EFFECTS OF SALINITY ON THE GROWTH AND MINERAL COMPOSITION OF SWEET PEPPER AND EGG PLANT GROWN UNDER GLASS

The effects on plant growth and nutrient uptake resulting from the addition of various salts to the irrigation water were studied in an experiment.
The test crops were sweet pepper and egg plant.
Binary salts were added in quantities of 12 ½ and 25 mmol per litre water and tertiary salts in quantities of 8 1/3 and 16 2/3 mmol.

The average reduction in the fruit yields of sweet pepper was 27% at the low and 55% at the high salt level.
For egg plant the percentages were 24 and 44 respectively.
Egg plant showed a greater yield reduction from sodium bicarbonate than from other salts.
Sweet pepper showed a smaller yield reduction from both sodium nitrate and sodium sulphate.
In this crop there were also some effects on the occurrence of blossom-end rot.

The application of salts to the irrigation water strongly affected the nutrient uptake.
This showed up more clearly in the chemical composition of the leaves than in that of the fruits.

Symposium on Water Supply and Irrigation

C. Sonneveld

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1979.89.10