PRELIMINARY STUDIES ON INTERRELATED EFFECT OF SODIUM CHLORIDE AND MYCOHRHIZAE ON TOMATO PLANTS

Abstract

The interrelated effect of NaCl stress (0,12.50,25and 50. 0 meq/l .) and veslcular-aruuBcular mycorrizal inoculation waB evaluated for tomato (~ycoperu lco n scul~ntum. Mill.) plants grown in pot so11 . The salient features studi ed ~re the nutrient avai labi lity, vegetative and repro duc ti ve growth. The data were recorded at four harvest stages ( 60, 70, 100 and 130 days) 1n the absence or presence of natural inocul um . Invitro, other than physical measurements were Flame photometery for Na and K contents, Spectro-photometery for P content in aerial parts of plants an d in the 80il extracts. While invivo, microscopic observations were carried out to enumernte V.A.M. infection in roots and spores in soil. Vegetatively, semitnlerant tomato plants were well able to cope with salt stress in presence of inoculum. Salt stresA tolerance increased as plants grew old . Thp. increase in sodium content of stem and leaves (except fruits) was directly related + to its conc entration 1n soil solution. K uptak e rRth p-r than thRt of phosphate ions thr ough mycorrhi zal roots was hampered by the excess of Na+ ions. There was insignificAnt i nc reas e in yield by the inoculation.