Strategies to mitigate water deficit in naturally colored cotton: interactions between salicylic acid and irrigation levels

Authors

  • Maria do Socorro Medeiros de Souza
  • Reginaldo Gomes Nobre
  • Guilherme da Silva Sales
  • Luiz Fernando de Sousa Antunes
  • Antônio Gustavo de Luna Souto
  • Lauriane Almeida dos Anjos Soares
  • Geovani Soares de Lima
  • Kaila Maria Pereira de Carvalho

Abstract

Naturally colored cotton stands out socioeconomically in northeastern Brazil; however, the low water availability and high evapotranspiration rates limit its growth and yield. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of irrigation levels and salicylic acid concentrations on the growth and yield of naturally colored cotton cultivars. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design, with 64 experimental units, in a 2 × 4 × 2 factorial scheme, with four replications and one plant per plot, with plants grown in pots adapted to drainage lysimeters. The treatments included two irrigation levels (100 and 50 % of the water requirement), four salicylic acid concentrations (0, 1.5, 3.0, and 4.5 mM), and two cultivars (BRS Rubi and BRS Safira). The reduced irrigation level (50 %) negatively affected the growth, accumulation, and yield of the naturally colored cotton cultivars, with the productive variables being the most impacted. The average application of 2.9 mM of salicylic acid promoted greater growth and yield, in addition to mitigating the effects of water deficit on the number of bolls. BRS Safira stood out in growth, biomass, and productive components, outperforming BRS Rubi under different water conditions.

KEYWORDS: Gossypium hirsutum L., water deficit, phytohormone.

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Author Biography

Luiz Fernando de Sousa Antunes

Atualmente é Doutorando do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Fitotecnia pela UFRRJ, desenvolvendo projetos de pesquisas voltados à Agroecologia. Mestre em Agronomia - Ciência do Solo pela Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (2017), graduou-se em Engenharia Agronômica pela mesma Universidade no ano de 2015 e também possui graduação em Ciências Biológicas pelo Centro Universitário Módulo (2009). Foi bolsista de iniciação científica por dois anos na Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária - Embrapa Agrobiologia, com experiência em triagem e monitoramento da fauna do solo, compostagem de resíduos orgânicos e produção de mudas de hortaliças em bandejas com substratos orgânicos.

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Published

2026-04-09

How to Cite

SOUZA, Maria do Socorro Medeiros de; NOBRE, Reginaldo Gomes; SALES, Guilherme da Silva; ANTUNES, Luiz Fernando de Sousa; SOUTO, Antônio Gustavo de Luna; SOARES, Lauriane Almeida dos Anjos; LIMA, Geovani Soares de; CARVALHO, Kaila Maria Pereira de. Strategies to mitigate water deficit in naturally colored cotton: interactions between salicylic acid and irrigation levels. Pesquisa Agropecuária Tropical [Agricultural Research in the Tropics], Goiânia, v. 56, p. e84583, 2026. Disponível em: https://revistas.ufg.br/pat/article/view/84583. Acesso em: 11 apr. 2026.

Issue

v. 56 (2026)

Section

Research Article

License

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