Physiology and yield of piel de sapo melon (Cucumis melo L. ) under water deficit in semi-arid region, Brazil / Fisiologia e rendimento do meloeiro pele-de-sapo (Cucumis melo L. ) cultivado sob diferentes regimes hídricos em região semi-árida, Brasil

ABSTRACT

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is a crop of great socioeconomic importance in regions with semiarid climate, as found in Northeast Brazil. In this region water deficit is a usual condition as well as the main reduction factor of plant productivity. Due to this phenomenon, irrigation techniques are used to make available the amount of water needed for plant production. Therefore, this study evaluated the physiology and fruit production changes of 'Juazeiro' Piel de sapo melon plants under different water replacement rates. 'Juazeiro' melon was grown under four reference evapotranspiration replacement rates (40, 60, 80 and 100% of ETo) distributed randomly in blocks with 5 replicates. The plants were cultivated in the field, in an experimental area located in the Brazilian Northeast region, under hot and dry semiarid climatic conditions, and during the growing cycle the 'Juazeiro' hybrid melon plants were evaluated for leaf area, biomass accumulation, gas exchange, photochemical efficiency of photosystem PSII and production of fruits per plant. Application of water replacement rates of 100% ETo leads to highest growth, net photosynthesis, and fruit yield of 'Juazeiro' melon. Water replacement at 80% ETo can be used for 'Juazeiro" melon under semiarid climatic conditions, but with small losses in fruit yield. Water replacement below 80% ETo leads to drastic reductions in growth, gas exchanges, quantum efficiency of photosystem II and fruit yield, which impairs melon production in semi-arid climate environments. KEYWORDS Fruits yield. Gas exchange. Photochemical efficiency. INTRODUCTION Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an important socioeconomic fruit cultivated in the world. Melon fruit production was 29.6 million tons and this production is distributed among China, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, India, United States, and Brazil. These countries account for 70% of the world production (FAO, 2017). In Brazil, cultivated area exceeded 22.000 ha with more than 521.6 thousand tons in 2015. 94.7% of this production was obtained in the semi-arid region of Northeast, mainly in the states of Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte, the largest producers in the country (IBGE, 2014). However, especially due to irregular rainfall, melon fruit production has been dropping in the last few years in this region. According to Pereira Filho et al. (2015), melon plants growth, development, and fruit production are greatly affected by climate conditions, mainly by water stress. Water stress is one of the most complex physiological phenomena because it is a multidimensional component which can considerably limit agricultural crops growth and development (DOGAN et al., 2008; LISAR et al., 2012; SILVA et al., 2015), generally in arid and semi-arid regions, such as in Northeast Brazil. Moreover, plant adaptability to water deficit conditions is related to a range of events occurring at several levels (LISAR et al., 2012), observed as a physiological, biochemical, and molecular adaptations, among others. At plant physiological level, soil water deficit has a significant effect on gas exchange, because it is a result of the limitation of stomatal conductance, and it is considered the primary cause of photosynthetic inhibition due to CO2 influx limitation, as well as water efflux from transpiration Received 08/04/19 Accepted 20/12/19

RESUMO

O meloeiro (Cucumis melo L.) é uma cultura de grande importância social e econômica mundial, principalmente em regiões de clima semiárido como o Nordeste brasileiro, onde déficit hídrico é condição comum e considerado o principal fator de redução da produtividade das plantas. Tal fenômeno força a utilização da irrigação como forma de disponibilizar a quantidade de água necessária à produção. Assim, objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar as variações fisiológicas e produtivas de meloeiro pele-de-sapo submetidos a diferentes taxas de reposição hídrica. O híbrido 'Juazeiro' de melão pele-de-sapo foi cultivado sob quatro taxas de reposição da evapotranspiração de referência (40, 60, 80 e 100% da ETo), distribuídas em blocos ao acaso com 5 repetições. As plantas foram cultivadas em campo, em área experimental situada no Nordeste brasileiro, em condições clima semiárido quente e seco, e durante o ciclo de cultivo as plantas de meloeiro híbrido 'Juazeiro' foram avaliadas quanto a área foliar, o acúmulo de biomassa, as trocas gasosas, eficiência fotoquímica do fotossitesma PSII e produção de frutos por planta. A aplicação de taxas de reposição hídrica a 100% da ETo proporciona o maior crescimento, fotossíntese liquida e produção do meloeiro 'Juazeiro'. A reposição hídrica a 80% da ETo pode ser usada para o cultivo do meloeiro 'Juazeiro' em condições de clima semiárido, admitindo-se pequenas perdas no rendimento. A reposição hídrica com lâminas inferiores a 80% da ETo promove reduções drásticas no crescimento, trocas gasosas, eficiência quântica do fotossistema II e produção, que inviabilizam a produção do meloeiro em ambientes de clima semiáridos.