Agronomic performance of maize crop in response to the application of metabasalt powder rates.

The use of metabasalt powder in the soil can promote remineralization and increase crop yield. Therefore, this study was conducted with the objective of investigating the residual effect of metabasalt rock powder after one year of application on the agronomic performance of the maize crop. The experimental design used was a randomized block with four application rates of metabasalt powder (0, 3, 6 and 9 tha-1) and six replications. The metabasalt powder used is a residue from an amethyst stone mining company in Rio Grande does Sul, Brazil. At the physiological maturity of the crop, plant height, ear insertion height, ear length, ear diameter, number of grain rows per ear, number of grains per row, thousand grain mass and grain yield of maize were measured. The application of metabasalt powder resulted in increase in the number of grains per row, thousand grain mass and grain yield of the maize crop. The application of 6.0 tha-1 of metabasalt rock powder resulted in the highest maize grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]