APPLICATION OF DIFFERENT SOURCES AND DOSES OF BORON IN THE CORN CROP

One of the main problems faced in corn cultivation, especially in Cerrado regions, is the deficiency of micronutrients. Among the micronutrients essential for the development of plants, boron (B) stands out for participating in a series of physiological processes. Based on this, the present work aimed to evaluate the performance of corn under fertilization with different sources and doses of boron. The randomized block design in a 4x3 factorial scheme was used. Four boron doses (0, 1, 2, and 3 kg ha -1 ) and three nutrient sources (boric acid, borax, and ulexite), applied in topdressing, were evaluated. Plant height (cm), stem diameter (mm), first ear insertion height (m), ear length (cm), ear diameter (mm), number of rows per ear, number of grains per row, 1000-grain weight (g), and grain yield (kg ha -1 ) were evaluated. It was concluded that the boron sources and doses used did not influence the results of plant height, first ear insertion height, number of rows per ear, and grain yield. The three doses evaluated provided increases in stem diameter, with a dose of 2.08 kg ha -1 being the one with the highest average. The application of borax and ulexite results in higher values of ear diameter, number of grains per row, and 1000-grain weight. The dose of 1.74 kg ha -1 of boron provides the highest 1000-grain weight.