Use of Fava d'Anta extract in maize cultivation under saline stress

Extract of Fava d’Anta (Dimorphandra mollis Benth) alleviates the deleterious effects of saline water. This study evaluates gas exchange and the initial growth of maize under saline stress and the use of Fava d’Anta extract. The experimental design was a randomized block design in a 5 × 4 factorial scheme with three replications. The first factor consisted of five levels of electrical conductivity of irrigation water (ECw = 1.0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 dS m⁻¹), and the second factor consisted of four foliar application frequencies of Fava d’Anta extract: F1 – no application; F2 – application every 10 days; F3 – application every 5 days; and F4 – daily application. Increasing salinity of the irrigation water reduced plant height, stem diameter, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, shoot dry mass, and root dry mass. The different application frequencies of the Fava d’Anta extract influenced plant height, photosynthesis, and shoot dry mass. Interactive effects were observed, with better results for the combinations S2 × F2, S3 × F2, and S3 × F2 for photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and transpiration, respectively. These findings indicate that foliar application of Fava d’Anta extract every 10 days during the vegetative stage has the potential to mitigate the deleterious effects of saline water on maize. Daily application of the extract mitigated the harmful effects of irrigation water with EC of 4.0 dS m⁻¹ on gas exchange parameters. Keywords: Dimorphandra mollis Benth, salinity, Zea mays L.