Evaluation of liquid biofertilizers in corn and corn kernel production

Resumen

Abstract

This study was conducted in order to evaluate and compare the effect of chemical fertilizers, a biofertilizer based on bat guano (Aboguano), and another derived from the anaerobic fermentation of organic matter (Supermagro), on cob and kernel yields in corn cultivation. The study site was La Sauceda, municipality of Zamora, Michoacán, and the experiment used a completely randomized block design with four replications. None of the biofertilizers or mixtures applied to the soil or foliage out-yielded corn production compared to the chemical fertilizer. All treatments in which the chemical fertilizer was used produced, both numerically and statistically, an average of 5.7 times more cobs (20,374 vs. 3,520 tons/ha-1) and 4.7 times more kernels (5,503 vs. 1,150 tons/ha-1) than the treatments in which the biofertilizers, Aboguano and Supermagro –alone or in combination– were applied to the foliage and soil. Moreover, the latter treatments were associated with significant reductions (p≤0.5) in plant height, the size of the ears, and nutritional qualities. Visual diagnosis suggests that these results are attributable to a lack of nitrogen.