NPK combinations mitigate the deleterious effects of salt stress on the morphophysiology of West Indian Cherry

Abstract

Under salt stress, plant growth and development are negatively affected due to physiological changes,requiring strategies such as fertilization management to minimize these effects. In this scenario, this study aimedto evaluate the effect of combinations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium on the growth, leaf waterstatus, electrolyte leakage, and gas exchange of West Indian Cherry grown under water stress in the secondyear of production. The experiment was conducted in a protected environment in Campina Grande - PB.The treatments were distributed in a randomized block design with a 2 × 10 factorial arrangement with threereplications corresponding to two electrical conductivity levels of irrigation water– ECw (0.6 and 4.0 dS m-1)and ten combinations of fertilization with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (80-100-100; 100-100-100; 120-100-100; 140-100-100; 100-80-100; 100-120-100; 100-140-100; 100-100-80; 100-100-120, and 100-100-140% of therecommendation in the second year of production). Irrigation with the ECw of 4.0 dS m-1 negatively affectedplant growth, the leaf water status, electrolyte leakage, and the leaf gas exchange of West Indian Cherry.However, the 40% increase (C4 -140-100-100% of the recommended N-P2O5-K2O level) in the nitrogen levelmitigated the deleterious effects of salt stress on the relative water content, internal CO2 concentration, and theCO2 assimilation rate of West Indian Cherry plants in the second year of production.