Production of irrigated rice seedlings with saline water

Abstract The inadequate use of irrigation and drainage practices has contributed for the continuous increase in salinized areas. A great number of researches have conducted dedicated to study salinity effects on the plants, because the saline stress is one of the factors that reduce growth and productivity as well as quality of crops. An experiment was installed under greenhouse conditions in a completely randomized design with the objetive to evaluate the effects of the salinity of the irrigation water on the seedlings production of rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar Formoso. Five levels of salinity of the irrigation water were tested - (ECw 0.5; 2.5; 4.5; 6.5 and 8.5 dS m-1, at 25 °C) with 5 replications. Each replication was represented by average of 4 seedlings. The increase in salinity level of the irrigation water affected linearly all the studied variables, (phytomass, root/shoot relationship, plant height, root length and water content), 23 days after sowing - DAS.