Habashy, N.R., Zaki, R.N. and Awatef A. Mahmoud( 2008). Maximizing Tomato Yield and its Quality under Salinity Stress in a Newly Reclaimed SoilJournal of Applied Sciences Research, 4(12): 1867-1875, 2008
Abstract: A field experiment was carried out on a newly reclaimed saline soil at Gelbana town Sahl El- Tina cultivated with tomato plants (lycopersicon esculentum, L var. 448), and irrigated with saline water derived from El-Salam canal (Nile water mixed with agriculture drainage water, with a ratio of 1:1) during the winter growing season of 2007, to study the potential benefit of some micronutrient forms (i.e.,mineral,
citrate, EDTA, amino and humic acid) for alleviating the hazardous effect of salinity stress of soil and irrigation water on tomato yield and fruit quality. The micronutrients forms were applied as soil application and the studied parameters Vs. salinity stress were vitamin C, total sugar, proline and ion contents of the dry material with pigment content, chlorophyll a & b, besides residual effect of the available micronutrients status in soil. The obtained result reveal that tomato yield and its components showed, in general, a markedly response with a superior effect for micronutrients soil application.
The chelating compounds of humic acid and amino acid recorded the superior increases in the studied tomato parameters, while an inferiority effect was observed with the control treat ment. Both forms of citrate and EDTA were lying in between. The superior effect of amino acids may be due to their more adhesion for chelating micronutrients. The positive effects of applied micronutrient forms, on tomato yield and fruit quality (i.e., vitamin C, total sugar and micronutrient contents) salt stress may be due to decline in the K /Na ratio and an increase in the contents of praline. Effects o + + f micronutrients against salt stress on pigment content (Chl content and Chl a/b ratio) greatly affected by specific forms of applied micronutrients. However, humic and amino acids as micronutrients compounds surpassed other applied forms. As for the residual effect, data show a markedly increase in soil available micronutrient content in case of soil application. From aforementioned results, it can be concluded that, the application of micronutrients either in mineral or chelating forms as soil application increased tomato crop yield and its components as well as improved the nutritional status and fruit quality of tomato plants grown on a newly reclaimed soil under salt stress condition, with relatively higher ability for increasing available micronutrients under chelating form than mineral one.
Keywords: (Tomato, micronutrient forms, salt stress, Egypt.)
