Effects of NaCl salinity and CO2 enrichment on pepino (Solanum muricatum Ait.) - I. Growth and yield

One-month old, rooted, semi-hardwood cutting plants of pepino cv. Xotus in sand-potted culture were treated with 200 mi Hoagland nutrient solution wit h or without additional 25 mM NaCl twice a week for 2 months, and exposed t o 350 +/- 10, 700 +/- 10 or 1050 +/- 10 ppm CO2 in controlled environment c hambers during the last month of the experiment. NaCl salinity in the rhizo sphere reduced growth of all the organs, but raised stem dry weight ratio a nd root dry weight ratio. In contrast, atmospheric CO2 enrichment increased plant and fruit growth. Leaf dry weight ratio and fruit dry weight ratio r ose, but stem dry weight ratio and root dry weight Patio decreased at high CO2 levels. Daily expansion rate of leaf area, growth rate of side-shoot le ngth, rate of plant dry mass production, and increased rate of fresh fruit weight decreased due to NaCl stress, but increased with CO2 enrichment. Sid e-shoot diameter rose, whereas specific leaf area, leaf area ratio, and sid e-shoot dry weight ratio declined under both NaCl-stressed and CO2-enriched conditions. In comparison with the 350 ppm CO2 treatment without NaCl sali nity in the rhizosphere, net assimilation rate and relative growth rate of plants were reduced by 8-13% and 16-32% due to NaCl salinity, and enhanced by 22-23% and 42-64% at 700 ppm CO2, and by 36-44% and 64-101% at 1050 pm C O2, respectively. The simultaneous treatments of NaCl salinity and high CO2 resulted in indefinite effects on vegetative and reproductive growth as we ll as on dry mass production of different plant organs. Nevertheless, the n egative impacts of NaCl stress on plant growth and fruit yield diminished a t high CO2 levels. Atmospheric CO2 enrichment increased the tolerance of pe pino to NaCl salinity in the root medium. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. Al l rights reserved.