Biometric variables and photosynthetic pigments in tamarind seedlings irrigated with saline water and biofertilizers

Abstract

Saline level of water or soil beyond the limit tolerated by crops may impair morphological, physiological, and biochemical processes of plants in general, including tamarind. This problem requires the adoption of management and input techniques to reduce the degenerative effects of salts on plant species. In this sense, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of bovine biofertilizers on biometric variables and chlorophyll contents in tamarind seedlings irrigated with saline water. The experiment was conducted from October 2012 to January 2013, in Areia, PB, Brazil, in a randomized block design with four replications and five plants per plot in a 5 x 3 factorial scheme, consisting of electrical conductivity of water of 0.5, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0 dS m(-1) and soil without and with common and chemically enriched biofertilizers. Leaf area, shoot dry matter, and contents of chlorophyll a, b, total, and carotenoids were assessed at 100 days after sowing. The increased water salinity reduced leaf area and seedling biomass formation, with a higher intensity in the soil without biofertilizer. The addition of biofertilizers allows the formation of tamarind seedlings irrigated with water of a salinity not tolerated by them when cultivated in the soil without the tested inputs.