rates of mineral macrofertilizers and microfertilizer application schemes on the green mass yield of corn hybrids at the milk ripeness stage. The field experiment studied mid-early (Amaros, Bogatyr) and mid-season (KWS 381, Carifols) hybrids. The evaluated variants included no fertilizers (control), application of N90P60K60 and N120P90K90, as well as two micro-nutrition schemes: seed treatment with YaraVita Teprosyn NP+Zn combined with foliar feeding with YaraVita Maize Boost, and seed treatment with YaraTera Tenso Cocktail combined with foliar feeding with YaraVita Kombiphos. During the experiment, a significant impact of the growing year's hydrothermal conditions on biomass formation was revealed. The year 2021 proved to be the most stressful, with the baseline yield in the control variant reaching only 23.6-27.9 t/ha. The best weather conditions occurred in 2022, allowing for a green mass yield of 41.2-45.0 t/ha in the control. In terms of productivity, mid-season hybrids consistently outperformed the mid-early group. Among the latter, the Bogatyr hybrid showed better results compared to Amaros. The application of mineral fertilizers was the most significant factor in increasing yield. The application of the N120P90K90 rate provided the highest mass gain indicators. For example, for the Carifols hybrid in 2022, the yield increased from 42.4 t/ha in the control to 53.1 t/ha at the maximum macronutrition background. The application of microfertilizers provided an additional positive effect, ensuring a stable increase across all mineral nutrition backgrounds. The efficiency of both studied microfertilizer complexes was comparable. The absolute maximum green mass yield in the experiment was recorded at 54.1 t/ha in 2022 for the mid-season Carifols hybrid, under the condition of combining the maximum dose of macrofertilizers N120P90K90 and the microfertilizer complex YaraTera Tenso Cocktail and YaraVita Kombiphos. A comprehensive approach to corn nutrition, combining optimal doses of macrofertilizers and the targeted application of modern microfertilizers, is an effective tool for increasing green mass yield. The maximum realization of the genetic potential of modern hybrids is only possible under conditions of balanced intensive nutrition.