Initial growth of Carica papaya under irrigation with saline water in soil with bovine biofertilizer

Abstract

The salinity is considered the major constraint to agriculture worldwide, constituting a limiting factor to growth, plant development, agricultural productivity and soil deterioration. In this direction an experiment was carried out during the period October/2009 to February/2010, in greenhouse conditions in Areia county, Paraiba State, PB, Brazil, in order to evaluate the effects of water saline on initial growth of papaya Hawaii in non-saline substrate with bovine rich biofertilizer. The substrate was material of the first 0.10 m of a Regolitic Entisol non saline. The treatments were distributed in completely randomized in six replication using the factorial design 5 x 2, corresponding to levels of irrigation water saline: 0.5; 1.0; 2.0; 3.0 and 4.0 dS m-1, in soil without and with rich biofertilizer applied to soil in liquid form one time two days before seed sowing, at level of 10% of the substrate volume. The increment of salinity water irrigation inhibited alls variables studied in papaya’s plants, but with less range in treatments with bovine biofertilizer.