Water relationships in sugar beet cultivars under different levels of soil salinity

The excess of salts in the soil can directly affect the development and yield of the plants, therefore, studies on water relationships of crops in such conditions are necessary to prevent or solve the problem. The study was conducted in a greenhouse at Universidade Estadual Paulista, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Botucatu, Brazil. The statistical design used was randomized blocks with four replications, consisting of five levels of soil salinity (1.0, 3.0, 6.0, 9.0, 12.0 dS m(-1)), two cultivars of sugar beet (Early Wonder and Itapua) and two types of management of fertigation, totaling in all 80 plots. Measurements of water content of the leaves, diffuse resistance to water vapor, transpiration, leaf area and the water consumption of crop were determined. There was a decrease according to increasing salinity for the analysed physiological parameters in the Early Wonder variety while for the Itapua variety a gradual increase was observed up to a salinity of 6 dS m(-1). The water consumption by plants showed a reduction with increase of soil salinity for the two varieties.