Respostas fisiológicas e morfométricas na produção de mudas de coqueiro anão irrigado com água salina

Abstract

The use of tolerant plants and an important alternative to face the problem of salinity in semi-arid regions. The dwarf coconut palm (Cocos nucifera L.) has emerged as a salt tolerant crop, however little is known about the physiological mechanisms that may contribute to the establishment of seedlings of this species under conditions of salinity. Given the above, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of irrigation with saline water on physiological and morphological responses in seedlings of dwarf coconut water. The experiment was conducted in the period between December 2012 and April 2013 in the greenhouse of the Center for Teaching and Research in Urban Agriculture of the Universidade Federal do Ceará – Brazil. The treatments consisted of five levels of salinity of irrigation water, which are expressed by the electric conductivity (ECw): S1 = 0,9 (control); S2 = 5,0; S3 = 10,0 ; S4 = 15,0 and S5 = 20,0 dS m-1. The results of growth and physiological parameters (rate of photosynthesis, chlorophyll content and water potential) indicate that the coconut is tolerant to salinity of irrigation water of 5 dS m-1 during the stage of seedlings. The retention of toxic ions and high levels of organic solutes in roots, in relation to the shoots, suggest that roots play an important role in the mechanism of tolerance of coconut to high levels of salinity. The results allow us to infer the possibility of using brackish water with ECw up to 5 dS m-1 for production of seedlings of dwarf coconut, without losing the quality of seedlings. Therefore, our results revealed an alternative for use of brackish water and to promoting economy of fresh water used for human consumption.