Potencial de rustificação em Celosia cristata e Helianthus annuus produzidas sob condições de salinidade

Abstract

Salinity is one of the abiotic stresses that most affects plant growth and development, and can be a major limitation on agricultural production. However, if used in a moderate and controlled manner, it can serve to favor the acclimatization of seedlings to other stressful situations, such as heat or water deficit. The objective of the work carried out was to evaluate the rustification potential in relation to water stress in two ornamental species, Celosia cristata and Helianthus annuus, popularly known as cockscomb and ornamental sunflower, respectively, when produced under conditions of salinity. The experiment, divided into two parts, was conducted under greenhouse conditions, where the first part was the formation of seedlings of the two species under salinity conditions, while the second part was the suppression of irrigation of seedlings already formed to observe the effects caused by salinity on the rustification of species. In both phases, morphological and physiological characteristics were evaluated, the morphological variables evaluated were: plant height, number of leaves and dry mass of the aerial part, while for the physiological variables they were: photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate and internal concentration of CO2. For the species C. cristata, it was possible to observe that saline stress promoted a rustification process for the plant in relation to water stress, in addition to not influencing its growth, making its use ideal for the production of seedlings, mainly for landscaping. For the species H. annuus, it was also possible to observe a rustification process in relation to water stress, but a significant decrease in its growth measurements was observed, resulting in smaller seedlings, which can be sold to more specific markets.