The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of irrigation with saline water on the germination of Gliricidia sepium seeds linked to the effect of organic matter supplementation to mitigate recurrent effects of high salt content in water. The experiment was conducted under a completely randomized statistical design in a 5 x 2 factorial treatment design, with five different irrigation water electric conductivities ECw (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 dS m-1) and two organic matter supplementations (no-organic matter and organic matter supplementation), using five replicates. The experiment was carried out under tape knitted shade cloth, shading rate of 50%. Variables of average germination time (days), relative germination frequency (%) and informational entropy (bits) were analyzed. The increase in the irrigation water salinity caused a longer time needed for the Gliricidia sepium seeds to germinate, however, the use of organic matter performed as a mitigating factor for the effects caused by the high salt content in the irrigation water when a high frequency of germination was observed in shorter times.

Heat stress is one of the main factors limiting the efficiency and sustainability of dairy production in tropical and subtropical regions, impairing animal welfare, as well as productive and reproductive performance. Among mitigation technologies, evaporative cooling stands out as a widely adopted strategy in intensive production systems. However, there are still no consolidated metrics capable of quantifying, in a comparative and regionalized manner, the theoretical potential for using this technique under different climatic conditions. In this context, the objective of this study was to develop an innovative modeling-based metric to estimate the potential for evaporative cooling based on thermal environment indices and heat transfer principles. Sixteen-year time series of hourly meteorological data from three Brazilian municipalities located in major dairy-producing regions [Uberlândia (MG), Luziânia (GO), and Uruguaiana (RS)], encompassing representative tropical and subtropical conditions, were used to calculate the Temperature–Humidity Index (THI) and to develop the metric termed Radiant Heat Load Reduction under Evaporative Cooling (ΔRHL). Based on the results obtained, THI values were found to frequently exceed the thermal comfort thresholds between September and April, corresponding to the warmest period of the year in Brazil. However, the relationship between the intensity of heat stress and the theoretical potential for evaporative cooling varied significantly among the locations, indicating that the potential efficiency of evaporative cooling is strongly dependent on regional climatic conditions and is more consistent in subtropical environments. It is concluded that the proposed metric constitutes an innovative tool for the spatial and temporal quantification of the potential efficiency of evaporative cooling, with applicability in decision support and in the planning of thermal mitigation strategies in intensive dairy production systems.