Plant arrangement and grain yield of two simple maize hybrids

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of plant arrangement on grain yield and mass of a thousand kernels of two simple corn hybrids, in the North region of Paraná State. The combination among two plant row spacing (0.45 and 0.90 m), four plant population densities (45,000, 60,000, 75,000 and 90,000 plants ha^-1), two corn hybrids (DKB 234 and DKB 214) and two growing seasons (2005/06 and 2006/07) constituted the treatments. Experiments were designed in randomized complete blocks, in 2 x 2 x 4 x 2 factorial scheme, with four replications. The hybrid DKB 234 presented the highest grain yield, while hybrid DKB 214 presented the highest mass of a thousand kernels. In general, the plant row spacing did not affect too much the grain yield, being a viable option to crop the corn hybrids DKB 214 and DKB 234 for grain yield. The fine plant population density for grain yield of hybrid DKB 234 ranged from 65,000 to 75,000 plants ha^-1, while this fine plant population density for grain yield of hybrid DKB 214 was about 70,000 to 80,000 plants ha^-1. The fine plant population density for mass of a thousand kernels was 55,000 plants ha^-1.