Evaluation of salinity tolerance in tomato using morphological and nutritional traits

Objective: Research into different levels of salt tolerance in tomato varieties is important for agricultural production. In this study, the salt tolerance of cultivated, wild, and their hybrid tomato genotypes was investigated under hydroponic conditions.Material and Methods: The plant material included two commercial cultivars, ten wild species (Solanum pimpinellifolium and S. habrochaites) and their hybrids. The plants were grown for 30 days under control (1.0 dS m⁻¹) and saline (10.0 dS m⁻¹) conditions. Principal component and correlation analyses were applied to determine their salt tolerance.Results: Salt stress affected the fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots, especially in cultivars. Under salt stress conditions, genotype SP-4 had the tallest plants and the best chlorophyll index. The highest root volume was observed in SC2121xSP-2 hybrids. Instead of leaf K/Na ratio, genotype SP-1 had the highest value (0.57), while the lowest values were found in cultivars. Under salt stress, the highest leaf Ca content was found in genotype SH-4 (2.17%) and the lowest in genotype H2274 (0.70%). In terms of root Ca content, genotype SH-2 had the highest value under salt stress (1.79%). In stressed plants, Na levels were higher in cultivated plants and lower in wild and hybrid combinations. In contrast, Ca and K levels were higher in wild lines and hybrid combinations and lower in cultivated plants.