Initial growth of forage cactus varieties under different water salinity levels

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different water salinity levels in the development of two varieties of cactus pear (Opuntia and Nopalea). The spineless cactus is native from Mexico, but nowadays can be found in many places throughout the world. The experiment was performed at the Federal Institute of Ceará – IFCE/Campus Sobral. The experimental design was a randomized factorial 5 x 2, with five levels of salinity in irrigation water (0.0; 5.0; 10; 15 and 20 dS m-1) and two varieties of cactus pear Small or sweet (Nopalea cochenillifera Salm-Dick) and ‘elephant ear’ (Opuntia spp) with four replications. The variables studied were plant height (cm), length and circumference of the paddle (cm), cladode thickness (cm) fresh weight (g) and dry weight (g). The variety “elephants’ ear” is more suitable for cultivation under irrigation with saline water, because it presented a better vegetative performance compared to the small variety, being more tolerant to saline stress in different levels of salinity. The effect of the interaction between salinity and varieties showed a decrease in all variables analyzed, with reduction in forage development of palm varieties for higher salinity levels.