Germination and morphophysiology of passion fruit seedlings under salt water irrigation1

ABSTRACT The use of salt water in irrigation can reduce the growth and yield of agricultural crops. This study aimed to assess the germination, emergence, physiology and growth of passion fruit seedlings of two varieties under salt water irrigation. The study was conducted in two stages: the first carried out in a laboratory and the second in a greenhouse, using a randomized block design, in a 2 x 4 factorial scheme, corresponding to two passion fruit varieties (BRS RC and BRS GA1) and four levels of irrigation water electrical conductivity (0.2 dS m-1, 2.2 dS m-1, 4.2 dS m-1 and 6.2 dS m-1), with four replications. The BRS GA1 variety exhibited the highest germination index and rate, in the germination stage, despite being more sensitive to salinity than the BRS RC. There was no damage to the photosynthetic apparatus in the BRS GA1 seedlings during growth, as demonstrated by the higher leaf biomass, when compared to the BRS RC variety.