The need to diversify agricultural production has fostered the cultivation of several crops under environmental conditions atypical to their origin, justifying the extreme importance of studies on the agricultural management of crops in semiarid regions. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of irrigation depth and potassium doses on fig quality under semiarid conditions. The experiment was conducted in a 4 × 4 split-split-plot design, in randomized block design, with three replicates. The plots corresponded to four irrigation levels (50%, 75%, 100%, and 125% ETc), the subplots consisted of four potassium doses (0, 60, 120, and 240 g K₂O plant⁻¹), and the sub-subplot corresponded to the crop years (2018/19 and 2019/20). Results showed that water deficit reduced fig productivity, and the irrigation levels equal to or greater than 100% ETc performed cumulatively throughout the growing cycles. Therefore, irrigation depths from 85.19% to 95.16% ETc are recommended for greater water-use efficiency and fruit quality. Furthermore, potassium fertilization mitigated water stress in fig plants, allowing for reduced irrigation levels, especially in the second year, without compromising fruit traits.

Fig (Ficus carica L.) is widely accepted due to its organoleptic and pharmacological properties. Search for innovations to improve the crop management has increased to reduce environmental impacts and improve the organoleptic quality and food safety of the fruits. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of fertilization methods and plant training systems on the production and physicochemical traits of fig. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design in a 5 × 4 factorial scheme, with three blocks and three plants per plot. The factors corresponded to five fertilizers (chemical, cattle manure, sheep manure, poultry litter, and organic compost) and four training systems (two branches, three branches, four branches, and espalier). Results showed that, when using chemical fertilizer and poultry litter, plants showed similar productivity and number of fruits, which had similar firmness, length, and peel color (L and °h). The highest production and number of immature fruits were obtained using cattle manure. Soluble solids content and soluble solids content/ titratable acidity ratio were higher in fruits from plants fertilized with cattle manure, sheep manure, and organic compost. On the other hand, plants trained with three and four branches or in espalier produced fruits with the highest soluble solids content and weight. Also, heavier fruits were obtained using chemical fertilization and conducting plants with two, three, and four branches.

Bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) are of great importance and have high productive potential in Brazil, especially in the Northeast region; however, their production is limited due to salinity problems in water and soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate sources and methods of calcium application for mitigating salt stress in bell pepper plants grown in a substrate-based hydroponic system. The experiment was conducted using a split-plot design in a 2 × 2 × 3 layout with four replicates, consisting of two application methods (substrate and spray), two ECiw levels (0.5 and 5.0 dS m⁻¹), and three calcium sources (no calcium—NCa; calcium nitrate—Ca(NO₃)₂; calcium complexed with amino acids—Ca-AA). Forty-two days after transplanting, gas exchange analysis, chlorophyll a, b, and total chlorophyll indices, chlorophyll fluorescence, fruit number and weight, and yield per plant were measured. Ca-AA showed higher photosystem II efficiency when applied via the substrate and higher stomatal conductance (28.10%), resulted in higher fruit yield compared to the other treatments, and contributed to a reduction in apical rot. Meanwhile, the application of Ca(NO₃)₂ improved electron transport in photosystem II by 5.46%, gas exchange, and increased chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll indices by 29.62% and 10.93%, respectively. It is concluded that the application of Ca sources, especially Ca-AA, has the potential to mitigate the effects of salt stress on bell pepper plants in a substrate-based hydroponic system, improving their photosynthetic and productive performance.

Pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) is an exotic fruit species of significant economic importance. However, due to genetic variability, its exploitation is hampered by the lack of homogeneous fruit production. In this scenario, this study aimed to select pitanga genotypes according to the physical and physicochemical parameters of fruits grown under semi-arid conditions. The study was developed at the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid Region with genotypes resulting from the open pollination of the pitanga variety ‘Tropicana”. Thirty-nine pitanga genotypes were evaluated for fruit mass, fruit length, fruit diameter, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid (AA), pH, and SS/TA ratio. The pitanga genotypes showed high variability. The clustering method separated the genotypes according to desirable traits. Genotype A12 showed the largest fruit sizes, whereas genotype A8 showed the highest SS and TA contents. Genotypes A2, A13, A34, and A39 showed fruits with the highest AT values. On the other hand, genotypes A11, A16, A45, A9, A26, and A44 showed the most significant contents of pH and SS/TA. Highlights The grouping of two genotypes depends on the environmental conditions, mainly on the effect of two genotypes per year. The analysis of principal components allows selecting the genotypes based on their desired characteristics. The physical and chemical composition of two pitanga fruits are affected by climatic conditions, genotypes and years of cultivation.

In semi-arid regions, water scarcity restricts the expansion of industrial forestry, reinforcing the need for alternative and sustainable irrigation source