Cultivation of Tomato under Dehydration and Salinity Stress: Unravelling the Physiology and Alternative Tolerance Options

Abstract

Tomato is an important fruit vegetable in the world, as a nutritional source and an income option for a majority of resource constrained households. However, tomato supply in developing countries is often fluctuating, with high scarcity in both supply and quality during rainy season. Unlike many crops, cultivation of tomato is a challenging task during rainy season, with high pest and disease infestation. Hence, dry season is the most favorable period for tomato cultivation. However, inadequate water supply poses a yet another significant hurdle, as the crop requires high soil moisture for optimum growth. According to a landmark study by FAO, Tomato has a yield response factor of 1.05, which signifies that a smaller decline in water uptake results into a proportionally larger decline in yield. Moreover, over the years, there have been increasing reports of soil salinization, which imposes similar effects to drought stress through osmotic effects of Na+ in the soil solution and oxidative stress through excessive generation of reactive oxygen species. This chapter will dissect how tomato plants respond to these abiotic stress factors on physiological, anatomical, and molecular levels and suggest options to improve the crop’s productivity under these constraining environments.

Alleviating Salt Stress in Tomatoes through Seed Priming with Polyethylene Glycol and Sodium Chloride Combination

“…High salinity levels can lead to osmotic stress, disrupting the normal physiology of plants leading to cellular damage [6] and hindering normal metabolic activities. The accumulation of salt at the root zone has the potential to significantly alter key physiological attributes in plants, such as the photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance [7]. Elevated salt levels in the soil can induce various responses in plant physiology, disrupting the delicate balance of these essential processes [8].…”

Potential Benefits of Seed Priming under Salt Stress Conditions on Physiological, and Biochemical Attributes of Micro-Tom Tomato Plants

“…Furthermore, seed priming has a positive effect on aged seeds [42,43] to have better germination and produce stronger seedling with better physiological and biochemical performance [44][45][46][47]. This study not only assesses plants' growth and physiological responses but also evaluates the quality attributes of the fruit.…”