Resumen de Response of mycorrhizal hybrid tomato cultivars under saline stress

C. Huang, W.-A Lai, S. Singh, A Hameed, C. Young

• The response of hybrid tomato cultivars (Solanum lycopersicumL. Cvs. TSS7 and TCAV10) inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Claroideoglomus etunicatum(AMF-1) and Funneliformis mosseae(AMF-2) under 2% saline stress was evaluated with regard to growth, yield, quality, nutrient acquisition, AMF colonization, relative permeability and soil properties in two potted plant experiments. Inoculation with AMF-2 caused a significant increase (~30%) in the fruit yield of TCAV10, particularly under saline stress. The highest tomato juice extraction ratio was achieved for TCAV10 treated with AMF-2. Under saline stress, TCAV10 inoculated with AMF-2 demonstrated significantly enhanced N, P, K and Ca content in fruits; N, K and Mg content in roots; and N, P and Ca content in shoots. Fruits of TSS7 and TCAV10 grown under saline stress coupled with AMF-2 treatment showed a significant decrease in Na content (23.6 and 31.1%, respectively) as compared with fruits of non-inoculated hybrid cultivars grown under saline stress. Residual Na in soil, AMF-2 colonization ratios and relative permeability were higher in TCAV10 inoculated with AMF-2 under saline condition compared with the non-inoculated treatments. TCAV10 inoculated with AMF-2 achieved higher fruit yield, quality and nutrient acquisition compared with the non-inoculated TCAV10. The results of this study are important for the selection of appropriate cultivars and microbial species for sustaining yield and quality under saline stress.