Irrigation with saline water affects the agronomic performance of the maize crop; however, the use of vegetal mulch may mitigate salt stress and promote an increase in yield. In this way, this study aimed to evaluate the grain yield of the maize plants submitted to different water salinity levels in the presence and absence of mulch. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial scheme. The first factor was the salinity of the irrigation water (1.0 and 4.0 dS m-1) and the second, with and without mulch, and five replicates. The variables analyzed were: unhusked ear mass, husked ear mass, cob mass, straw mass, husked ear diameter, husked ear length, and yield. The irrigation water with higher electrical conductivity affects negatively the ear mass with and without straw, ear diameter and ear length. The use of vegetation cover on the soil increased the unhusked ear mass with and without straw, ear diameter and length. The water with higher salinity (4.0 dS m-1) reduces the maize grain yield but with less intensity in the presence of mulch.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência da irrigação com água salina sob diferentes formas de adubação nas trocas gasosas da cultura da abobrinha. O experimento foi realizado na área experimental da Unidade de Produção de Mudas Auroras (UPMA), na Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira (UNILAB), Redenção, Ceará. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado, em arranjo fatorial 2 x 3, com 4 repetições. O fator 1 corresponde a dois níveis de condutividade elétrica (A1 -água de abastecimento 0,8 dS m -1 e A2 -solução salina de 2,5 dS m -1 ); e o fator 2 corresponde a três formas de adubação: T1= adubação com cinza vegetal (100%); T2= adubação mineral com NPK (100% da dose recomendada); T3= controle (sem adubação). Aos 26 dias após o transplantio (DAT), foram analisadas as seguintes variáveis: fotossíntese (A), transpiração (E), condutância estomática (gs) e o índice clorofila (SPAD). A abobrinha irrigada com água de (0,8 dS m -1 ) alinhado à adubação com Cinza vegetal, mostrou-se superior as demais adubações, para as variáveis fotossíntese, transpiração e a condutância estomática. A forma de adubação com NPK foi a mais eficiente para o índice de clorofila irrigado com água de baixa salinidade.

Mineral fertilization promotes good results for the components of production and quality of okra fruit; however, it raises the cost of production, making it, sometimes, unviable to the small producers. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate organic and mineral fertilization in different forms, in the components of production, productivity, and quality of okra fruits. The experiment was carried out, under full sunlight, in a completely randomized design (CRD), with six replications. The treatments corresponded to the different forms of fertilization, being: MF = mineral fertilization with NPK (100% of the recommended dose); BF = fertilization with bovine biofertilizer (100% of the NPK contents); VA = fertilization with vegetable ash (100% of NPK contents); MFBF = mineral fertilizer (50%) + bovine biofertilizer (50%); MFVA = mineral fertilizer (50%) + vegetable ash (50%); C = control (without fertilization). The variables analyzed were as follows: number of fruits per plant (NFP), average fruit mass (AFM), fruit length (FL), fruit diameter (FD), fruit skin thickness (FST), and yield (Y). Therefore, the use of bovine biofertilizer in isolation or supplemented with mineral fertilization enhances the production of okra and improves the quality of the fruits, reveling as promising alternatives for growing okra.

Vegetal mulching can mitigate the harmful effects of salts present in irrigation water. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of irrigation water salinity and mulching on the growth and yield of beet crops. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at Redenção, Ceará State. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 2 × 4 factorial scheme, with five replicates, composed of two levels of electrical conductivity of irrigation water - ECw: tap water - 0.3 dS m-1 and saline solution - 5.8 dS m-1; and four types of mulching (rice hulls, carnauba bagana, crop residues, and a control treatment without soil cover). The use of vegetal mulching, mitigated the effects of irrigation with saline water on the variables plant height, leaf area, stem diameter, and tuberous root. The increase of the salt concentration in irrigation water negatively affected the number of leaves, length of the tuberous root, and yield. But, it increased the soluble solids in the beet crop.

The use of mulch in the soil attenuates saline stress in corn plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of irrigation with brackish water in soil under different plant mulches on the productive performance of corn. The study was carried out under field conditions, at the Piroás experimental farm at the Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira, UNILAB, Redenção, Ceará, Brazil, from August to November 2020. The design was in a 5 × 3 factorial scheme, with four replications, the first factor being the electrical conductivity of the water, in which A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5, refers to 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 dS m -1 , respectively, and the second factor the different types of mulch (no mulch -NM; mulch with banana leaves -MBL, and mulch with spontaneous plants -MSP. The following were evaluated: ear mass with and without straw, mass of 1,000 grains, length and diameter of the ear, and yield. Saline stress reduces the mass of 1,000 grains, the length and diameter of the ear of corn, the mass of the ear with and without straw in the presence mulch of weeds and banana leaves. The use of mulch of weeds and banana leaf mulch is more efficient for a smaller reduction in the weight of 1,000 grains compared to the control treatment (without mulch). Banana leaves and spontaneous plants associated with water of 1.0 and 3.0 dS m -1 enabled higher yield compared to the treatment without mulch.

The use of brackish water causes chemical changes in cultivated soils. It is therefore necessary to apply strategies that can minimize its negative impacts, such as the use of organic fertilizers. This study aimed to evaluate in the field the chemical attributes of a Red Yellow Argisol under irrigation with saline water and organic fertilizing in an area cultivated with corn. The design was randomized blocks, in a split-plot scheme, with the plots comprising salinity levels for the irrigation water (0.8 and 3.0 dS m-1) and the subplots combinations of organic fertilizers (cattle manure + poultry biofertilizer + goat biofertilizer; cattle manure + goat biofertilizer; cattle manure + poultry biofertilizer; control), with four replications. The 3.0 dS m-1 irrigation has a negative effect on the soil chemical attributes, particularly reducing the pH and increasing the sodium, exchangeable sodium percentage and electrical conductivity of the soil saturation extract. The combination of cattle manure + poultry biofertilizer + goat biofertilizer mitigates the salt stress by favouring the accumulation of nitrogen and organic matter, while the cattle manure + poultry biofertilizer favours the potassium accumulation in the soil. The combination of cattle manure + poultry biofertilizer + goat biofertilizer increases the contents of phosphorus and potassium when using the 0.8 dS m-1 irrigation.

Objetivou-se avaliar o crescimento inicial e os teores foliares de macronutrientes em plantas de quiabo (Abelmoschus esculentus, L.), em função de diferentes doses e tipos de biofertilizantes. O experimento foi conduzido na fazenda experimental Piroás da Universidade da Integração Internacional da Lusofonia Afro-Brasileira (UNILAB), Redenção - CE. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 5 x 2, referentes a cinco doses de biofertilizante (0,0; 0,5; 1,0; 1,5 e 2,0 L planta-1 semana-1), versus dois tipos de biofertilizantes (bovino e caprino). Foram analisadas as variáveis: altura da planta (AP), área foliar (AF), número de folhas (NF), diâmetro do caule (DC), teores foliares de nitrogênio (N), fósforo (P), potássio (K), cálcio (Ca) e magnésio (Mg). O incremento nas doses de biofertlizante contribuiu de forma positiva na AP, AF, NF e no DC. O insumo bovino foi mais eficiente quando comparado ao caprino para as variáveis AF e NF. O teor de N nas folhas foi elevado com o incremento das doses de biofertilizante. O fertilizante caprino promoveu um maior conteúdo de K nas folhas quando comparado ao bovino. Com a elevação das doses do biofertilizante bovino e caprino, os teores foliares de P, Mg e Ca foram reduzidos.