Sources and application of zinc on rice yield in "cerrado" soils

Abstract

The effect of sources and zinc application on grain yield of rice was measured in three field experiments conducted in "cerrado" soils. In two of these experiments the treatments considered ZnSO₄, ZnO and ZnCl₂ sources and the following types of application: seed treatment, foliar spray, broadcast and banded applications. In the third experiment, two additional sources of zinc viz. FTE BR-12 and Micronutri-222 were included. The latter two sources were restricted to broadcast and banded applications. The first three sources were significantly superior to FTE BR-12 and micronutri-222. However, statistically significant differences were not evident within either the former three (ZnSO₄, ZnO and ZnCl₂) as the latter two sources. In one of the three experiments the broadcast and banded application showed better results than other modes of fertilizer application, whereas in the other two no significant difference can be obtained by different modes of fertilizer application. The grain yield decreased in treatment without zinc application, differing significantly from all other treatments in both the experiments.