ABSTRACT. The forage palm is widely cultivated in semiarid regions. It has a basic chromosome number of x = 11 and polyploids are the main variation. It is propagated via vegetative reproduction, and sexual propagation is rarely used. The objective was to associate the physiological quality of seeds of different cultivars of forage palm with the level of ploidy in the genera Opuntia and Nopalea. The cultivars used were: diploids (2n = 22) ‘F8’, ‘F21’, and ‘IPA Sertânia’; tetraploids (2n = 44) ‘Clone 6 African Elephant Ear’, ‘Mexican Elephant Ear’, and ‘V19’, and octaploids (2n = 88) ‘Round’, ‘Giant’, and ‘IPA Clone 20’. Thousand seed weight, length, diameter, number of seeds per fruit, first count and emergence percentage, shoot and root length, fresh and dry mass, electrical conductivity, and length, width, and fresh and dry weight of cladodes were measured. A nested scheme design was used, with three levels of ploidy and three cultivars within each level. The ploidy level positively influenced the number of seeds per fruit and the physiological quality of the seeds. Cultivars behave differently within the same ploidy level.

RESUMO A salinidade é um dos problemas que limitam o desenvolvimento das plantas, sendo as fases de germinação, crescimento e estabelecimento inicial as mais sensíveis ao estresse salino. Erythrina velutina, popularmente conhecida no Brasil como “mulungu”, é uma espécie nativa do bioma Caatinga, que cresce em condições de solo rico em sais. Os danos causados pela salinidade à qualidade de suas sementes e a utilização de técnicas que mitiguem esses efeitos são pouco conhecidos. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o ácido salicílico como mitigador do estresse salino na qualidade fisiológica de sementes de mulungu. A qualidade de dois lotes de sementes de dois estados brasileiros (L1: Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, e L2: Pentencostes, Ceará) foi avaliada. O delineamento inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 2 (embebição de sementes com ácido salicílico (SA) - água destilada e 1,0 mM SA) × 4 (condutividade elétrica da água de irrigação - ECw - 0,0, 3,0, 6,0 e 9,0 dS m-1) com quatro repetições de 50 sementes cada foi usado. O estresse salino reduz a qualidade das sementes e mudas de mulungu. SA aumenta o vigor das sementes, promovendo melhorias na germinação em condições salinas.

ABSTRACT Salinity is one of the problems that limit plant development, with the germination, growth, and initial establishment stages being the most sensitive to saline stress. Erythrina velutina, popularly known as “mulungu” in Brazil, is a species native to the Caatinga biome, which grows in conditions of soil rich in salts. The damage caused by salinity to the quality of its seeds and the use of techniques that mitigate such effects are little known. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate salicylic acid as a mitigator of saline stress in the physiological quality of mulungu seeds. The quality of two seed lots from two Brazilian states (L1: Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, and L2: Pentencostes, Ceará) was evaluated. A completely randomized design in a 2 (seed soaking with salicylic acid (SA) - distilled water and 1.0 mM SA) × 4 (electrical conductivity of irrigation water - ECw - 0.0, 3.0, 6.0 and 9.0 dS m-1) factorial scheme with four replications of 50 seeds each was used. Saline stress reduces the quality of mulungu seeds and seedlings. SA increases the vigor of the seeds, promoting improvements in germination under saline conditions.

ABSTRACT The Capsicum annuum L. is a vegetable of great importance in the world. In Brazil, has been one of the most consumed in the country, however in some regions like the Northeast, the production of the crop undergoes large reductions due to the irrigation water salinity in function of semi-arid climate leading to losses in the field. Due to this fact, the objective of this research was to evaluate the chili growth (Capsicum annuum L.) subjected to various irrigation water salinity levels. The experiment was conducted in the greenhouse of the Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campus IV. We adopted a design entirely randomized, with five treatments (1.0; 1.5; 2.0; 2.5 e 3.0 dS m-1 de CEai) and seven repetitions, the data were subjected to analysis of variance using the test F to 1 and 5% probability and posteriorly when significant was used the analysis of regression, using the SISVAR® software. The analyzed variables were: Total leaf area; mass of dry matter from the leaf; stalk; root; aerial and total part; besides the leaf area ratio; specific leaf area; leaf weight ratio; aerial part and root ratio and relative water content. The culture of chili All big tolerates 2.15 dS m-1 without affecting the production of dry matter.

RESUMEN El Capsicum annuum L. es una hortaliza de gran importancia en el mundo. En Brasil, es una de las más consumidas en el país, pero en algunas regiones como el Nordeste se observan grandes perdidas en rendimiento debido a la salinidad del agua de riego y el clima semiárido. El objetivo de este ensayo fue evaluar la producción de ají (Capsicum annuum L.) sometido a diferentes niveles de salinidad en el agua de riego. El experimento se realizó en el invernadero agrícola de la Universidad Estadual de Paraíba, Campus IV. El diseño experimental fue de bloques completamente al azar, con cinco tratamientos (1,0; 1,5; 2,0; 2,5 y 3,0 dS m-1 de CE en agua de riego y siete repeticiones. Los datos fueron sometidos al análisis de varianza utilizando la prueba F a 1 y 5% de probabilidad, para separación de medias se utilizó el análisis de regresión, empleando el software SISVAR®. Se midieron diversas variables como peso fresco y porcentaje de materia seca de tallo, raíz y hojas; área foliar total; nímero de hojas; peso fresco y materia seca del area foliar. Los resulatdos sugieren que el cultivo chile tolera 2,15 dS m-1 de conductividad eléctrica en agua de riego, sin afectar la producción total.

RESUMO A germinação e vigor das sementes podem ser influenciadas por diversos fatores, como o déficit hídrico durante sua produção, o qual pode afetar diferentemente as culturas de acordo com a fase fenológica da planta. Assim, o objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar a qualidade fisiológica de sementes de gergelim oriundas de plantas submetidas ao estresse hídrico em diferentes fases fenológicas. Para tanto, plantas de gergelim foram submetidas à deficiência hídrica nas seguintes fases: I - germinação ao início do crescimento vegetativo (T1); II - crescimento vegetativo até a floração (T2); III - floração até a formação das vagens (T3); IV - maturação dos frutos (T4); estresse em todas as fases (T5); e irrigação plena (T6). Manteve-se, por meio da pesagem e irrigação diária dos baldes, 50% da capacidade de vaso (CV) para os tratamentos com deficiência hídrica e 100% da CV para os tratamentos sem deficiência. Aos 90 dias após o plantio realizou-se a colheita das plantas, sendo as sementes avaliadas através do teste de germinação, 1ª contagem de germinação, índice de velocidade de germinação, tempo médio de germinação, envelhecimento acelerado, condutividade elétrica, emergência de plântulas, índice de velocidade de emergência, tempo médio de emergência, comprimento de plântulas e massa seca das plântulas. Sementes de gergelim provenientes de plantas cultivadas sob déficit hídrico apresentam menor qualidade fisiológica. Entre a germinação e o início do crescimento vegetativo e entre a floração e formação dos frutos o gergelim é mais sensível à deficiência hídrica, de modo que a limitação de água nesses períodos resulta em produção de sementes de qualidade fisiológica inferior.

ABSTRACT Germination and seed vigor may be influenced by several factors, such as water stress during production, which affect crops differently according to the phenological stage of the plant. The aim of this study therefore was to evaluate the physiological quality of sesame seeds from plants subjected to water stress at different phenological stages. To this end, sesame plants were subjected to water stress at the following stages: I - germination to the start of vegetative growth (T1); II - vegetative growth to flowering (T2); III - flowering to pod formation (T3); IV - fruit maturation (T4); also for stress at all stages (T5) and full irrigation (T6). By weighing and daily irrigation of the containers, levels were kept at 50% of pot capacity (CV) for treatments with water deficit, and at 100% CV for treatments with no deficit. At 90 days after planting, the plants were harvested. The seeds were evaluated by germination test, first germination count, germination speed index, mean germination time, accelerated aging, electrical conductivity, seedling emergence, emergence speed index, mean time of emergence, seedling length and seedling dry weight. Sesame seeds from plants grown under water deficit display lower physiological quality. Between germination and the start of vegetative growth, and between flowering and fruit formation, the sesame is more sensitive to water stress, so that water limitation during these periods results in the production of seeds of low physiological quality.