Physiological adjustments, fiber yield and quality of colored cotton BRS Topázio cultivar under leaf silicon spraying

ABSTRACT Abiotic stresses reduce the yield and quality of cotton production, however, this problem may be mitigated by exogenous elicitors. This study investigated physiological adjustments, improvement in productivity, and fiber yield and quality from naturally colored cotton BRS Topázio cultivar under leaf silicon spraying. Five doses of silicon (0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg L-1) were tested in a completely randomized design. The variables assessed were physiological, production, fiber yield and quality. Data were submitted to principal component analysis, multivariate and univariate variance, and multiple linear regression. Silicon promotes physiological adjustments, increased production, cotton fiber yield and quality. Optimum silicon dose varies depending on the variable response. Fiber quality from plants treated with silicon is within the expected pattern for this cultivar and the international standard D-4605 of the American Society for Testing and Materials. Therefore, planting BRS Topázio cultivar under silicon foliar applications may be recommended to improve the naturally colored fiber cotton production chain in the Brazilian semiarid region.