Fig tree growth and development are highly susceptible to variations influenced by abiotic factors and management practices, including fertilization and training systems. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of organic and mineral fertilization on the photosynthetic, nutritional, and productive efficiency of fig trees subjected to different training systems in semi-arid regions. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a 5 × 4 factorial scheme, with three blocks and three plants per plot. The treatments consisted of five fertilizer sources (mineral fertilizer (NPK) applied at a dose of 126 g N, 90 g P, and 90 g K per plant (M); and four organic sources—cattle manure (CM), organic compost (OC), chicken litter (CL), and sheep manure (SM), all applied at a dose of 10 kg per plant); and four types of training systems (plants with two branches (2B), three branches (3B), four branches (4B), and espalier). Our results demonstrated that the mineral fertilizer (M) and chicken litter (CL) treatments yielded the highest results, particularly in photosynthetic performance. Fig trees fertilized with mineral fertilizer and subjected to the 3B system showed enhanced net photosynthesis (36.96 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹) and, consequently, higher productivity of 21.28 t ha⁻¹. Similarly, plants fertilized with chicken litter (CL) under the 4B system produced comparable results. These findings demonstrate that the use of mineral and organic fertilizers, combined with an appropriate training system, is a viable strategy for optimizing fig productivity and profitability in semi-arid conditions.

Ainda é rara a literatura que tenta mitigar a sodicidade do solo com resíduos sólidos ricos em cálcio. Este estudo objetivou, pois, corrigir a sodicidade do solo com resíduos sólidos urbanos ricos em cálcio, bem como avaliar o crescimento de plantas de arroz em solo tratado com pó de placas-de-gesso. Um Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico, com problemas de sodicidade, foi coletado no perímetro irrigado de Lagoa do Barro (Araripina, Pernambuco, Brasil), e tamisado. Resíduos sólidos foram também secos, finamente triturados e peneirados. Ensaio preliminar foi conduzido em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, em rearranjo fatorial 8x6: oito doses e seis corretivos químicos em quatro repetições. Condutividade elétrica (CE), pH e saturação por sódio (%Na) do solo foram avaliados após a lavagem do solo com 100 mL de água destilada. Em outro experimento, em que os tratamentos consistiram de doses de placas-de-gesso, indicadores de crescimento e macronutrientes foram avaliados em plantas de arroz que haviam sido cultivadas em condições de campo por até 42 dias após a germinação. Ao contrário da casca-de-ovo e da dose 0 kg ha-1, que turvaram seus lixiviados, todos os demais resíduos elevaram a CE, reduziram o pH e a %Na, e desenturvaram o lixiviado. Doses 15.722, 20.000 e 28.000 kg ha-1 de placas-de-gesso incrementaram indicadores de crescimento e macronutrientes em plantas de arroz. Estes resultados indicam que resíduos de gesso e casca-de-ovo corrigem a sodicidade do solo, em especial quando combinados com resíduos de poda urbanos de Pau-Brasil, favorecendo o crescimento de plantas de arroz.

High air temperatures and intense solar radiation in semi-arid regions may impose thermal and photooxidative challenges on cacti. This study evaluated the physiological responses of white-fleshed (Hylocereus undatus) and red-fleshed (Hylocereus costaricensis) pitaya to foliar application of calcium sources and sunscreens. The experiment used a randomized block design (4 × 2 factorial) and tested four strategies (control, SunGard^®, calcium silicate, and Bordeaux mixture) on the two pitaya species. In red-fleshed pitaya, Bordeaux mixture was associated with the highest contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids, with increases of approximately 101.3%, 114.4%, 108.3%, and 99.4%, respectively, relative to the control, while reducing energy dissipation (DI₀/RC = 0.42) and increasing the photosynthetic performance index (PIabs) by 62.0%. In contrast, white pitaya showed a marked increase in the quantum yield of dissipation (φD₀) and DI₀/RC (1.53 with Bordeaux mixture), indicating treatment-dependent changes in excitation-energy partitioning. Maximum photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) remained high in both species (approx. 0.81–0.84) under calcium silicate and SunGard^® treatments. Foliar mineral formulations modified photosynthetic pigment contents and fluorescence responses in a species-dependent manner under semi-arid field conditions; the observed changes do not, by themselves, establish increased thermotolerance. Overall, the foliar formulations elicited distinct species-dependent responses in pigment accumulation, energy dissipation, and PSII photochemical performance under the recorded semi-arid field conditions.