A. Torrecillas et al., OSMOTIC ADJUSTMENT IN LEAVES OF LYCOPERSICON-ESCULENTUM AND L-PENNELLII IN RESPONSE TO SALINE WATER IRRIGATION, Biologia plantarum, 36(2), 1994, pp. 247-254
Two tomato species (Lycopersicon esculentum and L. pennellii) were gro
wn under unheated plastic greenhouse and irrigated with 0 or 140 mM Na
Cl. Salinity induces a more important reduction in predawn leaf water
potential (PSI(pd)) in L. esculentum than in L. pennellii. In both spe
cies the osmotic adjustment was achieved by active solute accumulation
. The leaf water potential at turgor loss point (PSI(tlp)) seemed to b
e controlled by leaf osmotic potential (PSI(os)). The results revealed
the existence of limits to the accumulation of osmotic solutes in lea
f tissues and the existence of an ontogenetic effect on the solute acc
umulation. In both species, but essentially in L. pennellii the inorga
nic solutes contribution especially Na+ and Cl- accumulation to PSI(os
) was higher than the organic solutes. Therefore, wild species save en
ergy more markedly.