Salicylic Acid as a Salt Stress Mitigator on Chlorophyll Fluorescence, Photosynthetic Pigments, and Growth of Precocious-Dwarf Cashew in the Post-Grafting Phase
Thiago Filipe de Lima Arruda,
Geovani Soares de Lima,
André Alisson Rodrigues da Silva,
Carlos Alberto Vieira de Azevedo,
Allesson Ramos de Souza,
Lauriane Almeida dos Anjos Soares,
Hans Raj Gheyi,
Vera Lúcia Antunes de Lima,
Pedro Dantas Fernandes,
Francisco de Assis da Silva,
Mirandy dos Santos Dias,
Lucia Helena Garófalo Chaves,
Luciano Marcelo Fallé Saboya
Affiliations
Thiago Filipe de Lima Arruda
Post Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58430-380, Brazil
Geovani Soares de Lima
Post Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58430-380, Brazil
André Alisson Rodrigues da Silva
Post Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58430-380, Brazil
Carlos Alberto Vieira de Azevedo
Post Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58430-380, Brazil
Allesson Ramos de Souza
Post Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58430-380, Brazil
Lauriane Almeida dos Anjos Soares
Academic Unit of Agrarian Sciences, Federal University of Campina Grande, Pombal 58840-000, Brazil
Hans Raj Gheyi
Post Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58430-380, Brazil
Vera Lúcia Antunes de Lima
Post Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58430-380, Brazil
Pedro Dantas Fernandes
Post Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58430-380, Brazil
Francisco de Assis da Silva
Post Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58430-380, Brazil
Mirandy dos Santos Dias
Post Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58430-380, Brazil
Lucia Helena Garófalo Chaves
Post Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58430-380, Brazil
Luciano Marcelo Fallé Saboya
Post Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande 58430-380, Brazil
Salicylic acid is a phytohormone that has been used to mitigate the effects of saline stress on plants. In this context, the objective was to evaluate the effect of salicylic acid as a salt stress attenuator on the physiology and growth of precocious-dwarf cashew plants in the post-grafting phase. The study was carried out in a plant nursery using a randomized block design in a 5 × 4 factorial arrangement corresponding to five electrical conductivity levels of irrigation water (0.4, 1.2, 2.0, 2.8, and 3.6 dS m−1) and four salicylic acid concentrations (0, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mM), with three replications. Irrigation water with electrical conductivity levels above 0.4 dS m−1 negatively affected the relative water content in the leaf blade, photosynthetic pigments, the fluorescence of chlorophyll a, and plant growth and increased electrolyte leakage in the leaf blade of precocious-dwarf cashew plants in the absence of salicylic acid. It was verified through the regression analysis that salicylic acid at a concentration of 1.1 mM attenuated the effects of salt stress on the relative water content and electrolyte leakage in the leaf blade, while the concentration of 1.7 mM increased the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments in precocious-dwarf cashew plants.
