IRRIGATION WITH SALINE WATER AND NITROGEN IN PRODUCTION COMPONENTS AND YIELD OF SUNFLOWER

ABSTRACT Due to the quantitative and qualitative limitation of water resources, saline water irrigation and nitrogen (N) fertilisation can contribute positively to the expansion of sunflower cultivation in the semiarid region of Northeast Brazil. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate production components and yield of sunflower, cv. "Embrapa 122-V2000‟, irrigated with waters of different salinity levels (electrical conductivity - ECw) and fertilised with varying amounts of N in a field experiment in a eutrophic Quartzarenic Neosol from November 2012 to February 2013. The experiment was performed in a completely randomised block design in split plots, in a 5 x 4 factorial scheme, which corresponded to five ECw levels (0.15, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 dS m-1) and four N levels (60, 80, 100 and 120 kg ha-1), with three replicates and 30 plants per plot. The interaction between water salinity levels and N did not have significant effects on the studied variables; irrigation water salinity had isolated negative effects on the total number of achenes, number of viable achenes, productivity and oil yield of achenes. The increase in N levels stimulated the total number and the number of viable achenes, the mass of 1,000 achenes, capitulum diameter and productivity of achenes of sunflower, cv. "Embrapa 122-V2000‟, but had no effect on the oil content of achenes. N levels of up to 100 kg ha-1 promoted adequate oil content in the achenes of sunflower, cv "Embrapa 122-V2000‟.