Development of adult cashew plants in response to irrigation with saline water

Abstract

Salinity problems are common in arid and semi-arid regions as in Northeast Brazil. In this region a great number of people rely on cashew production as an important source of income. Aiming to study the influence of salinity on growth of dwarf cashew plants, seven years old plants of the clone CCP 76 were irrigated during nine months with water containing different salt levels (EC = 0.5, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0 and 9.0 dS m^-1). During this period, vegetative growth (plant height and diameter of the canopy), gas exchange (net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and transpiration), and leaf K, P, Ca and Na contents were measured. The salinity levels of the irrigation water used in the present study did not affect gas exchange but enhanced vegetative growth of the adult plants. Gas exchange and mineral contents of leaf varied along the experimental period, appearing to result from environmental changes as well as from the physiological age of the sampled leaves. Leaf Na content increased with salinity of the irrigation water, but did not reach the toxicity level for this species.

Key words:
salinity; photosynthesis; plant growth