Spatial arrangements of corn grown in Brazilian savanna conditions

The suitability of the spatial arrangement of corn is a tool capable of promoting better use of the agricultural environment, allowing the crop to express its yield potential. The objective of this study was to evaluate the agronomic performance of the AG 7098 VT PRO2 corn hybrid, in the municipality of Rio Verde - GO, cultivated in different spatial arrangements of plants and sowing times. The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design with five replications, in a 4 x 2 factorial scheme, using four plant populations (45, 60, 75, and 90 thousand plants ha-1) and two interrow spacings (0.25 and 0.5 m), and two sowing times (January 26 and February 15, 2017). Morphological characteristics, yield components, and grain yield were evaluated, since data from each sowing season were analyzed separately. In the first period, the population increase in up to 85 thousand plants ha-1 resulted in an increase of grain yield, since there was no effect of reducing the spacing between rows on the evaluated characteristics. The corn sown in the second period, spaced 0.25 m between rows, provided an increase in grain yield, demonstrating that the density of plants may be a promising alternative when the climatic conditions are less favorable to the development of the crop in the Brazilian savanna region.