THE ADAPTIVE POTENTIAL OF TOMATO TRANSGENIC PLANTS (L. ESCULENTUM) TO DROUGHT AND SALTY CONDITIONS IN THE GREENHOUSE

          The use of transgenic plants for practical purposes requires careful studies of their physiological and biochemical proprieties, including their ability to adapt to disadvantage conditions. Different tomato genotypes, ‘Moneymaker’, transgenic plants ‘Moneymaker’ with Ds-element of corn integrated into chromosome 4 - ‘TDS-10’, and with the same Ds-element integrated into chromosome 11 – ‘TDS-14’ and mutant form ‘Mo-628’, were grown in unheated greenhouse under natural temperature and illumination in containers filled with soil-turf mixture. Control plants were grown during experiment under optimal conditions of water supply (70-80% of maximal water content). Other plants were subjected to progressive drought (during 14 days) or increasing soil salinity using NaCl (during 10 days). Under optimal conditions, plants in activity of growth, accumulation of dry matter, chlorophyll content and water-keeping ability were exceeded the standard over 20-40%. The values of these factors of the plants of polygenic mutant ‘Mo-628’ were made part not more than 50% of standard. Increasing water stress, the growth and the area of leaves at each node in transgenic plants were rapidly shorten in comparison with control plants (50-60%), of mutant – 75%, at the same time the decrease of growth of plants of ‘Moneymaker’ under water stress was confirmed 25%. Under drought, the net assimilation rate of transgenic plants was 30-40% of its value under normal conditions (this factor of standard ‘Moneymaker’ was 70%). Increasing soil salinity, the transgenic plants reduced leaf area about 70%, while the standard plants increased leaf area under salty conditions. The low germination on salty solutions of dry seeds from transgenic plants confirmed their low resistance to salinity.

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