PERFORMANCE OF MAIZE VARIETIES AND HYBRIDS IN SANTA CATARINA, BRAZIL

Abstract

The imbalance between maize consumption and production in Santa Catarina results in a deficit that, in some years, exceeds 5 million tons. This scenario is already considered one of the greatest challenges to the competitiveness of agriculture and agroindustry in the state. The objective of this study is to compare the grain productivity of open-pollinated varieties (OPVs) and simple maize hybrids across three regions of Santa Catarina. The research was carried out in the West, North Plateau, and Itajaí Valley regions during the 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 growing seasons, considering first-season maize cultivation, predominantly under rainfed conditions, with supplementary irrigation in Ituporanga (Itajaí Valley) and at Cepaf in Chapecó (Western region). Four maize cultivars (treatments) were used. The SCS155 Catarina and Composto B cultivars consist of OPVs developed by Epagri, and the simple hybrid cultivars Pioneer P3016 and Syngenta Feroz. The experiment followed a randomized block design, with four replicates per location, yielding 16 plots per location and 48 plots in total. Grain yield (kg ha⁻¹) data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), and means were compared using Tukey’s test (p ≤ 0.05). In most environments and growing seasons, no significant yield differences were observed between OPVs and hybrids. These results indicate that OPVs can be a viable alternative for maize production under rainfed conditions, by reducing seed costs and improving economic stability in family farming systems.