Use of hydrogels in the cultivation of ornamental sunflower irrigated with brackish water
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/2447-536X.v32.e323095Keywords:
Protected cultivation, floriculture, Helianthus annuus L., hydroabsorbent polymer, salinityAbstract
Saline stress affects the growth and development of crops worldwide. The use of hydrogels can alleviate the deleterious effects of salts on plants. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the use of hydrogels on the growth and biomass accumulation of sunflowers irrigated with brackish water. The experiment was conducted in a protected environment belonging to the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Ceará – IFCE/Sobral Campus, located in the municipality of Sobral, Ceará State, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks, in a factorial scheme (3 × 3), with one factor consisting of three levels of electrical conductivity of irrigation water (0.3, 1.0, and 2.0 dS m-1) and the second referring to the use of hydrogels: without the presence of hydrogel, synthetic hydrogel, and alternative hydrogel (acrylate-acrylamide polymer matrix incorporated with kaolin). Increased electrical conductivity of the irrigation water reduces the leaf growth rate, abundance, and biomass accumulation of ornamental sunflowers. The use of hydrogels does not attenuate the deleterious effects of salinity on plant height growth rate, or stem, root, and total dry mass accumulation under 2.0 dS m-1 irrigation. Conversely, synthetic hydrogel regarding stem diameter growth rate and both hydrogels regarding root growth partially reduce salt impacts, allowing greater expansion in stem diameter and root system length of ornamental sunflower. The use of the alternative hydrogel increases the outer capitulum diameter of ornamental sunflower, demonstrating superior performance compared to the synthetic hydrogel for this floral structure.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Géssica Moraes dos Santos, Francisca Larissa Liberato de Sousa, José Davi Rodrigues Andrade, José Thomas Machado de Sousa, Thales Vinícius de Araújo Viana, Luis Gongaza Pinheiro Neto, Francisco Helder Almeida Rodrigues, Geocleber Gomes de Sousa
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