Potassium nutrition as a strategy to mitigate salt stress in melon grown under protected cultivation

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2021v42n6p3219

Keywords:

Cucumis melo L. Mineral nutrition, Potassium, Salinity, Soilless cultivation.

Abstract

The use of saline water is one of the major challenges of agriculture, as it can cause nutritional imbalances and thus reduce crop yield. This study proposes to examine the efficiency of potassium nutrition as a salt stress-mitigating agent in melon grown in a protected environment. The experiment was laid out in a randomized-block design with ten treatments in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement represented by two melon cultivars (McLaren and SV1044MF) and four nutrient solutions (S1 - standard nutrient solution, 2.5 dS m-1; S2 - nutrient solution salinized with NaCl, 5.0 dS m-1; S3 - nutrient solution salinized with NaCl + 50% K, 6.5 dS m-1; and S4 - nutrient solution salinized with NaCl + 100% K, 7.5 dS m-1). Yield (average fruit weight, production, fruit diameter, internal cavity, and pulp thickness), quality (pulp firmness, total sugars, soluble solids [SS], vitamin C, pH, titratable acidity [TA] and SS/TA ratio) and nutritional (K, Na and K/Na ratio) variables were evaluated. Plants fertigated with standard nutrient solution showed the highest values for fruit weight (1,190.6 g), production (2,381.3 g per plant), fruit diameter (13.6 cm) and pulp thickness (2.6 cm). Cultivar McLaren produced heavier fruits (931.4 g) with larger diameter (12.4 cm) and pulp thickness (2.4 cm). The addition of NaCl to nutrient solution induced a reduction in the yield variables but did not influence fruit quality. The addition of extra K to salinized nutrient solution did not mitigate the deleterious effect of salinity on the yield of melon.

Author Biographies

Giordanio Bruno Silva Oliveira, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido

Student of the Master's Course of the Postgraduate Program in Soil and Water Management, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, UFERSA, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.

Francisco de Assis de Oliveira, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido

Prof. Dr., Graduate Course in Agronomy and Postgraduate Program in Soil and Water Management, UFERSA, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.

Sandy Thomaz dos Santos, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido

Student of the Doctoral Course of the Postgraduate Program in Soil and Water Management, UFERSA, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.

Mychelle Karla Teixeira de Oliveira, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido

Profa. Dra., Graduate Course in Agronomy and Postgraduate Program in Soil and Water Management, UFERSA, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.

Edna Maria Mendes Aroucha, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido

Profa Dra, Graduate Course in Agronomy and Postgraduate Program in Soil and Water Management, UFERSA, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.

José Gustavo Lima de Almeida, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido

Researcher, Postharvest Laboratory, UFERSA, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.

Paulo Victor de Menezes, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido

Student of the Undergraduate Course in Agronomy, UFERSA, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.

Mario Jonas Veras Costa, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido

Student of the Undergraduate Course in Agronomy, UFERSA, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.

Francisco Felipe Barroso Pinto, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido

Student of the Undergraduate Course in Agronomy, UFERSA, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.

Francisco Adênio Teixeira Alves, Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido

Student of the Master's Course of the Postgraduate Program in Crop Science, UFERSA, Mossoró, RN, Brazil.

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Published

2021-08-12

How to Cite

Oliveira, G. B. S., Oliveira, F. de A. de, Santos, S. T. dos, Oliveira, M. K. T. de, Aroucha, E. M. M., Almeida, J. G. L. de, … Alves, F. A. T. (2021). Potassium nutrition as a strategy to mitigate salt stress in melon grown under protected cultivation. Semina: Ciências Agrárias, 42(6), 3219–3234. https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2021v42n6p3219

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