Formation of yellow passion fruit seedlings irrigated with salt water and biofertilizers of bovine manure

Abstract

The application offresh manure biofertilizers to cattle may attenuate the negative effects of excess salts on seed germination and initial plant growth. In this direction, an experiment was carried out in a shelter at the Agricultural Sciences Center, Federal University ofParaíba, Areia-PB, to evaluate the effects of biofertilizers during the formation of yellow passion fruit seedlings irrigated with saline water. The treatments were organized in a 2 x 3 x 5 factorial scheme, referring to irrigation water salinity (0.43 and 4.5 dS m-1), in the substrate without and with biofertilizers (common and chemically enriched) at concentrations of 0.0; 2.5; 5.0; 7.5 and 10.0%, diluted in non-saline water. The application times of the biofertilizers were one day before of sowing and at 15, 22, 29 and 36 days after emergence of the seedlings (DAE), in a volume of 250 mL per application. A randomized complete block design with five replications was adopted. At 60 DAE were evaluated growth in stem diameter and height of main stem, number of leaves and leaf area, dry biomass of roots, stem and leaves. The data were submitted to analysis of variance and the means were compared by the Tukey test (p ≤ 0.05). The biofertilizers at the concentrations used did not inhibit the degenerative action of increased water salinity on stem diameter growth, stem height and biomass formation of roots, stem and leaves of yellow passion fruit seedlings.