ISHS Acta Horticulturae 537: III International Symposium on Irrigation of Horticultural Crops
AGRONOMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF SALINITY STRESS ON A FIELD-GROWN TOMATO CROP |
| Authors: | S. Delfine, A. Alvino, M.C. Villani, G. Santarelli, F. Loreto, M. Centritto |
| Keywords: | Salt, growth, radiation absorption, photosynthetic rate, Rubisco activity |
| Abstract:
Horticultural plants in the Mediterranean ambient are often exposed to salt stress which causes limitation of stomatal and mesophyll CO2 conductance and reduces CO2 concentration in the leaf. Field-grown tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum, cv. Pachino) were grown in salt stress conditions by drip irrigating plant rows with water containing 1% (weight/volume) of commercial salt. Irrigation was given daily to restore the evapotranspirated losses. A replication was shaded with a white net to reduce by about 30% the incident solar radiation. Shading reduced the transpiration rate and, consequently, decreased the leaf and fruit sodium uptake in salt-treated plants. Because of the low salt uptake, leaf photosynthesis, stomatal and mesophyll conductance and Rubisco activity of shaded and salt-treated leaves was higher than in the non-shaded and salt-stressed leaves but still lower than in shaded or non-shaded controls. Shading may allow the use of water with moderate salt concentrations to irrigate tomato crops with limited and generally negligible consequences on plant physiology. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
