Maize (Zea mays L.) is a worldwide staple food, cultivated using mainly mineral fertilizers and other soil degradation practices. Biofertilizers are an alternative to help limit soil degradation and improve crop productivity. This research aims to determine maize response to foliar applications of liquid organic fertilizers. A completely randomized block design with five treatments was used: hydrolyzed fish (T1), Neem oil (T2), digested liquid bovine manure (T3), NPK fertilization (T4), and the control (T5). The results show that maize plants with conventional fertilization reached the lowest number of days to male (51.50) and female flowering (53.50), and the highest ear height (101.25 cm). Maize plants with NPK fertilization and those receiving liquid bovine manure recorded the highest values in extended ear length (18.17 and 16.44 cm, respectively); number of grains per row (32 and 29 units, respectively); and grain yield (7.32 and 6.95 t·ha -1 respectively). There were no significant differences in the number of rows per ear. The highest cost-effectiveness was obtained with liquid bovine manure (54.01%), followed by NPK (52.61%). In conclusion, foliar applications of digested liquid bovine manure result in similar yields and higher cost-effectiveness to those obtained by conventional NPK fertilization.
<p><strong>Background: </strong>The hard yellow<strong> </strong>corn (<em>Zea mays </em>L.) is essential in the livestock sector. In Peru, the variety Marginal 28-T is cultivated with the moon´s calendar, although relationships of moon phases with yellow corn have not been demonstrated. <strong>Objective:</strong> To determine the influence of the moon phase (new moon, first quarter, last quarter, and full moon) on development yield and plague incidence in hard yellow corn Marginal 28-T. <strong>Methodology:</strong> A completely randomized factorial design 2 x 4 (two seasons of four moon phases) and four repetitions with 104 experimental units. Plant and ear height, grain weight, yield, <em>Spodoptera frugiperda</em>, <em>Ustilago maydis</em>, and<em> Helmintosporium maydis</em> attacks were evaluated. <strong>Results:</strong> The corn sown during the new moon produced the highest and longer plants and ears, with 218 cm and 116 cm, respectively. The highest grain weight, with 45.50 and 44.30 g in 100 grains, and the highest yields, with 3.78 y 3.55 t∙ha<sup>-1</sup>, were obtained with the corn sown during the last quarter and full moon, respectively. The number of defoliated plants by <em>S. frugiperda </em>was lowest in corn sown during the last quarter and the new moon. There were no infected plants with <em>U. maydis</em> during the first quarter, last quarter, and full moon. Plants sown during a full moon had the lowest damage by <em>H. maydis</em>. <strong>Implications:</strong> The corn´s response can be affected by the moon phases. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Hard yellow corn Marginal 28-T planted during the full moon and last quarter produced the highest yield and lowest height and was more tolerant to plague attacks than corn sown during other moon phases. However, it is still necessary to consider the influence of precipitation as a factor for better yields.</p>
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