Application of Silicon to Alleviate Irrigation Water Salinity in Melon Growth

Abstract

Aims: The present study aimed to assess the alleviating effect of silicon in salinity on melon growth. Study Design: The experimental design was in randomised blocks, corresponding to the with four salt levels and three doses of silicon. Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted in a protected environment at Center of Sciences and Agri-Food Technology of the Federal University of Campina Grande, Campus of Pombal, Paraiba, Brazil, between october and December 2017. Methodology: The experiment was randomised blocks, in a 4x3 factorial scheme, with four salt levels (0.3, 1.3, 2.3 and 3.3 dS m-1) and three doses of silicon (Sí1) = 0; (Sí2) = 3.2; (Sí3) = 6.4 g.L-1 per plant, applied via soil with four repetitions of 12 plants. As vegetable material the 'Hales Best Jumbo' melon hybrid of the Cantaloupensis group was used. Results: Salinity severely affected the leaf area, shoot dry weight and total weight and the Dickson quality index. On the other hand, silicon had a significant effect on leaf number, plant height, stem diameter, root length, number of flowers, and number of flower buds, root dry weight and extravasation of electrolytes. Conclusion: The application of silicon alleviated the salinity effect favoring melon growth, especially when the dose of 3.2 g. L-1 was applied.