SALINE WATER AND DOSES OF NITROGEN IN PASSION-FRUIT CULTIVATION

The objective was to evaluate the growth, the physiological indices and the quality of seedlings of purple passion-fruit, cultivated under different levels of salinity of the irrigation water and doses of nitrogen. The experiment was accomplished in the Federal University of Campina Grande - UFCG, Pombal - PB, in environment of vegetation house, using the randomized block design, in factorial scheme 5 x 4, whose treatments were testing five levels of electric conductivity of the irrigation water (0.3; 1.1; 1.9; 2.7 and 3.5 dS m-1) associated with four nitrogen doses (50%, 75%, 100% and 125% according to the recommendation), with four repetitions and three plants per plot, totaling 240 experimental units. Irrigation water salinity above 0.3 dS m-1 compromised the leaf area, dry stem phytomass, relative water content and leaf succulence of purple passion-fruit 'BRS Rubi do Cerrado'.