Effect of Three Green Manures on the Agronomic Characteristics of Native X’mejen Naal Maize in Campeche, Mexico

Abstract

In the agronomic management of maize (Zea mays L.), chemical fertilizers can be substituted for fertilizing techniques that reduce the pollutant effect of the excessive use of commercial fertilizers. The hypothesis was the green manure of legumes with or without the inoculation of microorganisms are capable of promoting agronomic characteristics of X’mejen Naal maize, comparable to conventional fertilization. In order to measure the effect in the agronomic characteristics of X´mejen Naal maize, an experiment was designed in complete randomized blocks in a bifactorial arrangement with four repetitions, in which three green manures were tested, with or without the inoculation of Fosfonat (endomycorrhizas, EM, plus nitrogen fixating bacteria, NFB). Treatments were Mucuna (Mucuna pruriens, T1=MUC), Xpelón (Vigna unguiculata, T2=PEL), Ibes (Phaseolus lunatus, T3=IBE), inoculated Mucuna (T4=MUCEM), inoculated Xpelón (T5=PELEM), inoculated Ibes (T6= IBEEM) and the control with the incorporated biomass of weeds plus the addition of 200 kg ha-1 of diammonium phosphate (T7=ARDAP). Results showed that there were only differences caused by the types of green manure and their interaction with the inoculated symbionts in the fresh weight or biomass in X´mejen Naal maize. IBE and ARDAP stood out in fresh weight (1162 and 1251 g), dry weight (168.6 and 163.6 g), 7.3 Mg ha-1 (Megagrams per hectare) in the dry aerial biomass in the maize plants, respectively. Despite the grain yield of maize was similar among treatments, it was noticeable that the higher average yields were also observed in IBE and ARDAP with 3.5 and 3.3 Mg ha-1 respectively. All yields (fodder and grain) managed to express the potential of the X´mejen Naal, which is relevant to recommend the use of green manures as an agro-environmental alternative to conventional fertilization in the Luvisol soils of Campeche.