) e quatro doses de bioestimulante aplicado via tratamento de sementes (0; 5; 10 e 20 mL kg -1 de sementes), com cinco repetições. Utilizou-se o bioestimulante comercial Stimulate ® (0,009% citocinina, 0,005% giberelina e 0,005% de auxina) e as plantas foram coletadas aos 50 dias após a semeadura. Foram avaliadas as seguintes variáveis: altura de plantas, diâmetro do colmo, número de folhas, área foliar, massa seca de colmo, massa seca de folhas, massa seca de raiz, massa seca de pendão, massa seca total e área foliar específica. O uso de água salina na irrigação provocou redução na maioria das variáveis de crescimento do milho doce, independentemente do tratamento de sementes com bioestimulante. O tratamento de sementes com Stimulate ® promove o desenvolvimento de plantas de milho pipoca, mais não inibiu nem amenizou o efeito da salinidade sobre as plantas.
Palavras-chave: Zea mays. Fitorregulador. Qualidade da água.ABSTRACT -The use of biostimulants has become widespread in Brazilian agriculture, promoting growth and increased crop yields. However, studies on the use of these substances in plants under stress are still being developed, especially for salt stress. The aim was to evaluate the use of bio-stimulants to relieve salt stress in popcorn. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse on the campus of the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid in Mossoró, in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. A completely randomised design was used, with treatments distributed in 2 x 4 factorial scheme, representing two levels of salinity of the irrigation water (0.5 and 4.5 dS m -1 ) and four levels of biostimulant, applied by seed treatment (0, 5, 10 and 20 ml kg -1 seed), with five replications. The commercial biostimulant Stimulate® was used (0.009% cytokinin, 0.005% gibberellin and 0.005% auxin), with the plants being harvested 50 days after sowing. The following variables were evaluated: plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, stem dry weight, leaf dry weight, root dry weight, tassel dry weight, total dry weight and specific leaf area. The use of saline water for irrigation caused a reduction in most growth variables in the sweet corn, regardless of seed treatment with biostimulants. Seed treatment with Stimulate® promotes development in popcorn, but did not inhibit or lessen the effect of salinity on the plants.