Salt tolerance and foliar spectral responses in seedlings of four ornamental herbaceous species

Authors: DE OLIVEIRA, ADRIANA - Universidade Federal Do Ceara (UFC); DE LACERDA, CLAUDIVAN - Universidade Federal Do Ceara (UFC); CAVALCANTE, EDUARDO - Universidade Federal Do Ceara (UFC); DOS SANTOS TEIXEIRA, ADUNIAS - Universidade Federal Do Ceara (UFC); DE OLIVEIRA, MARCIO - Universidade Federal Do Ceara (UFC); Ferreira, Jorge; DA SILVA SALES, JONNATHAN - Universidade Federal Do Ceara (UFC); CANJA, JUVENALDO - Universidade Federal Do Ceara (UFC); DA COSTA BEZERRA, GABRIEL - Universidade Federal Do Ceara (UFC)

Submitted to: Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agricola e Ambiental
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/9/2024
Publication Date: 1/29/2024
Citation: de Oliveira, A., de Lacerda, C., Cavalcante, E.S., dos Santos Teixeira, A.S., de Oliveira, M., Ferreira, J.F., da Silva Sales, J., Canja, J.F., da Costa Bezerra, G.M. 2024. Salt tolerance and foliar spectral responses in seedlings of four ornamental herbaceous species. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agricola e Ambiental. 28(5). Article e276677. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v25n1p3-9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v25n1p3-9

Interpretive Summary: Although the importance of ornamental plants has grown considerably over the years, studies that evaluate the use of brackish water in the irrigation of ornamental species are still scarce, mainly considering the qualitative aspects of the plants. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate salt tolerance and leaf spectral responses of four ornamental species during their seedling production stage. The research was carried out from December 2020 to February 2021 in a greenhouse in Fortaleza - Ceará, Brazil, using irrigation-water salinities ranging from 2 to 16 times the salinity of freshwater (0.5 dS/m). The study tested one Madagascar Periwinkle, two Cockscomb (Celosia cristata and C. plumosa), and one species of Chrysanthemum. Their salt tolerance was evaluated through their biomass production, visual sensory analysis, and leaf spectral responses. Chrysanthemum maintained its visual quality up to four times the salinity of freshwater while the two Cockscomb species and Periwinkle maintained their visual quality up to eight times the salinity of freshwater. Thus, the latter three species were classified as moderately tolerant to salinity. Salinity caused significant changes in leaf spectral responses, consistent with the other parameters used to evaluate salinity tolerance. This work demonstrated the feasibility of spectral scanning as a non-destructive remote sensing technique to evaluate ornamental species for their salt tolerance.

Technical Abstract: Studies on the use of brackish water in irrigation of ornamental species are still scarce, mainly considering the qualitative aspects of the plants. Thus, the objective was to evaluate salt tolerance and leaf spectral responses of four ornamental species in the seedling production stage. The research was carried out from December 2020 to February 2021, in a greenhouse, in Fortaleza - Ceará, Brazil. The study was conducted in a randomized block design, in split-plots, with plots consisting of irrigation-water salinity (0.5; 2.0; 4.0; 6.0 and 8.0 dS m-1) and the subplots of the species Catharanthus roseus, Celosia cristata, Celosia plumosa and Chrysanthemum coronarium, with four replications. Biomass production, visual sensory analysis, salt tolerance, and leaf spectral responses were evaluated. Chrysanthemum coronarium maintained its visual quality up to 2.0 dS m-1 while Celosia cristata, Celosia plumosa, and Catharanthus roseus maintained their visual quality up to 4.0 dS m-1, being classified as moderately tolerant to salinity. Salinity caused significant changes in leaf spectral responses, which demonstrated its feasibility as a non-destructive remote sensing technique to evaluate ornamental species under salt stress.