Potassium-phosphorus fertilization to reduce salt stress in West Indian cherry

Abstract

West Indian cherry stands out in the Brazilian fruit scenario due to the nutritional quality of its fruits, making it a promising crop in the generation of employment and income. However, the occurrence of water sources with high concentrations of salts is a limiting factor for the expansion of crop area. In this context, the objective was to evaluate the production and post-harvest quality of West Indian cherry cv. BRS 366 Jaburu under prolonged saline stress and potassium-phosphorus fertilization combinations in the second year of cultivation. The experiment was carried out in 250 L lysimeters in a greenhouse in the municipality of Campina Grande-PB, Brazil. Treatments were distributed in randomized blocks in a 5 × 4 factorial scheme, with five levels of electrical conductivity of irrigation water - ECw (0.6, 1.4, 2.2, 3.0, and 3.8 dS m−1) and four combinations of potassium-phosphorus fertilization (100/100, 85/85, 60/60, and 45/45% of K2O/P2O5 recommendation for the second year of cultivation) with three replicates. Irrigation water salinity of up to 3.8 dS m−1 does not compromise the post-harvest quality of West Indian cherry. The increase in water salinity reduces mean fruit weight and water consumption of plants, while waters with electrical conductivities of 3.0 and 2.0 dS m−1 promote the maximum values of total soluble solids and ascorbic acid in the fruits, respectively. The supply of 45/45% K2O/P2O5 of the fertilization recommendation provides the higher content of ascorbic acid in West Indian cherry fruits and, when associated with ECw of 1.4 dS m−1, promotes the higher production of the crop.