Azospirillum brasilense and jasmonic acid as mitigators of water stress in creole corn plants

The aim of this research was to evaluate the action of Azospirillum brasilense and jasmonic acid as mitigators of water stress caused by various irrigation levels in Creole corn crops. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using a completely randomized factorial design consisting of 2 levels of A. brasilense (absence and presence) x 3 doses of jasmonic acid x 3 irrigation depths determined by three evapotranspiration (ET0) multipliers (0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 of the evapotranspiration measured in the crop area). The design included 4 replicates, totaling 72 experimental units. Evaluations were carried out at the R6 physiological maturity stage for number of tassels, tassel branch number, number of leaves on the corn cob, and number of ears per plant. Analysis of variance showed significant difference among the variables studied. The irrigation depth of 0.8 of the evapotranspiration showed significant interactions between A. brasilense and jasmonic acid in reducing water stress in creole corn plants. The results for the irrigation depth 0.6 of the evapotranspiration, with the use of mitigators, showed smaller reductions in stress (11.91% reduction compared to 0.8 of the ET0). The treatment of 10 μmol L-1 jasmonic acid was the most favorable for reducing stress and consequently increasing the productivity of creole corn plants, coming closest to the estimated optimal dosage.