Salt stress and calcium nitrate in arugula in soilless cultivation using substrate

ABSTRACT Due to the important functions of calcium in plant physiology, supplementation of this nutrient may be a viable strategy to increase the tolerance of plants to salinity. Thus, the objective in this study was to evaluate the gas exchange and growth of broad-leaf arugula cultivars cultivated in coconut fiber subjected to salt stress. Four nutrient solutions [(S1 - standard nutrient solution (electrical conductivity of water - ECw of 0.5 dS m-1; S2 - nutrient solution using saline water with NaCl at 3.5 dS m-1; S3 - S2 enriched with Ca(NO3)2 at 50%; S4 - S2 enriched with Ca(NO3)2 at 100%, obtaining values of 2.3, 5.1, 5.5, and 5.9 dS m-1, for S1, S2, S3, and S4, respectively], and two cultivars of arugula (Donatella and Gigante Folha Larga), arranged in a 2 × 4 factorial scheme, with three replicates, were studied. Plants were harvested 40 days after sowing and evaluated for the following variables: plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, total fresh mass, total dry mass, specific leaf area, leaf succulence, relative chlorophyll index, stomatal conductance, CO2 assimilation rate, transpiration rate, internal CO2 concentration, instantaneous water use efficiency, and intrinsic carboxylation efficiency. The cultivar Gigante Folha Larga was more tolerant to salinity of nutrient solution. The use of salinized nutrient solution negatively affected arugula growth and physiology, but the extra addition of Ca(NO3)2 reduced the harmful effects of salinity. Extra addition of 50% of Ca(NO3)2 in the nutrient solution is recommended to reduce the effect of salt stress.