Cultivo do algodoeiro colorido submetido a lâminas de irrigação e ácido salicílico.

Abstract

Cotton farming in the Northeast region of Brazil has stood out as one of the most important agricultural activities, due to the fact that its fiber has several applications in industry, but the adverse conditions of the semi-arid region limit its growth and development. In this sense, some management strategies can be used to attenuate the harmful effects of water stress on cultures, such as the exogenous application of salicylic acid. In this context, the present work aimed to evaluate the growth, phytomass accumulation and production of 'BRS Jade' cotton cultivated under irrigation depths and foliar application of salicylic acid. The experiment was carried out at the Agro-Food Science and Technology Center belonging to the Federal University of Campina Grande, Pombal, Paraíba. A randomized block design was adopted, in a 5 × 5 factorial arrangement, with five irrigation depths (40, 60, 80, 100 and 120% of Actual Evapotranspiration) and five concentrations of salicylic acid (0, 1.5, 3 ,0, 4.5 and 6.0 mM) with three replications, totaling 75 experimental units. The increase in irrigation depths favored the growth, production and dry mass accumulation of 'BRS Jade' cotton at 130 days after sowing. Salicylic acid does not attenuate the deleterious effects of water deficit on the growth, production and dry matter accumulation of 'BRS Jade' cotton. Foliar application of salicylic acid at a concentration of 3.0 mM associated with irrigation with 100% ETr promotes an increase in cotton plant growth.