CRESCIMENTO E BIOMASSA SECA EM CULTIVARES DE GERGELIM SOB DIFERENTES NÍVEIS DE SALINIDADE
Rislayne Ingrid Fagundes
UFERSA
Ivan Euzébio da Siva
João Everthon da Silva Ribeiro
Aurélio Barros Júnior
Lindomar Maria da Silveira
Palavras-chave: Sesamum indicum L., oleaginosas, estresse salino, tolerância
Resumo
Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an oilseed crop of great economic importance, notable for its high oil content in the seeds and its wide range of industrial applications. The crop is widely cultivated in semi-arid regions, where it often faces saline stress conditions that compromise its growth and productivity. Given this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the growth and dry matter production of different sesame cultivars under salinity conditions. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid (UFERSA), in Mossoró, using a randomized block design in a 4 × 3 factorial scheme, consisting of four cultivars (BRS Seda, BRS Anahí, BRS Morena, and CNPA G4) and three salinity levels (0.5, 2.5, and 4.5 dS m⁻¹). The analyzed variables were plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, and dry mass of stem, root, and leaf. Data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the F-test, and means were compared by Tukey’s test at a 5% probability level. Salinity significantly reduced growth and biomass production, particularly at higher electrical conductivity levels, while stem diameter and number of leaves showed less pronounced reductions compared to other variables. Among the cultivars, CNPA G4 stood out for its greater tolerance to salinity, showing the best performance across all evaluated parameters. In contrast, BRS Anahí was the most sensitive to saline stress, exhibiting the lowest performance. The cultivars BRS Morena and BRS Seda also demonstrated sensitivity, with considerable reductions in growth and biomass.