Reclamation of saline soil from Pernambuco semiarid by the use of soil conditioners and cultivation of Chenopodium quinoa Willd.
Gray water, phytoremediation, Chenopodium quinoa Willd.
The abandonment of areas in the Brazilian Semiarid region has become a constant practice, due to the degradation of these soils caused mainly by salinization. Semiarid soils naturally show a tendency to salinization, due to the region's climate. Good soil management (use of saline water) intensifies and accelerates the salinization process, without any intervention, these soils tend to become unviable for agricultural production. In view of all the social and environmental impacts, it is necessary to develop techniques aimed at mitigating the impact of saline water on semiarid soils, promoting the removal of these salts from the soil, through a tolerant culture. Thus, this dissertation aimed to evaluate the performance of Chenopodium quinoa Willd, irrigated with gray water and the potential of soil conditioners, in mitigating the effects of salinization on the plant and soil. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, in a 2 x 5 factorial arrangement and four replications, the first factor being the irrigation water (drinking water and gray water) and the second the selected conditioners. The gray water used was collected in a rural residence, which has a physical treatment system for the reuse of gray water (RAC), and the water came from the University's supply. For this, the Fluvic Cambisol was used, which was collected in the superficial layer (0-20 cm), sieved and uniformed for the setup of the experiment and for the characterization of products and physics. The soil was packed in polyethylene pots with 15 kg of soil, where it received the conditioners and their best irrigation water: T1: control (without soil conditioner), T2: 1 application of organomineral fertilizer, T3: 2 application of organomineral fertilizer , T4: 3 applications of organomineral fertilizer, T5: organic matter. Irrigation was carried out in a 72-hour watering shift, applying an irrigation depth equivalent to 85% of the field capacity. The dose of organomineral fertilizer was 20 ml pot-1 at each application, and 160 g pot-1 was incorporated into the soil for organic matter. Fortnightly, the biometric and photosynthetic parameters of the plants were adopted. At 70 days after transplanting, the seedlings were collected and divided into roots, stems, leaves and panicle to obtain their fresh, dry and total masses; allocation of relative biomass, sodium, chloride and potassium in plant parts; in addition to measuring the electrical conductivity of the saturation extract (ECs), pH, determining the levels of sodium, potassium and chloride, and calculating the percentage of exchangeable sodium in the soil after the experiment. An allocation of sodium and chloride and the potential for phytoremediation were also determined. Under the studied conditions in which the culture was submitted, it was found that quinoa had an excellent adaptation to the highest levels of salinity, not interfering with its development. Treatment 3 applications of organomineral fertilizer provided the plant with the best conditions when irrigated with gray water. However, quinoa does not present good efficiency in the removal of salts from the soil, as the soil was being irrigated, the values of ECes, PST, and the levels of sodium, chlorine and potassium were increased. The use of this culture associated with irrigation with gray water must be carried out with care, since quinoa does not prove to be a good salt extractor.