Abstract
Potassium fertilization is one of the main techniques that has been studied to mitigateeffects of salt stress in plants, probably because potassium reduces the toxic effect of sodium by competitive inhibition and provides greater tolerance to genotypes of plants to salinity. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of different salinities of irrigation water in the formation of phytomass and quality of rootstocks of guava cv. Paluma, fertilized with increasing doses of potassium, in an experiment conducted using eutrophic Fluvic Neosol with sandy loam texture under greenhouse conditions, in the municipality of Pombal-PB, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks in 5 × 4 factorial scheme, and the treatments resulted from the combination of five levels of irrigation water electrical conductivity (ECw = 0.3; 1.1; 1.9; 2.7 and 3.5 dS m-1) and four K doses (70, 100, 130 and 160% of K), in which the dose of 100% K corresponded to 726 mg of K dm-3 of substrate, with four replicates and two plants evaluated in each plot. Irrigation with water salinity from 0.3 dS m-1 compromises the total dry matter accumulation and the Dickson quality index of guava rootstocks cv. Paluma at 225 days after emergence (DAE), independent of potassium fertilization. Fertilization with different potassium doses did not promote differences in phytomasses and quality of rootstocks. There was no significant effect of interaction (salt × doses of K) on the studied variables.
Highlights
Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is among the fruit species of highest expression in the Brazilian agribusiness, with great potential for expansion, notably in the Northeast region, due to the favorable edaphoclimatic conditions (IBGE, 2016), and the cultivar ‘Paluma’ stands out as the most widespread in Brazil and preferred by the most diverse consumer markets (Ramos et al, 2010).Despite the good adaptation of this fruit crop to Northeast Brazil, this region poses limitations involving both quantitative and qualitative aspects of water resources, especially regarding the presence of salts in the irrigation water (Souto et al, 2013)
It should be pointed out that the effect of water salinity on crops varies among species, genotypes, saline levels, edaphoclimatic conditions, irrigation management and fertilization (Brito et al, 2014); thereby, studies have been carried out using saline water in the Northeast region, especially on the formation of guava seedlings (Cavalcante et al, 2010; Souza, et al, 2016)
These studies are very incipient regarding the interaction between saline levels and potassium fertilization, which highlights the importance of further research on this fruit crop in this growth stage
Summary
Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is among the fruit species of highest expression in the Brazilian agribusiness, with great potential for expansion, notably in the Northeast region, due to the favorable edaphoclimatic conditions (IBGE, 2016), and the cultivar ‘Paluma’ stands out as the most widespread in Brazil and preferred by the most diverse consumer markets (Ramos et al, 2010).Despite the good adaptation of this fruit crop to Northeast Brazil, this region poses limitations involving both quantitative and qualitative aspects of water resources, especially regarding the presence of salts in the irrigation water (Souto et al, 2013). It should be pointed out that the effect of water salinity on crops varies among species, genotypes, saline levels, edaphoclimatic conditions, irrigation management and fertilization (Brito et al, 2014); thereby, studies have been carried out using saline water in the Northeast region, especially on the formation of guava seedlings (Cavalcante et al, 2010; Souza, et al, 2016). These studies are very incipient regarding the interaction between saline levels and potassium fertilization, which highlights the importance of further research on this fruit crop in this growth stage
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 callDisclaimer: 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.
