Results regarding the effect of microgranulated fertilizers in hybrid seed maize production

Maize is the cereal with the highest research and development budgets in the world, due to its high ecological distribution and to its vital role in human consumption and animal feeding. In the farms specialised in maize hybrid seeds production, there is a need to have increasing yields of hybrid seeds in view to be more and more efficient. But, having higher yields of hybrid seed cannot happen without the development of new fertilization strategies by farmers that multiply the seeds. Microgranulated fertilizers have been gaining an increasingly important role in these strategies due to the need to have a good development of the plants in the early growth stages. In this respect, our research aimed to study the effect of different microgranulated fertilizers on the yielding components and hybrid seed yield as well as on the overall development of the maize plants through their growth stages. The obtained results showed the following key aspects regarding the effects of microgranulated fertilizers: a better emergence of the plants in the field; a superior development of the root system and even better development where phosphorus concentrations used were higher; a better development of the leaves measurable until BBCH 18; no negative effects on nicking at pollination; increased TGW; improvement of hybrid seed yield in conditions of severe drought.