<b>Agronomic characteristics of maize varieties for silage production in the submédio São Francisco river valley</b> - doi: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v32i4.9299

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the dry and fresh matter yield, height of ear insertion, number of ears per plant, plant height and the ear stem^-1 leaf^-1 ratio of six maize varieties recommended for the Brazilian semi-arid region (BR 5033 - Asa Branca, BR 5028 - São Francisco, BRS 4103, BRS Caatingueiro, BRS Assum Preto and Gurutuba) aiming at silage production. The experiment was carried out at Embrapa Semi-Arid, in a completely randomized design with six treatments and four replications. The varieties Gurutuba and BRS 4103 achieved the highest yields of fresh forage (38.7 and 40.0 t ha^-1). These two varieties and BR 5028 - São Francisco showed the highest dry matter yield (16.0, 16.5 and 15.8 t ha^-1, respectively). However, the variety BRS Caatingueiro presented a higher number of ears per plant (1.6) than those of the other varieties. Among the materials evaluated for silage production in the Submédio São Francisco river Valley, Gurutuba, BR 5028 - São Francisco and BRS 4103 stood out. The results obtained for dry matter production (t ha^-1) and number of ears per plant, as well as the ear stem^-1 leaf^-1 ratio, indicate the possibility of using the evaluated varieties for silage production in the Brazilian semi-arid.