The objective of this work was to evaluate the incidence of corn stunt disease and its effects on the grain yield of off-season corn (Zea mays) hybrids in different sowing seasons. The experiment was conducted in three sites in the state of Tocantins, in different sowing seasons, in a randomized complete block design, with 30 hybrids (treatments) and three replicates. Corn stunt disease incidence was assessed at 80 days after emergence, varying between hybrids and sowing seasons, with a marked effect of sowing season. The most resistant hybrids were: MG652 PW, Penta VIP, MG600 PW, NS90 PRO2, LG3040 VIP3, MG580 PW, and Defender VIP. The Fórmula VIP2 hybrid was the most susceptible to corn stunt disease. The incidence of the disease increased in the later sowing seasons, causing significant declines in grain yield. The most productive hybrids were: MG580 PW, SYN 5T78 VIP, 2B810 PRO, MG600 PW, Supremo VIP, 2B512 PW, NS92 PRO2, P30S31 VYH, MG652 PW, Penta VIP, SX5371 VIP3, and LG6036 PRO. Corn hybrids vary greatly in their resistance to corn stunt disease, and, the later the sowing season, the higher the disease incidence and the lower the grain yield.

The objective of this work was to assess yield losses due to stalk rot in corn (Zea mays) hybrids, as well as to identify the main pathogenic fungi responsible for the disease during the off-season, in the state of Tocantins, Brazil. Two field experiments were carried out, one with five hybrids, in 2015, and another with four, in 2016. Ears of healthy and stalk rot-infected plants were collected from each plot, at harvest. Ear size, grain and ear weights, and grain moisture content were measured. From each diseased plant, a stalk piece with two to three nodes was removed for pathogen identification and quantification. The most common pathogens were: Fusarium graminearum, Stenocarpella maydis, and Macrophomina phaseolina. All yield parameters were significantly lower in stalk rot-infected plants, with average losses of 30.6%, in 2015, and of 34.3% in 2016. The highest yield losses are observed in hybrids with the highest grain/ear weight ratio.

Integrating plant density and nitrogen (N) management is a strategy for improving corn yields, especially for off-season corn production in the tropics. This study tested the hypothesis that increasing plant densities and N rates promotes yield gains for off-season corn production in high-yielding environments. The aim of the study was to investigate the yield performances of two hybrid versions (DKB PRO and DKB PRO3) submitted to three plant densities (55,000; 65,000 and 75,000 plants ha⁻¹) and four N rates (control, 60, 120 and 180 kg ha⁻¹ N). Field trials were undertaken at Uberlândia-MG (site1 and 2) and Pedro Afonso-TO (site 3), Brazil from which data on corn yield parameters were collected and analyzed. Multivariate analysis separated the three trial areas into two groups, presenting high (sites 1 and 2) and low yields (site 3), which were related to weather conditions. There was no influence of a hybrid version or plant densities on crop yields at site 1 or 2. In contrast, there was a positive response to increasing plant densities and the use of DKB PRO3 at site 3. A significant response to N was observed at sites 2 and 3, following a plateau model. Our results suggest that N application rates and plant densities do have the potential to increase off-season corn yields in low yielding environments.

Artificial drying, although costly, ensures a safe storage and preserves post-harvest grain quality. Alternatively, a more cost-effective measure is to delay harvest to promote natural drying, but this management may increase the risk of mycotoxigenic ear rot fungi contamination. The objective was to evaluate the effect of increasing maize harvest delay on fungal disease and fumonisin levels. Three maize hybrids (BRS1035, Attack and DKB390 YG) were sown in the field to study the effect of five harvest delays (15, 30, 45, 60 and 75 days) after the optimum date (18% grain moisture). There was a significant trend of increasing the incidence of kernel rot and total fumonisins in the grains when delaying harvest, but fungal incidence and mycotoxin contamination varied with the hybrid. The main fungi detected in the grain samples were Fusarium verticillioides and Stenocarpella maydis. The hybrid DKB390 YG showed significantly lower incidence of F. verticillioides contamination and lower fumonisin accumulation in the grains than the other hybrids. The hybrid Attack was the least susceptible to kernel rot incidence. Our data shows that delaying harvest for minimizing drying costs may increase the risk of mycotoxin contamination in maize in the tropics of Brazil.

Objetivou-se propor e validar uma escala diagramática para quantificar a antracnose do colmo em milho. A severidade da antracnose foi estimada por dez avaliadores sem o uso de escala em 139 entrenós, e os mesmos avaliadores avaliaram os entrenós usando uma escala publicada anteriormente na literatura (primeira escala) e uma nova escala proposta. Com o uso da escala proposta, todas as variáveis foram significativamente diferentes em relação à primeira escala, e os valores foram mais próximos de uma medição acurada (r=0,97, C_b=0.98, u=0.09, υ=1.06, ρ_c=0.96). Os maiores desvios do erro foram observados quando os avaliadores atribuíram notas sem o uso de escalas e com a primeira escala, com vários exemplos de erros maiores do que 30% do valor real. Com a escala proposta, poucos erros acima de 15% do valor real foram encontrados, e a maioria das notas dos avaliadores não ultrapassou, para mais ou para menos, 10% do valor real. Uma maior confiabilidade na estimativa da severidade da doença foi obtida com o uso da escala proposta, com a qual 100% das comparações resultaram em um R²>0,90. A nova escala diagramática proposta no presente trabalho melhorou a acurácia, precisão e confiabilidade das estimativas da severidade da antracnose do colmo em milho