Citrullus lanatus morphophysiological responses to the combination of salicylic acid and salinity stress

Abstract

The salinity of irrigation water is one of modern agriculture’s major obstacles, as it can damage the plants metabolism and, consequently, its development. Currently there is a great demand for substances that may mitigate such effects, such as salicylic acid. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of salicylic acid application on watermelon plants (Citrullus lanatus L.) under salinity stress. The experimental design was a randomized block design, in an incomplete factorial scheme, with four replications and two plants per replicate. The treatments resulted from the combination of five concentrations of salicylic acid (0.00, 0.15, 0.50, 0.85 and 1.00 mM) and five electrical conductivities of the irrigation water (0.50, 1.01, 2.25, 3.49 and 4.00 dS m-1). The development, gas exchange, chlorophyll index and fluorescence were evaluated 30 days after transplanting. This data was submitted to analysis of variance and then confidence bands (confbands) and Pearson correlation were produced. The application of salicylic acid (up to 0.85 mM) promotes beneficial effects for the watermelon plants morphophysiology, while the increase in electrical conductivity of the irrigation water is harmful.