QUANTUM YIELD, PHOTOSYNTHETIC PIGMENTS AND BIOMASS OF MINIWATERMELON UNDER IRRIGATION STRATEGIES AND POTASSIUM1

ABSTRACT This study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the quantum yield, photosynthetic pigments and biomass accumulation of mini watermelon cv. Sugar Baby, under strategies of irrigation with saline water and potassium fertilization. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design, in a 8 × 3 factorial scheme, with three replicates, corresponding to eight strategies of irrigation with saline water applied at different phenological stages of the crop (control - irrigation with low-salinity water throughout the crop cycle, and salt stress in the vegetative, vegetative/flowering, flowering, flowering/fruiting, fruiting, fruiting/ fruit maturation and fruit maturation stage) and three potassium doses (50, 100 and 150% of the recommendation). The dose of 100% corresponded to 150 mg of K2O kg-1 of soil. Two levels of electrical conductivity of water were used: 0.8 and 4.0 dS m-1. Irrigation with water of 4.0 dS m-1 continuously in the vegetative and flowering stages increased the initial fluorescence and decreased the quantum efficiency of photosystem II of mini watermelon fertilized with 100 and 150% of K recommendation. Fertilization with 50% recommendation did not interfere in the fluorescence parameters of the mini watermelon, regardless of the irrigation management strategy. Chlorophyll a synthesis is inhibited by salt stress in the vegetative/flowering, flowering, flowering/fruiting, fruiting/maturation stages, as well as for total chlorophyll, except for the flowering stage. Application of 4.0 dS m-1 water in the flowering, fruiting/maturation and maturation stages promoted greater biomass accumulation in mini watermelon.