Abstract
ABSTRACT The cultivation of irrigated guava in semi-arid areas highlights the need for information regarding its responses to irrigation water quality and the fertilization management that enables its exploitation. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of water salinity and nitrogen (N) doses on the growth and physiology of the guava cv. ‘Paluma’. The experiments was conducted in drainage lysimeters under field conditions in an experimental area at the Center of Sciences and Agri-Food Technology of the Federal University of Campina Grande (CCTA/UFCG), Campus II, in Pombal, PB, Brazil. The experiment had a randomized block design, and treatments consisted of a 5 x 4 factorial arrangement corresponding to five levels of irrigation water electrical conductivity, ECw (0.3, 1.1, 1.9, 2.7, and 3.5 dS m-1), and four N doses (70, 100, 130, and 160% of the recommended N dose). The 100% dose corresponded to 541.1 mg of N dm-3 of soil. Increments in irrigation water salinity from 0.3 dS m-1 led to a reduction in stomatal conductance, internal CO2 concentration, CO2 assimilation rate, transpiration, instantaneous water use efficiency, the number of leaves and branches, stem diameter, and absolute and relative growth rates. Nitrogen doses ranging from 378.7 to 865.7 mg of N dm-3 of soil did not affect gas exchange and plant growth. Although ‘Paluma’ guava growth was affected by increases in water salinity, these plants can be irrigated using water of up to 1.42 dS m-1 with an acceptable reduction of 10% in growth variables. The interaction between irrigation water salinity and N fertilization had no significant effect on any of the variables studied.
Highlights
The guava (Psidium guajava L.) belongs to the Myrtaceae family and is native to Tropical America, possibly somewhere between Mexico and Peru, where it can be found in the wild stage
The effects of high salt concentrations in the soil manifest themselves through alterations to physical and chemical properties, which reduce the osmotic potential of the soil solution, and affect the mineral nutrition of the plants through the direct action of specific ions (CAVALCANTE et al, 2009; DIAS et al, 2011)
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of irrigation water salinity and nitrogen (N) fertilization on leaf gas exchange and the growth of guavas, cv
Summary
The guava (Psidium guajava L.) belongs to the Myrtaceae family and is native to Tropical America, possibly somewhere between Mexico and Peru, where it can be found in the wild stage. It is found nationwide in Brazil, where the fruit is much appreciated. The effects of high salt concentrations in the soil manifest themselves through alterations to physical and chemical properties, which reduce the osmotic potential of the soil solution, and affect the mineral nutrition of the plants through the direct action of specific ions (CAVALCANTE et al, 2009; DIAS et al, 2011)
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