Water Relations and Gas Exchanges of West Indian Cherry under Salt Stress and Nitrogen and Phosphorus Doses

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the interaction between the fertilization with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) and irrigation with saline water on the water relations, gas exchanges and chlorophyll a fluorescence in West Indian cherry in the vegetative stage. The study was carried out in protected environment, using lysimeters filled with clay loam Regolithic Neosol, with low P content, installed in a randomized block design, arranged in a factorial scheme with five levels of electrical conductivity of irrigation water (ECw), and four managements of P and N fertilization, with three replicates and one plant per plot. Along the experiment, water relations, gas exchanges and chlorophyll a fluorescence were evaluated in West Indian cherry plants. The increase in irrigation water salinity reduces the gas exchanges of the plants, but the increment of 40% in N supply increases the photosynthetic activity of West Indian cherry at recommendation levels higher than 100:100% of the P/N ratio, when irrigated with ECw of up to 3.0 dS m-1. The combined action of N and P, at doses of 140:140% N/P recommendation, increases leaf turgor in the plants, regardless of the ECw level. The increment of 40% in N dose reduces the effects of salinity on the initial fluorescence of chlorophyll a in West Indian cherry irrigated with up to 2.2 dS m-1.