Initial Development and Tolerance of Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum) Cultivars under Salt Stress

The objective was to evaluate growth and tolerance of bell pepper cultivars under salt stress in the seedling stage. The experiment was carried out in protected environment (greenhouse) at the Center of Sciences and Agrifood Technology (CCTA) of the Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG), located in the municipality of Pombal, Paraiba, from August to September 2014. Five bell pepper cultivars (C1 - Dulce All Big; C2 - All Big; C3 - Italiano Amarelo Gigante; C4 - Rubi Gigante; C5 - Casca Dura Ikeda) were evaluated at five levels of irrigation water salinity (0.6 (control); 1.2; 1.8, 2.4 and 3.0 dS m-1), arranged in 5 × 5 factorial scheme, in a completely randomized design, with four replicates. Bell pepper cultivars were grown on trays for 20 days after sowing, period in which they were evaluated for emergence, growth, phytomass accumulation and tolerance index. The increase in irrigation water salinity reduced bell pepper emergence, growth and dry matter accumulation, and the cultivars C2 - All Big and C4 - Rubi Gigante were the most tolerant to salinity in the initial growth stage. Tolerance to salinity occurred in the following order: C2 - All Big > C4 - Rubi Gigante > C1 - Dulce All Big = C5 - Casca Dura Ikeda > C3 - Italiano Amarelo Gigante.