EFFECT OF SALINE IRRIGATION WATER ON BIO-CHEMICAL PARAMETERS, NUTRIENT COMPOSITION AND YIELD OF TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicum L.) VARIETIES
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Date
2019-06
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JAU, JUNAGADH
Abstract
The most of the soils in Saurashtra region are calcareous and salty. Soil salinity is a global menace to plant growth and development causing significant economic losses to crop. Tomato is moderately salt tolerant and one of the best crops to study salt tolerance due to its well-known genetics and effortlessly transforming capabilities. Keeping this in mind, the present investigation entitled “Effect of saline irrigation water on bio-chemical parameters, nutrient composition and yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) varieties” was undertaken at the Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science during Rabi, 2017. An experiment conducted consisting of four different levels of salinity viz., < 2.0, 4.0, 6.0 and 8.0 dS m-1 with four different varieties viz., V1: GT-6, V2: JT-3, V3: AT-3 and V4: DVRT-2 laid out in Completely Randomized Design (Factorial) with three replications.
The results revealed that highest value of yield and yield attributes i.e. fruit yield, stalk yield, plant height, no. of branches per plant, no. of fruits per plant and fruit weight were ascertained under S1 (< 2.0 dS m-1) salinity level. Likewise, bio-chemical parameters viz., highest RWC, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll content were attained under S1 (< 2.0 dS m-1) salinity. The highest proline and TSS content noted under higher saline water treatment, S4 (8.0 dS m-1). Lower Na+/K+ and highest Ca2+/Na+ ratio noted at S1 (< 2.0 dS m-1) level in leaves at 45 DAT and in fruit & stalk at harvest.
Application of saline water treatment had no significant effect on content of macro (N, P and K) and micro (Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) nutrients in fruit & stalk at harvest while significantly higher values of uptake of major (N, P and K) and micro nutrients (Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) by fruit, stalk and their total uptake were obtained under S1 (< 2.0
dS m-1) salinity level. Soil EC (ECe and EC2.5) were also influenced by saline water treatments while, soil pH (pH2.5 and pHe) and soil available nutrients were remain unaffected.
The different tested varieties of tomato had pronounced effect on yield and yield attributes, bio-chemical parameters and nutrient uptake. Variety V1 (GT-6) reported highest fresh (133.16 g plant-1) and dry fruit yield (7.99 g plant-1), while highest fresh and dry stalk yield (145.00 g plant-1 and 21.82 g plant-1), plant height (66.42 cm) and no. of branches per plant (5.92) registered under V3 (AT-3) variety and no. of fruits per plant (6.58) along with fruit weight (23.25 g) noted under V4 (DVRT-2) variety.
Bio-chemical parameter i.e. RWC, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total chlorophyll were registered significantly higher with variety V1 (GT-6) while proline accumulation and TSS content were obtained highest under V4 (DVRT-2) variety.
Varied cultivars of tomato could not manifested their significant effect on content of macro (N, P, K and S) and micro (Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) nutrients in fruit and stalk of tomato. However, significant influence were found with Na and Ca content at 45 DAT in leaves and at harvest in fruit and stalk of tomato. Among all varieties, variety V2 (JT-3) registered lower values for Na+/K+ ratio and higher values for Ca2+/Na+ ratio at 45 DAT in leaves and at harvest in fruit and stalk. Significant response were found in relation to maximum uptake of primary (N, P and K) and micro (Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn) nutrients by fruit, stalk and their total uptake by tomato plant at harvest.
The combined effect of salinity and variety were found significant, in relation to yield and yield attributes except no. of branches. The TSS content, proline content, RWC, chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll content, Na content at 45 DAT and at harvest showed significant response to the interactive effect of variety and salinity. Also, significant results were produced for Na+/K+ and Ca2+/Na+ ratio in fruit & stalk at harvest of tomato.
On the basis of our result findings and salinity tolerant indices, variety V1 (GT-6) found to be superior with respect to different salinity tolerance criteria viz., highest mean seed yield (122.43 g plant-1), mean salinity index (74.05 g plant-1) and lowest value of yield decline at high salinity level EC (9.19 dS m-1) for 50% threshold yield. As the value of regression slope (b) is highest for this variety, it can be said that yield of this variety is quite tolerant to salinity as compared to other tested varieties of tomato. Overall, relative tolerance of tested tomato varieties in sequential order of: GT-6 > JT-3 > AT-3 > DVRT-2 against saline irrigations upto EC 8.0 dS m-1.