Production and fruit quality of Italian zucchini under brackish water irrigation strategies

Semi-arid regions are subject to irregular rainfall distribution, leading to long periods of drought. Therefore, the only way to achieve and ensure production is through irrigation. However, in these regions, brackish water is predominant, requiring the adoption of irrigation strategies for better utilization. In this context, the objective of present study was to evaluate the production and fruit quality of Italian zucchini subjected to brackish water irrigation strategies during phenological stages. A completely randomized design with five treatments was used: S1 = low-salinity water (0.8 dS m) throughout the crop cycle; S2 = high-salinity water (3.0 dS m) only during germination and growth stages (0-11 DAS); S3 = high-salinity water (3.0 dS m) only during the pre-flowering stage (12-22 DAS); S4 = high-salinity water (3.0 dS m) only during the fruiting stage (23-42 DAS); S5 = high-salinity water (3.0 dS m) only during the harvesting stage (43-63 DAS), with eight replications. Irrigation with brackish water (3.0 dS m) during the pre-flowering and fruiting stages negatively affects the length and diameter of Italian zucchini fruits. The average fruit mass, skin thickness, production, and water use efficiency are reduced when zucchini plants were irrigated with water of higher electrical conductivity during the germination and initial growth stages, while the soluble solids content is increased. Under conditions of high salinity, it is possible to irrigate zucchini crop without loss of fruit quality and production throughout the harvesting stage.