Effects of NaCl-Salinity on Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) Plants in a Pot Experiment

Abstract

Salinity intrusion is a global concern in relation to sustainable agricultural practices. About three-fourths of the coastal area in Bangladesh is affected by different levels of salinity. This study was conducted to observe the effects of NaCl-salinity on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants in a pot experiment. Morphological properties and yield of five varieties of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute tomato (BARI-T 1, BARI-T 2, BARI-T 3, BARI-T 4, and BARI-T 5) plants were exposed to NaCl-salinity (2, 4, 6 and 8 dS/m) through irrigation. Morphological properties such as number of leaves, leaf length, leaf width, number of days of flowering, number of flowers and number of branches were observed. Results showed that morphological properties of all studied tomato plants were affected by increasing NaCl-salinity, except number of days of flowering, and yield was reduced compared to the control group (tap water; 0.043 dS/m). The post-harvest pot soil was also affected by NaCl-salinity irrigation. This study can be useful in selecting salt-tolerant varieties in saline-affected areas.

Keywords

• salinity
• agriculture
• crop yield
• organic matter
• plant morphology