ABSTRACT
The agricultural sector in the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil is characterized by small-scale farming, with an average farm size of about 20 hectares. Farmers face a number of problems, including changes in rainfall patterns, frequent droughts, low soil fertility, acidic soils, and outbreaks of pests and diseases. These variations in biotic and abiotic stress factors limit crop production and productivity in the small-scale farming sector. Maize is a very important crop as it is associated with the poultry and pork processing industry, which dominates the local rural economy (Ogliari and Alves, 2007). Less significant in size, but no less important, is the amount of maize consumed domestically, in the form of food for the household, animal feed and artisan wares (for example, hats and purses) that are made with maize straw and grains. About 90% of maize produced is used within the farm (Vogt, 2005).
