Abstract
Population growth and the need to exploit natural resources to produce food and guarantee food sovereignty reduce water availability, which can influence nutrient absorption capacity and production of plants. This study evaluated whether variations in soil water replacement levels promote changes in the mineral composition and biomass productivity of forage cactus varieties. A field experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with five levels of reference evapotranspiration replacement (25, 50, 75, 100 and 125% ETo) and three replicates. Contents of the macronutrients N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S; micronutrients Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cl, Na and B; and biomass productivity were quantified in two varieties of forage cactus (‘Orelha de Elefante Mexicana’ and ‘Miúda’). The data were subjected to principal component and multivariate variance analysis. The mineral composition of the forage cactus varieties ‘Miúda’ and ‘Orelha de Elefante Mexicana’ can be optimized from soil water management, so as to obtain adequate nutritional balance for higher yield. The replacement level of 75% ETo promoted greater balance between nutrients in the cladodes of the forage cactus variety ‘Miúda’, while ‘Orelha de Elefante Mexicana’ had better nutritional balance with the replacement levels of 100 and 125% ETo. Soil water replacement levels of 100 and 125% ETo promote high accumulation of Na+ and Cl- ions in the cladodes of the forage cactus varieties studied. Highest biomass productivity of the varieties ‘Orelha de Elefante Mexicana’ and ‘Miúda’ was obtained with 75 and 100% ETo replacement levels, respectively. Among the varieties, ‘Orelha de Elefante Mexicana’ had a higher capacity for nutrient accumulation and biomass productivity, followed by ‘Miúda’, under the edaphoclimatic conditions of the Brazilian semiarid region.
Highlights
Growing water scarcity can be defined as the imbalance between high demand due to population growth and economic development and low availability of water that can occur due to the effects of climate change (Santana et al, 2019; Benites-Lazaro et al, 2020)
Cactus species (e.g. Nopalea ssp. and Opuntia ssp.) have anatomical and morphophysiological characteristics that favor their adaptation to the environmental conditions in these regions (Cardoso et al, 2019)
This study evaluated whether variations in soil water replacement levels promote changes in the mineral composition and biomass productivity of forage cactus varieties
Summary
Growing water scarcity can be defined as the imbalance between high demand due to population growth and economic development and low availability of water that can occur due to the effects of climate change (Santana et al, 2019; Benites-Lazaro et al, 2020). Soil moisture content is a vital component of the hydrological cycle, with a strong effect on the dynamics of carbon, water and energy at the surface-atmosphere interface. This is a determining factor in the patterns of plant distribution and growth in arid and semiarid environments (Medeiros et al, 2020). Soil moisture maintenance acts in the dynamics of microorganisms that are fundamental for nutrient cycling and fertility of agroecosystems, which stimulates plant growth and production (Zhou et al, 2020) All this information highlights the importance of strategies of coexistence with the edaphoclimatic characteristics of the semiarid region. Cactus species (e.g. Nopalea ssp. and Opuntia ssp.) have anatomical and morphophysiological characteristics that favor their adaptation to the environmental conditions in these regions (Cardoso et al, 2019)
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: Ambiente e Agua - An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Science
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.
