Physiologic responses of precocious dwarf cashew at different levels of salinity

Abstract Salinity is an abiotic stress that alters the plant development, limiting plant production. At the present experiment, it was evaluated the effect of salt stress on osmotic potential, content of organic and inorganic solutes, gas exchanges (photosynthesis, transpiration and stomatal conductance) and production of precocious dwarf cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.). For this, the experiment was carried out at Embrapa Agroindústria Tropical experimental station, in Pacajús, Ceará, Brazil, during the months of August to December. The plants were subjected to increasing levels of salinity using irrigation water with electrical conductivity (ECw) of 0.5 (control), 4.0, 8.0 and 12.0 dS m-1. The data were collected monthly and subjected to statistic analyses. Although the electrical conductivity of soil saturation extract (ECse) increased with salinity, there were no significant differences between treatments for osmotic potential, gas exchange and levels of organic and inorganic solutes. With the exception of leaf osmotic potential and gas exchange, all the others parameters studied varied along the experiment in function of the phenophisiological stage of the plant, presenting greater values in the fructification period. So, the salinity stress was not enough to cause significant changes in growth and productivity of the plants.