Impact of Salinity on Tomato Seedling Development: A Comparative Study of Germination and Growth Dynamics in Different Cultivars

الموضوعات :

Ali Abdulrahman Fadhil ¹ , Sajeda Y. Swaid ² , Samar Jasim Mohammed ³ , Aswan Al-Abboodi ⁴

1 - Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Misan, Maysan, Iraq
2 - Department of Biology, College of Science, Basrah University, Basrah, Iraq
3 - Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Misan, Maysan, Iraq
4 - Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Misan, Maysan, Iraq

تاريخ الإرسال : 04 الإثنين , شوال, 1444 تاريخ التأكيد : 08 السبت , رجب, 1445 تاريخ الإصدار : 16 الأحد , رجب, 1445

الکلمات المفتاحية: Soil salinity, germination, salinity stress, seedling growth, Tomato, Plant tolerance,

ملخص المقالة :

Soil salinity is an escalating problem that significantly reduces crop yield, particularly in regions with intensive agriculture or poor irrigation practices. This study aimed to assess the impact of salinity on the germination and early growth parameters of four tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivars: 'Sakata', 'US-Agriseed', 'Rossen B.V.', and 'Supermarmance'. Methods: The experiment was conducted under controlled greenhouse conditions with a randomized complete block design. Seeds were exposed to five salinity treatments (0, 4, 6, 8, and 10 ds m-1), and growth parameters including germination rate, seedling length, leaf number, and wet and dry weights were measured over a two-week period. The results demonstrated that increasing salinity levels had a significant inhibitory effect on all measured growth parameters across all cultivars. Germination rates and seedling vigor decreased with increasing salinity, and a complete inhibition of growth was observed at the highest salinity levels (EC-8 and EC-10). However, variability among cultivars indicated differential salinity tolerance, with 'US-Agriseed' displaying relatively better performance under saline conditions. The study provides clear evidence that salinity levels as low as 4 dS m-1 can adversely affect the germination and seedling growth of tomato plants. The findings highlight the critical need for developing salinity management strategies and breeding programs to improve salinity tolerance in tomatoes, which could significantly mitigate the impact of salinity stress on crop productivity.

المصادر:

1. Pitman M.G., Läuchli A., 2002. Global impact of salinity and agricultural ecosystems. Salinity: Environment-Plants-molecules. 3, 20.


2. Hopmans J.W., Qureshi A.S., Kisekka I., Munns R., Grattan S.R., Rengasamy P., Ben-Gal A., Assouline S., Javaux M., Minhas P.S., Raats P.A.C., 2021. Critical knowledge gaps and research priorities in global soil salinity. Advances in Agronomy. 169, 1-191.


3. Kappachery S., AlHosani M., Khan T.A., AlKharoossi S.N., AlMansoori N., AlShehhi S.A.S., AlMansoori H., AlKarbi M., Sasi S., Karumannil S., Elangovan S.K., 2024. Modulation of antioxidant defense and PSII components by exogenously applied acetate mitigates salinity stress in Avena sativa. Scientific Reports. 14(1), 620.


4. Balasubramaniam T., Shen G., Esmaeili N., Zhang H., 2023. Plants’ Response Mechanisms to Salinity Stress. Plants. 12(12), 2253.


5. Techalu A., 2023. The effect of salt stress on growth performance and fruit yield of tomato (lycopersicon esculentum mill.) Varieties (Doctoral dissertation, Haramaya University).


6. Zafar N., Akram N.A., Fatima K., Noreen S., Akram M.S., Umer S., Ashraf M., Alsahli A.A., Mansoor S., 2024. Drought-induced changes in plant-yield interlinked biochemistry of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis) by exogenously applied alpha-tocopherol. Journal of King Saud University-Science. 36(1), 103028.


7. Ahmed S.S., Khan T.K., Abd El-Aziz G.H., Shoala T., El-Garhy H.A., Fahmy A.H., 2023. Implementation of Biopolymeric Nanomaterials to Reduce the Negative Impacts of Salinity on Tomato Quantity and Quality. Molecules. 28(4), 1594.


8. Wang X., Geng S., Ri Y.J., Cao D., Liu J., Shi D., Yang C., 2011. Physiological responses and adaptive strategies of tomato plants to salt and alkali stresses. Scientia Horticulturae. 130(1), 248-255.


9. Khan M.N., Mukherjee S., Al-Huqail A.A., Basahi R.A., Ali H.M., Al-Munqedhi B.M., Siddiqui M.H., Kalaji H.M., 2021. Exogenous potassium (K⁺) positively regulates Na⁺/H⁺ antiport system, carbohydrate metabolism, and ascorbate–glutathione cycle in H2S-dependent manner in NaCl-stressed tomato seedling roots. Plants. 10(5), 948.


10. Jurado C., Díaz-Vivancos P., Gregorio B.E., Acosta-Motos J.R., Hernández J.A., 2024. Effect of halophyte-based management in physiological and biochemical responses of tomato plants under moderately saline greenhouse conditions. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 206, 108228.


11. Steinberg C.E., 2012. Stress ecology: environmental stress as ecological driving force and key player in evolution. Springer Science & Business Media. 10.1007/978-94-007-2072-5_15. pp.369-386.


12. Arif Y., Singh P., Siddiqui H., Bajguz A., Hayat S., 2020. Salinity induced physiological and biochemical changes in plants: An omic approach towards salt stress tolerance. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 156, 64-77.


13. Guo M., Wang X.S., Guo H.D., Bai S.Y., Khan A., Wang X.M., Gao Y.M., Li, J.S., 2022. Tomato salt tolerance mechanisms and their potential applications for fighting salinity: A review. Frontiers in Plant Science. 13, 949541.


14. Naik B., Kumar V., Rizwanuddin S., Chauhan M., Choudhary M., Gupta A.K., Kumar P., Kumar V., Saris P.E.J., Rather M.A., Bhuyan S., 2023. Genomics, Proteomics, and Metabolomics Approaches to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Tomato Plant. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 24(3), 3025.


15. Kamanga R.M., Kopa F., Kamala F.D., Sefasi A., Ndakidemi P.A., 2023. Screening and evaluation of salinity stress tolerance in local malawian tomato Cultivars. Plant Physiology Reports. 1-13.


16. Lietaer S., Dieng D.M., Van Praag L., 2024. Examining the role of the diaspora in addressing the interconnections between human health and environmental change: The case of northern Senegalese communities. Health & Place. 85, 103172.


17. Phour M., Sindhu S.S., 2023. Soil Salinity and Climate Change: Microbiome-Based Strategies for Mitigation of Salt Stress to Sustainable Agriculture. In Climate Change and Microbiome Dynamics: Carbon Cycle Feedbacks. Cham: Springer International Publishing. (pp. 191-243).


18. Rhoades J.D., 1996. Salinity: Electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids. Methods of soil analysis: Part 3. Chemical Methods. 5, 417-435.


19. Arbaoui M., Yahia N., Belkhodja M., 2015. Germination of the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) in response to salt stress combined with hormones. International Journal of Agronomy and Agricultural Research. 7(3), 14-24.


20. Johnson R., Puthur J.T., 2021. Seed priming as a cost effective technique for developing plants with cross tolerance to salinity stress. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 162, 247-257.


21. Shah I.H., Manzoor M.A., Jinhui W., Li X., Hameed M.K., Rehaman A., Li P., Zhang Y., Niu Q., Chang, L., 2024. Comprehensive review: Effects of climate change and greenhouse gases emission relevance to environmental stress on horticultural crops and management. Journal of Environmental Management. 351, 119978.


22. Li J., Wu Y., Feng X., Hussain T., Guo K., Liu X., 2024. Nonuniform salinity regulate leaf characteristics and improve photosynthesis of cherry tomatoes under high salinity. Environmental and Experimental Botany. 217, 105565.


23. Alarcon J.J., Sanchez-Blanco M.J., Bolarin M.C., Torrecillas, A., 1994. Growth and osmotic adjustment of two tomato cultivars during and after saline stress. Plant and Soil. 166, 75-82.


24. Zhang P., Senge M., Dai, Y., 2016. Effects of salinity stress on growth, yield, fruit quality and water use efficiency of tomato under hydroponics system. Reviews in Agricultural Science. 4, 46-55.


25. Malik A., Punia H., Singh N., Singh, P., 2022. Bionanomaterials-mediated seed priming for sustainable agricultural production. In Bionanotechnology: Emerging Applications of Bionanomaterials. Elsevier. (pp. 77-99).