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Highly sensitive
Agronomist Álvaro Resende, soil fertility and fertilization researcher, maintains that, contradicting the expectation of many, corn
is more sensitive to soil fertility variations and more responsive than soybean to the investments in the maintenance of fertilization in
soils with inbuilt fertility. “Unfortunately, while considering the production systems, a great number of the farmers give priority to soy-
bean fertilization”, he recalls. “With an eye towards operational performance, especially in the winter crop, many farmers fail to fertil-
ize properly their corn crops with P and K and only count on the residual fertilizers previously applied on soybean”.
As a less drastic alternative, Resende says that some farmers add a portion of the fertilizer required by corn to their soybean fields, thus in-
creasing the residual effect. “Oddly enough, the initial fertilizer application in the seeding furrow proves more effective for corn and should
not be abolished, especially in highland cultivations”, he recommends. In spite of being comfortable in the daily routine in the farms, he
ponders that these management deviations ended up being little rational when the aim is to work efficiently in systems of high productivity.
