GAS EXCHANGES, WATER RELATIONS AND GROWTH OF EGGPLANT (SOLANUM MELONGENA L.) AS AFFECTED BY SALINITY OF IRRIGATION WATER

Since 1988 a study was carried out to evaluate the long-term effects of increasing salinity (0%; 0.5 and 1% of NaC1) on a clay-loam soil grown vegetable crops.
In 1993 the effects of water salinity on photosynthesis, leaf and root water status and plant growth were studied on eggplant.
The 1% salt concentration reduced the photosynthesis rate by 52% as compared to the control and this decline was associated both to leaf stomatal conductance and to inhibition at chloroplast level, as intercellular CO₂ was higher in the leaves of plants irrigated with 1% salt.
Total water potential showed a more pronounced decrease as related to the highest water salinity level in the leaves (-1.42 vs. -0.97 MPa of the control) than in the roots (-0.77 vs. 7.3 cm cm^-3 in the 0–30 cm soil soil layer). Severe salinity stess reduced plant height by 30%, leaf area by 55% and leaf dry matter by 40% and the number of total (32%) and marketable (55%) fruits per plant as compared to the control.

I International Symposium on Solanacea for Fresh Market

S. De Pascale, G. Barbeiri, M.I. Sifola, C. Ruggiero, .

NaC1, leaf growth, root growth, water potentials, photosynthesis

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.412.46