Effects of Salinity Stress on Some Growth and Pysiological Parameters and Macronutrient Content of Tomato Plants Grown in Soilless Culture

Abstract

The tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) is one of the most commonly grown vegetable crops and is moderately sensitive to salinity during the growth and development period. This study investigated the changes in growth, macronutrients and photosynthetic pigments in tomato plants grown in soilless culture under different salinity levels. One thousand five hundred grammes (1500 g) of substrate (2:1 peat: perlite (v/v) mixture) was added to each 3-litre pot. A tomato seedling (Kardelen F1 variety) was planted in each pot. In the experiment, sodium chloride (NaCl) was added to the nutrient solution at increasing concentrations [0 (T0), 14.4 mM (T1), 44.4 mM (T2) and 70.4 mM (T3)]. Increasing the NaCl concentration in the nutrient solution significantly reduced the number of leaves and the dry weight of the roots. However, the effect of NaCl addition on plant height, stem diameter, stem and leaf dry weight was found to be insignificant. Conversely, it was observed that an increase in the NaCl concentration in the nutrient solution had a significant effect on the content of photosynthetic pigments in the leaves of the tomato plants. The addition of NaCl to the nutrient solution at T2 level significantly increased the chlorophyll-b, total chlorophyll and carotenoid content in the leaf compared to the control (T0). With increasing NaCl concentration in the nutrient solution, N and P in the leaf increased, while K, Ca, Mg and S decreased. Furthermore, post-harvest leaf analysis revealed that the addition of NaCl to the nutrient solution did not result in deficiencies of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S in the leaves. In order to increase the adaptation of tomato plants to salinity stress, controlled NaCl applications in nutrient solutions and effective macronutrient management strategies should be developed.

Keywords

• Tomato
• soilless culture
• salt stress
• macronutrients
• photosynthetic pigments

Tuzluluk Stresinin Topraksız Kültürde Yetiştirilen Domates Bitkisinde Bazı Gelişme ve Fizyolojik Parametreleri ile Makro Bitki Besin Elementi Kapsamına Etkileri

Öz

Domates (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) yaygın bir şekilde yetiştirilen sebze ürünlerinden biri olup, büyüme ve gelişme dönemi boyunca tuzluluğa orta derecede duyarlı bir bitkidir. Bu çalışmada, topraksız kültürde farklı tuz seviyelerinde yetiştirilen domates bitkisinde gelişmenin, makrobesin kapsamının ve fotosentetik pigmentlerin değişimi incelenmiştir. Denemede 2:1 torf: perlit (v/v) karışımından her saksı için 1500 gram alınıp 3 litrelik saksılara konulmuştur. Her saksıya bir domates fidesi dikilmiştir. Denemede besin solüsyonuna sodyum klorür (NaCl) artan konsantrasyonlarda [0 (T0), 14.4 mM (T1), 44.4 mM (T2) ve 70.4 mM (T3)] ilave edilmiştir. Besin çözeltisinde artan NaCl konsantrasyonu yaprak sayısını ve kök kuru ağırlığını önemli derecede azaltmıştır. Fakat bitki boyuna, gövde çapına, gövde ve yaprak kuru ağırlığına NaCl ilavesinin etkisi önemsiz bulunmuştur. Bununla birlikte, besin çözeltisindeki NaCl konsantrasyonundaki artışın, domates bitkisi yaprağında fotosentetik pigmentler üzerine etkisi anlamlı bulunmuştur. Besin çözeltisine T2 düzeyinde NaCl ilavesi kontrole (T0) göre yaprakta klorofil-b, toplam klorofil ve karotenoid kapsamını önemli derecede arttırmıştır. Besin çözeltisinde NaCl konsantrasyonu arttıkça yaprakta N ve P kapsamı artış gösterirken; K, Ca, Mg ve S kapsamı azalma göstermiştir. Ayrıca besin çözeltine NaCl ilavesi hasat sonu yaprak analizlerine göre yaprakta N, P, K, Ca, Mg ve S noksanlıklarına sebebiyet vermemiştir. Domates bitkilerinin tuzluluk stresine karşı adaptasyonunu arttırmak amacıyla, besin çözeltilerinde kontrollü NaCl uygulamaları ve etkin makro besin yönetimi stratejileri geliştirilmelidir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Domates
• topraksız kültür
• tuz stresi
• makro besin elementi
• fotosentetik pigmentler

References

1. Abdelaziz, M. E., & Abdeldaym, E. A. (2019). Effect of grafting and different EC levels of saline irrigation water on growth, yield and fruit quality of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) in greenhouse. Plant Archives, 19(2), 3021-3027.
2. Achard, P., Renou, J. P., Berthomé, R., Harberd, N. P., & Genschik, P. (2008). Plant DELLAs restrain growth and promote survival of adversity by reducing the levels of reactive oxygen species. Current Biology, 18(9), 656-660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2008.04.034
3. Ahanger, M. A., & Agarwal, R. M. (2017). Salinity stress induced alterations in antioxidant metabolism and nitrogen assimilation in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as influenced by potassium supplementation. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 115, 449-460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2017.04.017
4. Ahanger, M. A., Mir, R. A., Alyemeni, M. N., & Ahmad, P. (2020). Combined effects of brassinosteroid and kinetin mitigates salinity stress in tomato through the modulation of antioxidant and osmolyte metabolism. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 147, 31-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.12.007
5. Akınoğlu, G., Korkmaz, A., Akbudak, N., & Horuz, A. (2021). Domates Bitkisinin Mineral Beslenmesi ve Meyve Kalitesi. (Eds. Akbudak, N., & Korkmaz, A.). Akademisyen Kitabevi A.Ş., ISBN: 978-625-8037-64-7. Ankara/Türkiye.
6. Alpaslan, M., Güneş, A., & Inal, A. (1998). Deneme Tekniği. Ankara Üniversitesi Yayın No: 1501, Ziraat Fakültesi Ders Kitabı: 455, ISBN: 975-482-438-X, p. 437, Ankara.
7. Alzahib, R. H., Migdadi, H. M., Al Ghamdi, A. A., Alwahibi, M. S., Ibrahim, A. A., & Al-Selwey, W. A. (2021). Assessment of morpho-physiological, biochemical and antioxidant responses of tomato landraces to salinity stress. Plants, 10(4), 696. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10040696
8. Arnon, D. (1949). Copper enzymes in isolated chloroplasts. Plant Physiology, 24(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.24.1.1

9. Assimakopoulou, A., Nifakos, K., Salmas, I., & Kalogeropoulos, P. (2015). Growth, ion uptake, and yield responses of three indigenous small-sized greek tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) cultivars and four hybrids of cherry tomato under NaCl salinity stress. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 46, 2357-2377. https://doi.org/10.1080/00103624.2015.1081924
10. Bethke, P. C., & Drew, M. C. (1992). Stomatal and nonstomatal components to inhibition of photosynthesis in leaves of Capsicum annuum during progressive exposure to NaCI salinity. Plant Physiology, 99(1), 219-26. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.99.1.219
11. Bremner, J. M., & Mulvaney, C. S. (1982) “Total nitrogen”, In: A.L. Page, R.H. Miller and D.R. Keeny, (Eds.), Methods of Soil Analysis, American Society of Agronomy and Soil Science Society of America, Madison, pp. 1119-1123.
12. Cannella, D., Möllers, K. B., Frigaard, N. U., Jensen, P. E., Bjerrum, M. J., Johansen, K. S., & Felby, C. (2016). Light-driven oxidation of polysaccharides by photosynthetic pigments and a metalloenzyme. Nature Communication, 7, 11134. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11134
13. Chartzoulakis, K., Loupassaki, M., Bertaki, M., & Androulakis, I. (2002). Effects of NaCl salinity on growth, ion content and CO2 assimilation rate of six olive cultivars. Scientia Horticulturae, 96(1–4), 235-247. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4238(02)00067-5
14. Chen, W., Zou, D., Guo, W., Xu, H., Shi, D., & Yang, C. (2009). Effects of salt stress on growth, photosynthesis and solute accumulation in three poplar cultivars. Photosynthetica, 47(3), 415-421. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-009-0063-y
15. Costan, A., Stamatakis, A., Chrysargyris, A., Petropoulos, S. A., & Tzortzakis, N. (2020). Interactive effects of salinity and silicon application on Solanum lycopersicum growth, physiology and shelf-life of fruit produced hydroponically. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 100, 732–743. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.10076
16. Deinlein, U., Stephan, A. B., Horie, T., Luo, W., Xu, G., & Schroeder, J. I. (2014). Plant salt-tolerance mechanisms. Trends in Plant Science, 19(6), 371-379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2014.02.001
17. Fallah, F., Nokhasi, F., & Ghaheri, M. (2017). Effect of salinity on gene expression, morphological and biochemical characteristics of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni under in vitro conditions. Cellular and Molecular Biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France). 63(7), 102-106. https://doi.org/10.14715/cmb/2017.63.7.17
18. FAO (2011). The state of the world’s land and water resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW)—managing systems at risk. Abingdon: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Earthscan.
19. Flexas, J., Bota, J., Loreto, F., Cornic, G., & Sharkey, T. D. (2004). Diffusive and metabolic limitations to photosynthesis under drought and salinity in C3 plants. Plant Biology (Stuttg), 6(3), 269-279. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2004-820867
20. Flowers, T. J., & Flowers, S. A. (2005). Why does salinity pose such a difficult problem for plant breeders? Agricultural Water Management, 78(1-2), 15-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2005.04.015
21. Giannakoula, A., & Ilias, I. F. (2013). The effect of water stress and salinity on growth and physiology of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mil.). Archives of Biological Sciences, (Beogr), 65(2), 611-620. https://doi.org/10.2298/ABS1302611G
22. Guo, M., Wang, X-S., Guo, H-D., Bai, S-Y., Khan, A., Wang, X-M., Gao, Y-M., & Li, J-S. (2022). Tomato salt tolerance mechanisms and their potential applications for fighting salinity: A review. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 949541. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.949541
23. Higbie, S. M., Wang, F., Stewart, J. M., Sterling, T. M., Lindemann, W. C., Hughs, E., & Zhang, J. (2010). Physiological response to salt (NaCl) stress in selected cultivated tetraploid cottons. International Journal of Agronomy, 12, 643475. https://doi.org/10.1155/2010/643475
24. Hochmuth, G. J., Maynard, D., Vavrina, C., Hanlon, E., & Simonne, E. (2012). “Plant tissue analysis and interpretation for vegetable crops in Florida: HS964/EP081 Rev. 10/2012”. EDIS, 2012(10). Gainesville, FL. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-ep081-2004
25. Horie, T., Karahara, I., & Katsuhara, M. (2012). Salinity tolerance mechanisms in glycophytes: an overview with the central focus on rice plants. Rice, 5, 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/1939-8433-5-11
26. Hossain, M. A., Uddin, M. K., Ismail, M. R., & Ashrafuzzama, M. (2012). Responses of glutamine synthetase-glutamate synthase cycle enzymes in tomato leaves under salinity stress. International Journal of Agriculture & Biology, 14(4), 509-515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2014.12.008
27. Houborg, R., McCabe, M., Cescatti, A., Gao, F., Schull, M., & Gitelson, A. (2015). Joint leaf chlorophyll content and leaf area index retrieval from landsat data using a regularized model inversion system (REGFLEC). Remote Sensing of Environment, 159, 203-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2014.12.008
28. Javeed, H. M. R., Wang, X., Ali, M., Nawaz, F., Qamar, R., Rehman, A., et al.. (2021). Potential utilization of diluted seawater for the cultivation of some summer vegetable crops: physiological and nutritional implications. Agronomy, 11, 1826. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11091826
29. Jiang, Y., Ding, X., Zhang, D., Deng, Q., Yu, C.-L., Zhou, S., & Hui, D. (2017). Soil salinity increases the tolerance of excessive sulfur fumigation stress in tomato plants. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 133, 70-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2016.10.002
30. Kacar, B., & İnal, A. (2008). Bitki Analizleri, Nobel Yayın Dağıtım Ltd. Şti. Yayınları, Yayın No: 1241; Fen Bilimleri: 63, (I. Basım) Ankara.
31. Khan, M. I. R., Asgher, M., & Khan, N. A. (2014). Alleviation of salt-induced photosynthesis and growth inhibition by salicylic acid involves glycinebetaine and ethylene in mungbean (Vigna radiata L.). Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 80, 67-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2014.03.026
32. Korkmaz, A., Karagöl, A., Akınoğlu, G., & Korkmaz, H. (2018). The effects of silicon on nutrient levels and yields of tomatoes under saline stress in artificial medium culture. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 41(1), 123-135. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2017.1381975
33. Liang, W., Ma, X., Wan, P., & Liu, L. (2018). Plant salt-tolerance mechanism: A review. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 495(1), 286-291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.11.043
34. Loudari, A., Benadis, C., Naciri, R., Soulaimani, A., Zeroual, Y., Gharous, M. E., Kalaji, H. M., & Oukarroum, A. (2020). Salt stress affects mineral nutrition in shoots and roots and chlorophyll a fluorescence of tomato plants grown in hydroponic culture. Journal of Plant Interactions, 15(1), 398-405. https://doi.org/10.1080/17429145.2020.1841842
35. Loupassaki, M. H., Chartzoulakis, K. S., Digalaki, N. B., & Androulakis, I. I. (2002). Effects of salt stress on concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium in leaves, shoots, and roots of six olive cultivars. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 25(11), 2457-2482. https://doi.org/10.1081/PLN-120014707
36. Lovelli, S., Scopa, A., Perniola, M., Di Tommaso, T., & Sofo, A. (2012). Abscisic acid root and leaf concentration in relation to biomass partitioning in salinized tomato plants. Journal of Plant Physiology, 169(3), 226-233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2011.09.009
37. Ma, N. L., Che Lah, W. A., & Kadir, A. (2018). Susceptibility and tolerance of rice crop to salt threat: physiological and metabolic inspections. PloS ONE, 13(2), e0192732. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192732
38. Maeda, K., Johkan, M., Tsukagoshi, S., & Maruo, T. (2020). Effect of salinity on photosynthesis and distribution of photosynthates in the Japanese tomato ‘CF momotaro york’ and the Dutch tomato ‘Endeavour’ with low node-order pinching and a highdensity planting system. The Horticulture Journal, 89(4), 454-459. https://doi.org/10.2503/hortj.UTD-167
39. Miller, G., Suzuki, N., Ciftci-Yilmaz, S., & Mittler, R. (2010). Reactive oxygen species homeostasis and signalling during drought and salinity stresses. Plant, Cell & Environment, 33, 453-467. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2009.02041.x
40. Munns, R., & Tester, M. (2008). Mechanisms of salinity tolerance. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 59(1), 651-681. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.arplant.59.032607.092911
41. Nebauer, S. G., Sánchez, M., Martínez, L., Lluch, Y., Renau-Morata, B., & Molina, R. V. (2013). Differences in photosynthetic performance and its correlation with growth among tomato cultivars in response to different salts. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 63, 61-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2012.11.006
42. Paranychianakis, N. V., & Chartzoulakis, K. S. (2005). Irrigation of Mediterranean crops with saline water: From physiology to management practices. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 106(2-3), 171-187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2004.10.006
43. Parvin, K., Uddin, Ahamed, K., Mahbub Islam, M., & Haque, N. (2016). Modulation of ion uptake in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) plants with exogenous application of calcium under salt stress condition. Poljoprivreda, 22(2), 40-49. https://doi.org/10.18047/poljo.22.2.7
44. Prazeres, A. R., Carvalho, F., Rivas, J., Patanita, M., & Dôres, J. (2013). Growth and development of tomato plants Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. under different saline conditions by fertirrigation with pretreated cheese whey wastewater. Water Science & Technology, 67(9), 2033-2041. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2013.085
45. Rivelli, A. R., Lovelli, S., & Perniola, M. (2002). Effects of salinity on gas exchange, water relations and growth of sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Functional Plant Biology, 12(29), 1405-1415. https://doi.org/10.1071/PP01086
46. Rivero, R. M., Mestre, T. C., Mittler, R., Rubio, F., Garcia-Sanchez, F., & Martinez, V. (2014). The combined effect of salinity and heat reveals a specific physiological, biochemical and molecular response in tomato plants. Plant, Cell & Environment, 37(5), 1059-1073. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.12199
47. Robin, A. H. K., Matthew, C., Uddin, M. J., & Bayazid, K. N. (2016). Salinity induced reduction in root surface area and changes in major root and shoot traits at the phytomer level in wheat. Journal of Experimental Botany, 67(12), 3719-3729. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erw064
48. Roșca, M., Mihalache, G., & Stoleru, V. (2023). Tomato responses to salinity stress: From morphological traits to genetic changes. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 1118383. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1118383
49. Rothan, C., Diouf, I., & Causse, M. (2019). Trait discovery and editing in tomato. The Plant Journal, 97, 73-90. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14152
50. Sánchez, A., Membrives, J., Valenzuela, J. L., & Guzmán, M. (2012). Effects of saline stress and Ca2+/K+ interaction on biomass and mineral contents of tomato. Acta Horticulturae, 932, 345-350. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.932.50
51. Saneoka, H., Ishiguro, S., & Moghaieb, E. (2001). Effect of salinity and abscisic acid on accumulation of glycinebetaine and betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase mRNA in sorghum leaves (Sorghum bicolor). Journal of Plant Physiology, 158, 853-859. https://doi.org/10.1078/0176-1617-00058
52. Shah, S. H., Houborg, R., & McCabe, M. F. (2017). Response of chlorophyll, carotenoid and SPAD-502 measurement to salinity and nutrient stress in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Agronomy, 7(3), 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy7030061
53. Shahriaripour, R., Pour, A. T., & Mozaffari, V. (2011). Effects of salinity and soil phosphorus application on growth and chemical composition of pistachio seedlings. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 42(2), 144-158. https://doi.org/10.1080/00103624.2011.535065
54. Short, D. C., & Colmer, T. D. (1999). Salt tolerance in the Halophyte Halosarcia pergranulata subsp. pergranulata. Annals of Botany, 83(3), 207-213. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbo.1998.0812
55. Singh, M., Singh, V. P., & Prasad, S. M. (2016). Responses of photosynthesis, nitrogen and proline metabolism to salinity stress in Solanum lycopersicum under different levels of nitrogen supplementation. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 109, 72-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2016.08.021
56. Soltabayeva, A., Ongaltay, A., Omondi, J. O., & Srivastava, S. (2021). Morphological, physiological and molecular markers for salt-stressed plants. Plants, 10, 243. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10020243
57. Stefanov, M., Yotsova, E., Rashkov, G., Ivanova, K., Markovska, Y., & Apostolova, E. L. (2016). Effects of salinity on the photosynthetic apparatus of two Paulownia lines. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 101, 54-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2016.01.017
58. Suwa, R., Nguyen, N. T., Saneoka, H., Moghaieb, R., & Fujita, K. (2006). Effect of salinity stress on photosynthesis and vegetative sink in tobacco plants. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 52(2), 243-250. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-0765.2006.00024.x
59. Taheri, S., Sar, S. S., Masoudian, N., Ebadi, M., & Roudi, B. (2020). Molecular and biochemical protective roles of sodium nitroprusside in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) under salt stress. Iranian Journal of Plant Physiology, 11, 3465-3472. https://doi.org/10.30495/ijpp.2020.677270
60. van Zelm, E., Zhang, Y., & Testerink, C. (2020). Salt tolerance mechanisms of plants. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 71, 403-433. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-arplant-050718-100005
61. Witham, F. H., Blaydes, D. F., & Devlin, R. M. (1971). Experiments in plant physiology. Van Nostrend Reinhold Company, New York.
62. Xie, Y. J., Xu, S., Han, B., Wu, M. Z., Yuan, X. X., Han, Y., Gu, Q., Xu, D. K., Yang, Q., & Shen, W. B. (2011). Evidence of Arabidopsis salt acclimation induced by up-regulation of HY1 and the regulatory role of RbohD-derived reactive oxygen species synthesis. The Plant Journal, 66, 280-229. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2011.04488.x
63. Zhao, C., Zhang, H., Song, C., Zhu, J. K., & Shabala, S. (2020). Mechanisms of plant responses and adaptation to soil salinity. The Innovation, 1(1). https://doi.org/100017. 10.1016/j.xinn.2020.100017