Abstract
ABSTRACT Salinity is one of the main environmental problems that negatively affect plant growth and metabolism, besides being one of the factors responsible for the decrease in the yield of crops, especially in arid and semiarid regions. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of soil salinity on the mineral nutrition of irrigated cowpea. The experiment was conducted in drainage lysimeters in a greenhouse, in a completely randomized design with seven treatments, one irrigated with freshwater (control) and six irrigated with saline water with different leaching fractions (5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40%) of the applied irrigation depth, with three replicates. The irrigation with saline water treatments did not affect significantly the contents of macronutrients and Na in the cowpea leaves, while the opposite behavior occurred with the micronutrients.
Highlights
Salinity is one of the main abiotic factors that contribute to the reduction of crop yield and its effect is more pronounced in arid and semiarid regions
In arid and semiarid regions, such as in Northeast Brazil, there has been an increase in the use of water from tube wells for irrigation, which has usually increased the levels of dissolved salts
There was no expressive tendency of the contents of nutrients to increase or decrease due to the leaching fractions; in general, the content of nutrients in the leaf tissues was higher for the leaching fractions of 5 to 20%, compared with the results obtained for freshwater
Summary
Salinity is one of the main abiotic factors that contribute to the reduction of crop yield and its effect is more pronounced in arid and semiarid regions. Farias et al (2009) claim that salinity reduces the activity of the ions in solution and alters the processes of absorption, transport, assimilation and distribution of nutrients in the plant. In arid and semiarid regions, such as in Northeast Brazil, there has been an increase in the use of water from tube wells for irrigation, which has usually increased the levels of dissolved salts. In this situation, when irrigation is not properly conducted, due to either failures in design or inadequate management, it can cause soil salinization. In order to avoid or reduce the problems generated by soil salinization, it is necessary to use, in each irrigation, an excess water depth in order to leach the salts to below the root zone of the crops
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
