ABSTRACT
Forage production in the Brazilian semiarid region is limited due to water quantity and quality variation, and the soils of the region. In this context an experiment was conducted at the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid - UFERSA in Mossoró-RN. The experimental design consisted of a completely randomized, factorial 2 x 3 with three replications. The treatments resulted from the combination of two types of soils and three levels of salinity of the irrigation water. The types of soil were Alfisol Red Yellow Eutrophic (PVAe) and Ta Eutrophic Cambisol (CXve), while the salinity levels were A1 - 0.59; A2 - 2.75 and A3 - 5.00 dS m-1. The crops used in the experiment were maize and sorghum. The variables analysed at the end of the experiment were: leaf area, dry matter and crude protein content. The crop response to salinity is dependent on the physical characteristics of the soil, being more tolerant in soil with lower clay content. The mixture of saline waters allows a satisfactory forage production without reducing the protein content. The mixture of water to obtain electrical conductivity of 2.75 dS m-1 allows 43.3% savings in water of good quality, with a loss of approximately 22% in biomass production.
Key words:
Zea mays; Sorghum bicolor L. Moench; water resources; salinization