Germination, growth and production of colored cotton BRS green under saline stress

Abstract The salinity of the irrigation water may limit the growth and the production of many crops. With the objective of studying the effects of different salinity levels and composition of the irrigation water on the germination and growth of the upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. r. latifolium Hutch) BRS green. This study was carried out using as substrate a Neossolo regossol of sandy loam texture, initially classified as non saline. A 6 x 2 factorial design was adapted using a completely randomized design with three replications. The effects of 6 levels of water salinity - ECw (2.0, 3.5, 5.0, 6.5, 8.0 and 9.5 dS m-1) and 2 proportion of Na:Ca ratios (9.5/ 0.5 and 6.0/4.0) in chloride forms were studied. With the results obtained it was verified that the analyzed characteristics (germination percentage, height of plants, stem diameter, number of leaves and leaf area) were all influenced significantly only by water salinity.