ABSTRACT The CO2 emission from the soil surface, commonly referred to as soil CO2 efflux (ECO2) or soil respiration, is the sum of processes that include root respiration and microbial activity. Measuring this evolution is important to establish sustainable land use models and to estimate global fluxes of carbon, which affect climate change. Despite its importance, few measurements have been made in areas of the semiarid Brazilian Northeast region, and most of them were made using the alkali absorption method (AA), which can underestimate ECO2. Measurements using AA were compared to measurements using the infrared gas analyzer method (IRGA) over ten months (in rainy and dry seasons), during the day and night, in areas of Caatinga (xeric shrubland and thorn forest) and pasture in the Agreste region of the state of Pernambuco. The ECO2 measurements from AA varied little from night to day and throughout the year or in the rainy and dry seasons. However, those obtained from IRGA were higher in the rainy than in the dry season, but also without significant differences from day to night. The values of both methods were similar in the dry season, but in the rainy season they were higher with the IRGA. Therefore, AA seems to have little sensitivity to seasonal variations, in contrast with measurements from the IRGA, and it may underestimate soil ECO2 when it attains higher values. This result indicates that some of the soil ECO2 values determined in areas of the Brazilian semiarid region, and consequently annual C losses, may have been underestimated.

A salinidade do solo reduz a absorção de água pelas plantas, consequentemente, o crescimento e produção das mesmas. Objetivando avaliar o crescimento do pinhão manso em função da irrigação com água salina durante o terceiro ano de produção, foi conduzido um experimento em ambiente protegido adotando-se aleatorização em blocos e esquema fatorial 5 x 2, com cinco níveis de condutividade elétrica da água de irrigação - CEa (0,6; 1,2; 1,8; 2,4 e 3,0 dS m-1) e duas doses de P2O5 por ano (135 e 200 g planta-1) e quatro repetições. As plantas foram cultivadas em vaso com capacidade de 200 L e irrigados a cada três dias. O aumento da CEa promoveu efeito significativo a partir dos 30 dias após a poda (DAP) causando reduções nas variáveis diâmetro de caule, número de folhas e área foliar. A área foliar e o número de folhas foram mais afetados, por isso são as que melhor expressam os efeitos da salinidade da água sobre o pinhão manso. A salinidade da água de irrigação interferiu negativamente no acúmulo de matéria seca das folhas e no consumo médio de água do pinhão manso reduzindo em cerca de 60% sob o tratamento de maior CEa em relação à menor. A área foliar foi à única variável de crescimento influenciada pelas doses de fósforo nas três avaliações e o número de folhas foi influenciado aos 30 DAP. A cultura do pinhão manso demonstra sensibilidade aos níveis de salinidade da água acima de 1,6 dS m-1.

Soil salinity reduces the absorption of water by plants, consequently their growth and production. Aiming to evaluate the growth of the physic nut as a function of irrigation with saline water during the third year of growth, an experiment was conducted in a protected environment, adopting a randomized block with a 5 x 2 factorial design consisting of five levels of electrical conductivity of the water used for irrigation - ECw (0.6; 1.2; 1.8; 2.4 and 3.0 dS m-1) and two levels of P2O5 per year (135 and 200 g per plant) and four replications. Plants were cultivated in pots of 200 L and irrigated at intervals of three days. The increase of ECw, starting from the 30th day after pruning (DAP), caused significant reduction in the variables: stem diameter, leaf number and leaf area. The leaf area and number were most affected and therefore are the best indicators to express the effects of water salinity on the physic nut. The salinity of the irrigation water interferes negatively in dry-matter accumulation in the leaves, and the mean water consumption of the physic nut is reduced by about 60% when irrigated with water with the highest ECw in relation to the lowest. Leaf area was the only growth variable influenced by phosphorus levels in the three evaluations, where leaf number was influenced at 30 DAP. This physic nut crop demonstrates sensitivity at water salinity levels above 1.6 dS m-1.

Considerando a importância do girassol (Helianthus annuus L.) como fonte potencial de energia renovável e a carência de resultados de pesquisas relativos a seu cultivo, avaliaram-se com este trabalho variáveis de crescimento e de floração do girassol cv. Embrapa 122/V-2000 sob diferentes níveis de salinidade da água de irrigação (CEa) e doses de adubação nitrogenada, em experimento conduzido em ambiente protegido da UFCG, entre julho e outubro de 2009. Usou-se a aleatorização em bloco, testando 5 níveis de salinidade da água de irrigação (0,5 - controle; 1,6; 2,7; 3,8 e 4,9 dS m-1) e 4 doses de adubação nitrogenada (50; 75; 100 e 125% da dose indicada para ensaio em vaso), em esquema fatorial 5 x 4, com 3 repetições. O aumento da CEa a partir de 0,5 dS m-1 promoveu redução na altura de planta, no diâmetro caulinar, na fitomassa seca da parte aérea, e nos diâmetros externo e interno do capítulo, além de retardar o início do florescimento das plantas. O diâmetro interno do capítulo, por ter sido a variável mais afetada pela salinidade, com redução linear de 7,6% por aumento unitário da CEa (dS m-1), é a que melhor expressa os efeitos da salinidade da água sobre o girassol. Doses de nitrogênio variando de 0,46 a 0,64 g kg-1 de solo não promoveram efeito significativo sobre as variáveis estudadas de crescimento e floração do girassol cv. Embrapa 122/V-2000.

Considering the importance of the sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) as a potential source of renewable energy and the lack of information regarding its cultivation. In this study the growth variables and flowering of sunflower cv. Embrapa 122/V-2000 were evaluated under different levels of salinity of irrigation water (ECw) and doses of nitrogen. The experiment was conducted in protected environment at UFCG, between July and October 2009. Randomized block design was used to test 5 levels of salinity of irrigation water - ECw (0.5 - control, 1.6; 2.7; 3.8 and 4.9 dS m-1) and 4 doses of nitrogen (50; 75; 100 and 125% of nitrogen recommended for pot experiment) in 5 x 4 factorial scheme, with 3 replications. The increase of ECw from 0.5 dS m-1 promoted reduction in plant height, stem diameter, dry biomass of aerial parts, external and internal diameter of head, in addition to delay in flowering of plants. The internal diameter of head was most affected by salinity with a linear reduction of 7.6% for unit increase of ECw (dS m-1) and is the variable which best expresses the effects of water salinity on the sunflower. Nitrogen doses ranging from 0.46 to 0.64 g kg-1 of soil did not affect significantly the studied variables' of growth and flowering of sunflower cv. Embrapa 122/V-2000.