Modification of the response of saline stressed tomato plants by the correction of cation disorders

The interactions between NaCl and other major nutrients have been generally observed in plants. Decreases of nutrient uptake under saline conditions normally appear in tomato plants grown under saline conditions. In this work, the effect of increased external Ca, K and Mg concentrations under saline conditions has been investigated. Tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum, Mill) were grown in a greenhouse, in 120 L capacity containers, filled with continuously aerated Hoagland nutrient solution. Treatments were added to observe the combined effect of two NaCl levels (30 and 60 mM) and three levels of Ca, K and Mg (in mM ratios of 4:6:1, 7:9:2 and 10:12:3; treatments C-1, C-2 and C-3 respectively) on growth, fruit yield and water relations. Saline treatments decreased the growth, which was partly restored with the C-2 treatment and totally with the C-3 treatment. A good association was observed between the electric conductivity of the medium and the water or osmotic potential of the leaves, independent of the type of treatment (salinity or cation ratio). Salinity at 30 and 60 mM NaCl reduced the fruit yield compared with that obtained at 0 mM NaCl. However, there was an increase, as a consequence of the application of treatments C-2 and C-3, in each saline treatment. At a high salinity level (60 mM), the ratios Na/K, Na/Ca and Na/Mg in young leaves decreased as a consequence of cation treatments. Higher concentrations of sugars in leaves and fruits were obtained after increasing the salinity and cation concentrations. Also, sucrose phosphate synthase activity in leaves and fruits was increased after the treatments, but there was no measurable invertase activity in fruits. Therefore, the concentrations of Ca, K and Mg in the nutrient solution could be important factors in the hydroponic culture of tomato grown under saline conditions.