SALINITY AND MINERAL-NUTRITION EFFECTS ON GROWTH AND ACCUMULATION OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC-IONS IN 2 CULTIVATED TOMATO VARIETIES

A trial was conducted on the effect of salinity and method of fertilizer application on two varieties of cultivated tomato, i.e. VF 145 and Edkawi. Salinity ranged from 0.52 to 11 dS/m, and fertilizer was applied by either broadcasting in small doses or added with irrigation water. Weight of shoots, fruit yield, and sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), chloride (Cl), free proline contents in both developing and mature leaves, and total soluble salts and ascorbic acid contents in fruits were taken as evaluating criteria. Salinity depressed both growth and fruit yield, and simultaneously increased ion concentration in plant leaves. Sodium and Cl accumulated with salinity, being greater in mature leaves, while proline accumulation in developing leaves was much higher than in mature leaves. Total soluble salts and ascorbic acid were not affected. Liquid fertilization resulted in higher fruit yields than that obtained with the solid fertilizer treatments as well as better alleviating the depressive effects of salinity on plant growth and yield, especially at the lower salinity level where it was more beneficial to fruit yield. The VF 145 tomato variety was found a bit more sensitive to salinity than the Edkawi variety, and was affected differently by salinity, regarding both the yield and the pattern of organic and inorganic ion accumulation. Our results suggest that there exists a physiological mechanism that is involved in the salt tolerance difference observed between the two varieties that needs to be investigated.