Características do fruto médio de dois cultivares de bananas submetidas a diferentes níveis de salinidade da água de irrigação.

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of different salinity levels of irrigation water on the productivity of two banana cultivars ('Marmelo' and 'Pacovan'). The experiment was conducted at Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-árido - UFERSA, in Mossoró-RN, Brazil, during the period of July, 1999 to January, 2001. The experimental design was a randomized block in split-plot scheme with four replications. The plots were constituted by four levels of irrigation water salinity (S1= 0.6; S2=1.7; S3=2.8 and S4=4.0 dS m-1) and the subplots were the cultivars (Pacovan - AAB and Marmelo - ABB). The following characteristics of the average fruit were evaluated: weight, length, diameter, thickness of pulp and rind, and length of pedicel. Only length and weight of the average fruit had been affected significantly by irrigation water salinity level. Each 1,0 dS m-1 increment in electrical conductivity (EC) of irrigation water caused a loss of 8.39% e 3.60%, respectively, when compared to values obtained with the lower level (EC = 0.55 dS m-1). These losses were independent of the cultivar studied. The loss for each increment of 1,0 dS m-1 in CE of the irrigation water, in relation to the gotten values for the lesser level (CE = 0,55 dS m-1), of 8,39% and 3,60%, respectively, and that it was independent of cultivating.