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

Kaynakça

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