ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of maize to inoculation with strains of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) in two cultivation years. The experiment was set in a randomized block design with four replicates in two cultivation years (2012/13 and 2013/14). The treatments consisted of PGPB inoculation: control (without N and without inoculation); 30 kg of N ha-1 at sowing (N1); 160 kg of N ha-1 (N1 + 130 kg of N ha-1 as top-dressing); N1 + A. brasilense, Ab-V5; N1 + A. brasilense, HM053; N1 + Azospirillum sp. L26; N1 + Azospirillum sp. L27; N1 + Enhydrobacter sp. 4331; N1 + Rhizobium sp. 8121. Basal stem diameter, plant height, leaf area, shoot dry matter and yield were evaluated. The strain of Rhizobium sp. 8121and the isolate Azospirillum sp. L26 associated with 30 kg of N ha-1 at sowing promoted yields equivalent to that of the N fertilization of 160 kg ha-1, demonstrating the potential to be used in the inoculation of maize seeds.