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Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the tolerance of basil cultivars to salt stress in semi-hydroponic cultivation. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse, following a randomized block design, in a 5 x 3 factorial scheme, with five basil cultivars (Grecco a Palla, Alfavaca Basilicäo, Alfavaca Verde, Lemoncino and Roxo) and three salinity levels of the nutrient solution (2.0, 3.5 and 5.0 dS m-'), with three replications, and the experimental plot represented by three pots containing 3.0 dm3 of coconut fiber and one plant in each. At 60 days after transplanting, plants were evaluated for plant height, number of leaves, number of stems and inflorescence, length of inflorescences, stem diameter, dry mass (leaves, stems, inflorescences and total), leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf area ratio, leaf succulence and the salinity tolerance index. In general, there were different responses among the cultivars regarding salinity. Fertigation using high-salinity water promotes changes in the growth of sensitive basil cultivars. The cultivars Alfavaca Basilicäo, Alfavaca Verde and Roxo were tolerant to all tested salinity levels (2.0, 3.5 and 5.0 dS m-'), while Grecco a Palla and Lemoncino were tolerant up to the salinity of 3.5 dS m-1.
Keywords: Hydroponics, medicinal plants, ocimum basilicum l., salt stress
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Introduction
Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is one of the most worldwide cultivated and known medicinal plants of the Lamiaceae family, given its great importance in various market segments, such as cooking, where it can be used as a seasoning, in popular alternative medicine and pharmaceutical industry (Chiang et al., 2005; Bharti et al., 20'6).
In Brazil, basil is grown mainly by small family farmers, who use conventional cultivation. Currently, many studies with basil are being carried out in protected environment in the hydroponic cultivation system (Menezes et al., 2017; Alves et al., 2019).
The cultivation of plants in inert substrate, also called semi-hydroponic, has been gaining space among researchers and rural producers because it is an alternative cultivation system to NFT hydroponic cultivation, with the advantage of providing lower consumption of electricity, which can generate savings of up to 92% due to the shorter irrigation time (Andriolo et al. 2004). Among the substrates, coconut fiber is advantageous because it has...