Sme. Satti et al., EFFECTS OF SALINE NUTRIENT SOLUTIONS ON THE GROWTH AND ACCUMULATION OF MINERAL ELEMENTS IN SOME TOMATO CULTIVARS, Communications in soil science and plant analysis, 26(13-14), 1995, pp. 2097-2106
Tomato cultivars were grown in a saline nutrient culture system to inv
estigate growth and fruiting responses in relation to the application
of 3 mM potassium (K), 1.5 mM phosphorus (P), and 10 mM calcium (Ca).
The deleterious effects of salinity on tomato stem growth and fruit yi
eld were ameliorated following the addition of K, P, and Ca to the nut
rient solution. Potassium levels in tomato leaves were increased 4-fol
d compared to control plants in the presence of applied K. The use of
K resulted in an increase in Na content, however, a comparatively low
level of sodium (Na) was obtained in treatments receiving K, Ca, and P
. Calcium content was greater than sufficiency levels in all treatment
s, whereas magnesium (Mg) declined with the increase in salinity. The
amount of P in tomato leaves was increased 4-5 fold when the nutrient
solution was supplemented with 1.5 mM P. Correlation of vegetative par
ameters, such as stem height and leaf growth to salinity, revealed no
significant responses, however commercial parameters such as total sol
uble solids and fruit weight correlated significantly with the saline
nutrient treatments.