Maize monoculture is an usual practice in some regions of Brazil, being responsible for the growing damage caused by diseases. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different maize production systems, contrasting in management investments, on the incidence of stalk rot, rot grains and grain yield. Four production systems were tested: S1 (low management level), S2 (medium), S3 (high) e S4 (designed to maximize the grain yield). The production systems differed in relation to plant density, row spacing, amount of fertilizer and irrigation use. Three genotypes were used for each production system: BRS Planalto (open-pollinated variety), Traktor (double-cross hybrid) and P32R21 (single-cross hybrid). The experiments were carried out during 2002/03 and 2003/04 grown seasons, in no-till system and a monoculture area, having a mixture of black oat and vetch as the preceding winter crop. The experiments was a split-plot arranged in randomized complete blocks design with four replications. In both grown seasons, regardless management system, open-pollinated variety BRS Planalto showed higher stalk rot than the hybrids. Colletotrichum graminicola was the main pathogen associated with stalk rot. Grain yield ranged from 3,986 to 13.489kg ha-1 in 2003 and from 1,787 to 13.849kg ha-1 in 2004, depending on genotype and crop management system. The highest values of grain yield were obtained in S4 with the single-cross hybrid. The incidence of rot grain was low (below 6%) during the whole experimental period. Fusarium verticillioides was the main pathogen associated with rot grain. There was no association between incidence and causal agent of stalk rot and rot grain. It was not possible to identify a crop management system that was more efficient to reduce incidence of stalk rot and rot grain.
Zea mays; diseases; monoculture; no till
