Consumption, Efficiency and Water Content of Arugula Under Different Management of Brackish Nutritional Solutions

Abstract

The need to use strategies for using brackish water in agriculture, especially in semi-arid conditions, is evident. Based on this information, this study was developed with the aim of evaluating the consumption, efficiency and water content, as well as the dry mass of the arugula plants (cv. Broad Leaf) exposed to brackish nutrient solutions as a function of replacement strategies and circulation frequencies. The treatments consisted of six salinity levels of the nutrient solution (1.5, 3.0, 4.5, 6.0, 7.5 and 9.0 dS m-1) and two circulation frequencies (twice a day 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., and three times a day at 8 a.m., 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.). In Experiment I, the evapotranspiration line was replaced with the respective brackish water used in the preparation of the solution, and in Experiment II, the water supply was used. In both treatments, the experimental design was completely randomized, in a 6 x 2 factorial scheme, with five replications. The conclusion is that it is technically feasible to circulate the nutrient solution twice a day and there were lower losses in the water relations, in the biomass production of the shoot and in the partition of photoassimilates when the replacement with water supply was adopted.

Water relations in parsley plants cultivated in brackish nutrient solutions of different cationic natures

“…These results differ from those observed by Campos Júnior et al (2018), who worked with strategies to replace the evapotranspired depth in arugula plants and found a linear decrease as the nutrient solution salinity increased, in the replacement with supply water and brackish water, with reductions of 0.0431 and 0.033 per unit increment of EC ns , respectively.…”

“…When NaCl, CaCl 2 and MgCl 2 were used, the reductions in the pH ns at 50 DAS were equal to 4.54, 7.93 and 9.67%, respectively. In general, the pH ns variations in this study did not exceed the range from 5.5 to 6.5 suggested by Silva et al (2018), which would cause problems in the absorption of nutrients.…”

“…In soilless cultivation, the osmotic and ionic effects cited have been addressed with the use of salt stress mitigation strategies, such as the replacement of the evapotranspired depth, as verified in studies with arugula (Eruca sativa) and other vegetables under salt stress (Silva et al, 2012(Silva et al, , 2015Soares et al, 2016;Campos Júnior et al, 2018).…”