EFFECT OF MAIZE HARVEST DELAY ON THE INCIDENCE OF SPOILED GRAINS AND PATHOGENIC FUNGI

Abstract

This work aimed to evaluate the effect of harvest delay on the incidence of spoiled grains and pathogenic fungi on maize grains of the hybrids XL 212 and XL 344, sowed through direct planting system in two areas of 60 x 100 m, with 55.000 plants per hectare and cultivated above soil vegetal coverage, black oat and foraging turnip. The spoiled grains (SG) incidence was determined through the average of four repetitions of 250g per sample and the fungus incidence was determined on 400 grains incubated in potato-dextrose-agar, in growth chamber at 25ºC and photoperiod of 12 hours for seven days. The SG incidence increased in all treatments until the fourth evaluation, considering that the hybrid XL 344, cultivated above turnip coverage, reached 6.2% of SG and, above the oat coverage, reached 3.5%. In the XL 212 hybrid, the maximum incidence was 2.3% and 2.0% above oat and turnip coverage, respectively.The delay did not influence the increase of the spoiled grains incidence, but it influenced the decrease of the F. moniliforme and the raise of the incidence of the F. graminearium and the Aspergillus, Cephalosporium and Penicillium genus species.

Keywords

• maize
• grains: Zea mays L.: harvest