Exogenous Application of Calcium Ameliorates Salinity Stress Tolerance of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and Enhances Fruit Quality

Summary

Tomato is affected by various biotic and abiotic stresses, especially salinity, which drastically hinders the growth and yield of tomato. Calcium (Ca) is a vital macronutrient which plays physiological and biochemical roles in plants. Hence, we studied the protective roles of Ca against salinity stress in tomato. There were eight treatments comprising control (nutrient solution), 5 mM Ca, 10 mM Ca, 15 mM Ca, 12 dS m−1 NaCl, 12 dS m−1 NaCl + 5 mM Ca, 12 dS m−1 NaCl + 10 mM Ca and 12 dS m−1 NaCl + 15 mM Ca, and two tomato varieties: BARI tomato-2 and Binatomato-5. Salinity significantly decreased the plant-growth and yield attributes, relative water content (RWC), photosynthetic pigments (SPAD value) and the uptake of K, Ca and Mg in leaves and roots. Salinity-induced oxidative stress was pr