Application of special fertilizers and their effects on the agronomic aspects of maize and soil fertility

Maize has a high nutritional requirement, especially regarding NPK fertilization. However, conventional fertilization with these nutrients presents a high loss potential, mainly by volatilization, leaching, adsorption, and fixation, which may reflect on the development and yield of maize plants. Using fertilizers with increased efficiency seeks to mitigate these limitations, reducing potential losses due to gradual nutrient release. This study aimed to compare the nutrition, growth, and production of maize plants subjected to different doses and special NPK fertilizers fully applied at planting and their residual effect on the soil. It was a randomized block design in a 3x4 factorial scheme with four replications. The first factor consisted of conventional mineral, polymer-coated, and organomineral + PGPB fertilizers. The second factor included doses of 0, 60, 90, and 120 kg ha (-1) of NPK. The study evaluated vegetative growth, foliar nutrition (N, P, and K), yield growth components, productivity, profitability, and residual K content in the soil after cultivation. The conventional mineral fertilizer produced more dry biomass in the aerial part. Profitability was similar between conventional and special fertilizers. However, the latter performed better overall in vegetative and productive growth, showing a potential reduction of the applied doses without compromising grain yield, especially in organomineral + PGPB fertilization. This treatment also presented a higher residual effect of K on the soil.