EMERGENCE, GROWTH, AND PRODUCTION OF COLORED COTTON SUBJECTED TO SALT STRESS AND ORGANIC FERTILIZATION

ABSTRACT The semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil is vulnerable to problems of water scarcity and salinity, resulting in low-quality irrigation water and the need to adopt cultivation strategies that make the production system viable. Given the above, this study aimed to evaluate emergence, growth, and production of colored cotton subjected to increasing levels of irrigation water salinity and organic matter doses. The experiment was carried out in a eutrophic Regolithic Neosol with a sandy loam texture in a greenhouse in the municipality of Campina Grande - PB, Brazil. A randomized block design was used in a 4 x 4 factorial scheme with three replicates, and the treatments corresponded to four levels of electrical conductivity of water - ECw (1.7, 3.4, 5.1, and 6.8 dS m-1) and four doses of organic matter - OM (0, 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5% based on soil volume). Increasing irrigation water salinity with ECw values above 1.7 dS m-1 reduced emergence, growth, and production of colored cotton, and the cotton seed weight was the variable most affected by salinity. Organic matter addition led to increased cotton growth and production, especially in terms of seed weight. Increasing doses of organic matter attenuated the effect of irrigation water salinity on the number of bolls in ‘BRS Jady’ cotton.