Saline water and organic matter in the development and quality of Licania rigida Benth. seedlings

Abstract

Licania rigida Benth. (oiticica) is a native species from the Northeastern Brazil. In this sense, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of irrigation with saline water and organic matter on the growth and quality of oiticica seedlings. The experiments were laid out in randomized complete block using a 5 × 2 factorial design related to electrical conductivity of irrigation water at 0.5, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0 dS m -1 in a substrate with and without organic castor bean compost (Ricinus communis) and soil in a volume ratio of 0:1 and 1:1 v/v. Growth in height, stem diameter, leaf number, leaf area, chlorophyll a and b and total chlorophyll indices, shoot and root dry matter and Dickson Quality Index were evaluated. The increase in water salinity inhibited biometric growth, seedlings production of root and shoot biomass, chlorophyll content and Dickson Quality Index. Increase in water salinity, except for root biomass, inhibited biometric growth, shoot biomass accumulation, chlorophyll a, b and total, chlorophyll indexes and quality index of oiticica seedlings. In the results, although the Dickson Quality Index did not decrease with increasing water salinity and did not vary among treatments with and without organic compost, the transplanting of seedlings in the field was found to be suitable.

Brackish water and organic matter in the substrate for the growth and quality of oiticica seedlings

“…This behavior of oiticica seedlings irrigated with brackish water in substrate supplemented with composted bovine manure and castor bean and potassium differs from that presented by Diniz Neto et al ( 2014) who found that all biometric growth and quality variables were significantly influenced by the interaction between sources of variation. In contrast, our results are in agreement with Cavalcante et al (2016) who concluded that oiticica seedlings did not respond to the interactive effects of water-salinity × organic matter, but were rather influenced the independent effects of each source of variation.…”

“…Seedling total dry mass in the 1OM:1S, 2OM:1S, and 3OM:1S substrates was, respectively, 29.7, 28.4, and 63.5% greater than seedlings grown in a substrate free of organic matter (Figure 5). When considering the supremacy of the seedlings, of the respective treatments, in relation to the substrate without organic compound, the positive action of this input in the reduction of the harmful effects of water salinity on the formation of oiticica seedlings, as recorded per Cavalcante et al (2016) and Cavalcante et al (2020) in seedlings of the same species.…”

“…The use of water with high salt content in silvicultural systems has increased since it is often the only available source of water for propagating forest and native species in semi-arid areas (Lima et al, 2015;Souza et al, 2015), including the production of oiticica seedlings (Diniz Neto et al, 2014;Cavalcante et al, 2016;Cavalcante et al, 2020). Increasing the concentration of salts in the soil solution inhibits the plant's ability to absorb water is reduced and the excess of specific ions, mainly Na + and Clcause nutritional imbalances and visual lesions on leaf tissues (Parihar et al, 2015;Machado;Serralheiro, 2017).…”