ABSTRACT
The use of saline water for irrigation is a challenge for researchers and farmers, being fundamental to develop new strategies for irrigation management using these waters. Treatments consisted of six strategies of saline water application (T1-low salinity water (S1-0.5 dS m-1) during entire cycle; T2-saline water (S2-3.5 dS m-1) during entire cycle; T3-S1 and S2 during entire cycle; T4-S1 and S2, with root system divided by a plastic filter; T5-S1 and S2, with root system division and alternance of S1 and S2 each 15 days; T6-S1 e S2, without root system division, with water alternance every 15 days). Five harvests were carried out and plants were sampled 100 days after transplanting for evaluation of the following variables: number of leaves, leaf area, height, stem diameter, dry mass, number of fruits, mean mass of fruits and fruit yield. Most variables were affected by irrigation water salinity. The higher fruit yield was obtained using low salinity water and when waters were mixed and alternated each fifteen days, which demonstrates the viability of these techniques.
Key words:
Lycopersicon esculentum L.; salt stress; dividing the root system