Gas exchange, growth, and quality of passion fruit seedlings cultivated with saline water

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the gas exchange, growth, and quality of passion fruit cultivars under irrigation with waters of different salinity levels. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, in Pombal-PB, Brazil, using a randomized block design in a 5 ? 2 factorial arrangement, with five levels of electrical conductivity of irrigation water (0.3, 1.1, 1.9, 2.7, and 3.5 dS m-1) and two passion fruit cultivars (BRS Sol do Cerrado and Guinezinho), with three plants per plot and four replicates. The reduction in transpiration, intercellular CO2 concentration and CO2 assimilation rate in passion fruit plants grown with saline water was related to factors of stomatal and non-stomatal origin. Gas exchange and growth of passion fruit cultivars were negatively affected by water salinity from 0.3 dS m-1 at 75 days after sowing. Despite the reduction in the growth of the passion fruit cultivars, irrigation with water of up to 3.5 dS m-1 could be used to obtain seedlings with acceptable quality. Based on the relative yield of total dry phytomass, the passion fruit cultivars BRS Sol do Cerrado and Guinezinho were classified as moderately sensitive to water salinity during the seedling phase.

Influence of Foliar Application of Hydrogen Peroxide on Gas Exchange, Photochemical Efficiency, and Growth of Soursop under Salt Stress

“…The reduction of gs ( Figure 1 A) with increasing water salinity is a way for plants to minimize water losses in the form of vapor to the atmosphere and maintain turgor pressure inside their cells, in addition to reducing the absorption of salts [ 23 , 24 ]. Reductions in stomatal conductance due to salt stress were also observed in studies with other fruit plants such as acerola [ 24 ], guava [ 25 ], and custard apple [ 26 ].…”