Abstract
Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of irrigation management strategies, using low (0.8 dS m-1) and high (9.0 dS m-1) salinity water, on the physiological processes, production variables, and fiber productivity of naturally-colored cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) genotypes during different phenological stages. Three naturally-colored cotton cultivars (BRS Rubi, BRS Topázio, and BRS Safira) were subjected to seven irrigation management strategies, in a 3x7 factorial arrangement, in a randomized complete block design with three replicates. Plants were cultivated in pots in a protected environment. Gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, fiber production, and productivity and yield variables were evaluated. Salt stress causes greater reductions in gas exchange in natural cotton plants during the production stage. Plume cotton production is not compromised by the use of highly salinized water during the initial developmental stages of naturally-colored cotton.
Highlights
Salinity is considered one of the main limiting factors for agricultural productivity and sustainability, especially in arid and semiarid regions characterized by elevated evapotranspiration demand, reduced rainfall, reduced water availability, and soil resources with variable salt content (Dong et al, 2010)
Based on the analysis of variance (Table 2), salinity management strategies had significant effects on stomatal conductance, transpiration, CO2 assimilation rate, water use efficiency (WUE), inner CO2 concentration, and intrinsic carboxylation efficiency (iCE) at 70 and 93 days after sowing (DAS), when plants were in full fructification
Only inner CO2 concentration and iCE differed at 93 DAS
Summary
Salinity is considered one of the main limiting factors for agricultural productivity and sustainability, especially in arid and semiarid regions characterized by elevated evapotranspiration demand, reduced rainfall, reduced water availability, and soil resources with variable salt content (Dong et al, 2010). Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants are capable of adapting to semiarid environments due to their tolerance to salt stress of up to 5.1 dS m-1 for irrigation water (Ayers & Westcot, 1999; Oliveira et al, 2013) Despite this tolerance, several researchers have reported negative effects of salinity on naturally-colored cotton plants (Santos et al, 2016; Lima et al, 2017; Silva et al, 2017). That the level of tolerance to salinity may vary among species and/or genotypes of a species, or even among the phenological stages of a same genotype (Neves et al, 2009)
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